Alias Nick Beal

source: Alias Nick Beal

This great supernatural noir hybrid deserves to be far better known and released on DVD (Wake up, Paramount!). Shadowy fixer Nick Beal (Ray Milland) is more than he appears to be (Check out his name for starters). When decent D.A. and seemingly "incorruptible enemy of the legions of evil" Joseph Foster (Thomas Mitchell) claims he'd sell his soul to put away an influential racketeer, saturnine Nick Beal gets on his case and subsequently smooths the way to a successful prosecution and, possibly, a path to the governor's office. But what does it profit a man if he gains the world but loses his soul? This modern dress morality play gives us an answer as well as proving to be a gripping tale of character and drama. Smoothly directed by John Farrow - whose previous film was also a noir with supernatural overtones, NIGHT HAS A THOUSAND EYES (DVD release too please, 20th Century Fox), and who had directed Milland in the earlier more plot-oriented noir THE BIG CLOCK - and atmospherically filmed by Lionel Lindon (who later shot THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE), this is a gripping and unusual noir. Bolstering this offbeat generic tale are a clutch of great performances, particularly those of the saturnine Milland, tormented Thomas Mitchell and a touching Audrey Totter as the fallen angel waterfront lush enlisted by Beal to carry out the fleshier requirements of his plot. Given the era it was made, the Devil may not ultimately have all the best tunes here (which wasn't quite the case with Al Pacino's older Nick in the not altogether dissimilar THE DEVIL'S ADVOCATE) but this is still an unusual and tangy take on personal, spiritual and political corruption that is highly recommended and deserves to be more widely seen. As I said, DVD release please, Paramount!

Unlike a lot of commentators on this site, I found "Alias Nick Beale" to be kind of slow and uninvolving, but that probably just my prejudice against film noir revealing itself. I liked Ray Milland just fine in his role, but the guy who played the "Faust" character dull and uninteresting - probably not the actor's fault, since the character he plays is a self-important blowhard who is willing to take shortcuts to get important reforms done. However, I did like the way the screenplay made things "complicated" for the "hero" as he dealt with more and more unexpected consequences of his initial compromise, and unlike some here, I liked the lead actress' performance as the Jezebel with a heart of gold. There's some heavy-handed and not very convincing sermonizing by a minister that's supposed to serve as the moral center of the film, and I have to say that if that's what we've got for inspiration against the wiles of St. Nick, we're in trouble. Still, I have to give the film credit for some interesting ideas and some good one-liners by "Beale", and a resolution that leaves the hero with something like a 2nd chance.

Alias Nick Beal (1949) A nice discovery! I'd never heard of this film, though I pride myself on following the noirs that are out there (mostly on TCM these days, having used up all the DVD released films). If you start with some doubt in the overly dramatic beginning credits (lightning, rain, and a Waxman score that is over the top), don't quit. We get a classic noir voice over by leading man Ray Milland, and then we're in the classic noir milieus. Thomas Mitchell is at first the main man, and he's great in his inimitable way (though always better in supporting roles). And other character actors fill in the scenes as we see a man ready to run for governor and a whirlwind of corruption and wheeling around him. This doesn't sound like a noir, actually, but call it a crime and suspense film. It's good, moves fast, keeps an edge. Milland shares the lead, entering on a foggy dock as the music turns dour. Cinematographer Lionel Linden has a field day with dramatic light and atmosphere (he's most famous for "Manchurian Candidate," though see "Blue Dahlia" for starters.) And he helps a lot because the movie is otherwise a kind of clever drama. There is one trick behind it all, which I can't mention, and you might not buy into it (and it certainly makes this a weird noir, and maybe even a weird crime film). But it makes it original in all the dark interiors and night scenes. So what makes the film not quite click? One is Milland, who is stiff and dry (as usual). The other is Mitchell, who has a wonderful ease on camera but who doesn't have the bearing of a powerful man—a savvy top notch prosecutor who is being swept into high end politics. And the "trick" to it all makes it less worldly and gritty than this kind of scenario needs. It is overall a kind of Faust story—the devil tempting a good man who is willing to "sell his soul" to do the right thing. And what of Audrey Totter, you ask? Yes, she's the usual wonderful "dame," the femme fatale with airs, in this case. Her role is too small and too restrained, however. In fact, maybe everyone is restrained, a bit, not rising to the level of the visuals, which are not a bit restrained. That Hollywood ending? Read your Faust.

I've seen this film perhaps twice in my life and why it 'sticks' in my memory so vividly is quite beyond me. It's very atmospheric and for a young boy, not quite in his teens, when he first saw it, it scared me to bits, I hope it arrives on DVD soon, it would be a welcome addition to my collection. Ray Milland plays the titled Nick Beal, a shadowy figure who is, or is not Old Nick AKA; The Devil himself. This guys oilier than a tin or sardines, but always charming and mysterious. From what I can remember, it's a run on the Faustian themes of selling your soul for the things you think you want, a contract written in blood and the love of a beautiful young girl. I compel the people who own the rights to this film to release it, it's wonderful and needs to be shared AND REMEMBERED!

Interesting, atmospheric late-'40s near-noir, shot through with smoky exteriors and great moody lighting. But it's just a variation on the Faust legend, and not an imaginatively conceived one. Thomas Mitchell, a good man running for governor, is courted by Ray Milland, who's essentially the devil. He talks in epigrams and charms when he wants to and bends fate to his will, and he enlists femme fatale Audrey Totter (who's splendid) to lure Mitchell away from his good, moral, dull wife. There's some fine Franz Waxman blasting beneath the surface, and some good character actors turn up--Fred Clark as a corrupt pol, Darryl Hickman as a bad kid turning better. What ruins it for me is the sanctimonious posturing, from a too-good-to-be-true priest to some absurd plot points- -Milland refuses to be touched, and is ultimately done in by being unable to touch a Bible. Though Milland's top-billed, Mitchell is really the lead, and he's good. But the picture sermonizes too much for its own good.

Thomas Mitchell (Foster) wants to run for Governor and rid the town of corruption, but corrupt Fred Clark (Faulkner) stands in his way. Enter Ray Milland (Nick Beal). Milland can offer Mitchell what he needs to take power. Tony Blair's PR spin-doctor Alastair Campbell is obviously the inspiration for this film. Milland plays the role of domineering adviser to Thomas Mitchell, and Milland gets his way. The cast are all good in this film, with fallen girl Audrey Totter (Donna) getting a special mention – she is funny, intuitive and tragic all at the same time. I thought the film was a bit talky at the beginning but it does seem necessary in order to set the scene. And there certainly is an air of mystery when Milland appears. There are various good scenes, my favourite being when Totter ends up speaking the dialogue that she has just rehearsed with Milland. At first she dismisses Milland for talking nonsense, but there comes a moment when she is with Mitchell and she realizes what is happening. Some of the rehearsed dialogue did not make sense to her when first repeated. But it all fits now. It's well acted and directed and it's the most memorably chilling moment for me. Good direction, effective camera shots and a good music score round out the other film highlights. So, if you fancy running for any kind of position of power in the political arena, just remember to carry a bible with you……..or there may be trouble.

I had long wanted to check out this modern Americanization of the "Faust" legend and, at the same time, wondered at its apparent neglect over the years. Having done so now, I am honestly baffled by this as the film is superb in every respect – keeping also in mind that there are at least three other classic cinematic versions of its prototype i.e. F.W. Murnau's Silent FAUST (1926; which retains the original setting and period), William Dieterle's THE DEVIL AND DANIEL WEBSTER aka ALL THAT MONEY CAN BUY (1941; superbly rendered in terms of Americana http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033532/usercomments-20) and Rene' Clair's LA BEAUTE' DU DIABLE (1950; with the narrative, of course, re-set to France http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0042235/usercomments-4). By the way, I purposely picked my birthday (17th August) to catch up with ALIAS NICK BEAL since I was to watch yet another variation on the theme – HAMMERSMITH IS OUT (1972), starring Richard Burton – anyway, as part of my ongoing tribute to that renowned thespian on the 25th anniversary of his passing! To begin with, the acting is impeccable: Ray Milland, at once charming and sinister in the title role who, not only has the penchant of never being seen entering or exiting a room but just suddenly be there Mrs. Danvers-style, but is also so evil that he threatens to blackmail the Faust character here soon after having opened the road to success for him!; Thomas Mitchell, reliable but at the same time a symbol of integrity, is actually the one to take the spotlight throughout; and Audrey Totter, the tramp with ambitions above her station who eventually reforms thanks to her proverbial heart of gold…but we also get George Macready and Fred Clark effectively cast against type as reverend and racketeer respectively! The eerie supernatural elements, then, are remarkably rendered without the use of special effects (complemented by noir-ish cinematography and an emphatic score). Among the most memorable moments we find Milland afraid of being touched and even more so of the Holy Scriptures (reprised in the film's splendid climax); the uncanny chat between Totter and Mitchell 'rehearsed' verbatim beforehand with Milland (incidentally, the blooming relationship between Mitchell and Totter is subtly mirrored in the scenes depicting Mitchell's growing estrangement from his wife); and Totter's drunken exchange with a bartender before she is picked up by Milland. The political element within the film is more of the idealistic Frank Capra variety (of which Mitchell himself was a stock performer) than the 'mature' level of the contemporaneous ALL THE KING'S MEN (1949) – although, watching this, I was immediately reminded of Raoul Walsh's James Cagney vehicle A LION IS IN THE STREETS (1953) which I only caught last month (in a retrospective of that star's work honoring the 110th anniversary of his birth). In conclusion, I would like to point out that director Farrow was an underrated film-maker from Hollywood's Golden Age and this is undoubtedly his most accomplished effort. P.S. Watching the not dissimilar THE SOUL OF A MONSTER (1944) – also with Macready – as part of the Halloween challenge, I was inspired to finally complete my review of this film

I saw this film in 1949 at the tender age of 15. Ray Milland had hair then. Don't remember the dialog, or maybe this was the one which only had a music track and no dialog. Ray had the POWER over women, all right! It was VERY good, and I keep watching the movie channels, hoping it will be shown some night. With all the turkeys they run (and re, rerun), it would be welcome and refreshing. I'm tired of "Midway" and "In Harm's Way" every week. John W. Hall

Nick Beal (not his real name) has a haunting way of whistling in the fog, in which he seems at home. It's a symbol of the mystery of the man, which softly, like the fog itself, reveals itself to us. There are absorbing scenes involving Ray Milland's interplays with George Macready, Thomas Mitchell and Audrey Totter, and there is Franz Waxman's soundtrack score, all contributing to the mood of apprehension which prevails throughout in this quiet study of power. Anything said further here would reveal what we soon learn of .... well, of the man who whistles. Highly recommended.