A screwball, wacky comedy that is played as straight as any film noir and is even funnier as a result. Five desperate and disparate men (Bogart, Lorre, Morley, Barnard, and Tulli) are out to garner control over East African land which they believe contains a rich uranium ore lode. Their
scuzzy steamer is in port in Italy. Bogart is married to Gina (an odd choice for the role but she proves to be more than adept at the straightfaced comedy). The other four are their "business associates." Bogart and Gina meet another couple, Jones and Underdown. She's in a blonde wig and
off-the-wall; he's a prig-and-a-half at first glance but in reality, he's a phony peer. Jones rattles on about her hubby's uranium holdings, all lies. The "associates" think they are being gulled by Bogart when it appears that Bogie is after Jones and Gina is hot for Underdown.
The boat leaves for Africa, then blows up. Seven survivors make it to shore and are taken in by a hostile group of Arabs. Their lives are saved when Bogart manages to charm the evil Arab police chief by promising the man an opportunity to meet his idol, Rita Hayworth. Underdown is supposed to have
drowned and this causes Jones, a pathological liar, to tell the truth. The four villains are taken in by the Italian police, then Jones gets a telegram from her still-alive husband and is delighted to learn that Underdown made it to Africa and acquired the uranium-rich land the others yearned for.
If all the aforementioned sounds like a hodge-podge, you're right. But it is such wonderful nonsense--there isn't a moment when the picture doesn't take a left turn when you expect it to turn right. Director Huston, working from a quirky, literate script by Capote, manages to parody a number of
his earlier films, including THE MALTESE FALCON, THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE, and KEY LARGO. Bogart, who, of course, was in all those films, seems to be having a marvelous time skewering them and gives a memorable performance. The film's humor is not readily apparent, and the movie was
quickly rejected by the public upon its release. But today it has achieved something of a cult following and is a sheer delight. leave a comment
