A good movie worth seeing


and at the time it was made it was rare to have three great actors (Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas and Lawrence Olivier) in the same movie even though with this talent even though the movie is a good one it is not a great one. Plus it should have been made in color.

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Definitely would be great in color. I think it's about as good a film as it could be. The three stars are terrific, the secondary players are perfect and the atmosphere is top notch. Shame this movie doesn't get a DVD or more exposure.

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In response to the first two commentators' thought that color would have served this film especially well, its airing this day on TCM (which included a presentation by the host) suggested that the film was initially planned to be shot in color, but unfortunately its low budget (of $1.5 million; the end credits revealed that Lancaster's production company was behind the film, which possibly implies limited funds) ultimately could only allow for black & white photography.

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A "good movie" merely worth seeing? My God, don't you feel this incredibly entertaining and thought provoking tale set in such an auspicious time and place in American history is worthy of higher praise? I saw this movie with a friend (at my own choice, not dragged there by my parents) when I was 12 and, even in my youthful inexperience of G.B. Shaw's work, I was thoroughly entertained by the story, the acting, the music, and the general overall feel of humor, joy and involvement in the birth of freedom setting of colonial New Hampshire. Shaw himself would have loved it had he lived a few more years, considering he had such a marvelous sense of humor and personal warmth. Watching the three great actors interact in this movie is a rarity, to be appreciated with the highest of praise considering movies like Drums along the Mohawk are representative of Revolutionary War movies and don't light a candle next to the depth and humor of this incredible film.

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I recall having seen The Devil's Disciple performed as a play at a theater-in-the-round on the Princeton University campus when I was in high school.

Even then, I was something of a history buff, and though I was utterly unfamiliar with Shaw, I had to admit that the author had managed the willing suspension of disbelief quite well, making no mistakes in history or geography that I could pick up at the time.

Everything that makes this movie worth seeing - and well worth transition to DVD - is in the play, and the production company responsible for this little gem did the job right.


Oh good! My dog found the chainsaw!

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I, too, saw "The Devil's Disciple" as a young kid when the film first came out and, after having had just visited several of the Revolutuionary War sites in New England with my family during a summer vacation, was fascinated seeing the American rebels battle those "toffee-nosed" Red Coats.

Today, many years later, one can appreciate the great George Bernard Shaw's mordant wit, humor and sense or irony.

And, three cheers to veteran British character actor, Harry Andrews (as the "somewhat" stuffy Major Swinden), the absolute epitome of the stolid, stiff-upper-lip British Army officer! Mr. Andrews was outstanding in so many other films, including "Sands of the Kalahari," "55 Days in Peking," and "Murder By Decree," to name just a few.

I wonder if former Royal Marine officer Geoffrey Palmer (of "As Time Goes By" fame) inherited Mr. Andrews' stalwart Britsh officer roles?

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