The Devil's Disciple

Friends and frequent costars Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas teamed up for the third time in this 1959 adaptation of George Bernard Shaw's play set during the American Revolution, directed by British filmmaker Guy Hamilton (who went on to helm the James Bond classic Goldfinger). Lancaster is idealistic, soft-spoken parish priest Anthony Anderson, whose faith in Mother England is destroyed by the cruelty of British soldiers, while Douglas is wanted criminal turned rabble rouser and revolutionary guerilla Richard Dudgeon, a nemesis who becomes a compatriot in a complicated triangle that involves the priest's younger wife. Douglas is rather old for the role but easily captures the rebellious nature of the character, and Lancaster is nicely subdued as the priest, at least until the final act. Both are shown up by Laurence Olivier, the very model of cool, calm authority as General Johnny Burgoyne, a savvy British officer surrounded by thickheaded underlings. What might have been a swashbuckling war adventure remains largely stagebound here: although set in Revolutionary Era America, The Devil's Disciple was shot in England (largely on studio sets) from a script that remains grounded in conversations and debates. But the witty dialogue and energetic performances help elevate the film, as does the creative and clever use of cut-out figures and 3D stop-motion animation to stand in for expensive battle scenes. In addition to being based on a Shaw play, this is one of the very few significant films to be set during the American Revolution. Recommended. (S. Axmaker)