O Enviado de Satanás

This strange story of an honest crime-fighting district attorney certainly has several haunting moments. They involve a dark stranger who has the uncanny ability to appear and disappear at precisely the right moments. This suave, eerie gentleman offers vital evidence to our honest DA against a highly corrupt criminal - that would allow him to be put away forever. No self-respecting DA could pass this up at any cost - but what is the cost? With fog bound meetings on a lonely pier at the wrong end of town, the too good to be true deal is struck. - Now to cover the unrevealed cost.

Wonderful direction and shadowy cinematography combined with superb performances make this a must see rarity. Most unfortunately it's been locked away in the MCA vaults since Paramount sold it in a package in the 50s. TCM HD is your only hope to see the newly re-printed copy - struck off for one of their Noir festivals. Let's hope they may offer it for sale on DVD sometime in future!

Some Public Domain copy houses are offering M.0.D. Off-Air copies, some of which are poor but one from the UK, has a reasonably good/OK transfer on offer.

The Faust legend gets yet another retelling in modern post war America with Thomas Mitchell as an honest District Attorney looking for evidence to convict a racketeer. A conviction in this case will propel him to higher office.

Into the story walks a gentleman named Nicholas Beal played with intensity by Ray Milland. The account books supposedly destroyed Milland says he can produce and produce them he does. Of course Mitchell is grateful and Milland becomes part of his inner circle.

With Mitchell now being talked about for the governorship, Milland incurs the mistrust of all around him including Mitchell's wife Geraldine Wall and the Reverend George MacReady. MacReady who himself has played many a sinister character on the big and small screen knows sinister when he sees it. In fact he's the first to recognize Milland for what he is.

When a man's influence doesn't work Milland plants Audrey Totter in Mitchell's circle. This is a whole lot like the way Ray Walston used Gwen Verdon to get at Tab Hunter in Damn Yankees. Only this is far more serious.

Ray Milland who before The Lost Weekend played all kinds of light parts was now getting heavier dramatic fare in his career and handling it most successfully. He's probably at his most menacing on the screen in Alias Nick Beal.

As for Mitchell for once he didn't die on the screen. Years ago I had a teacher who said that Thomas Mitchell had to have the record for screen deaths in major motion pictures. Although I can think of a few in addition to this one like Stagecoach and It's A Wonderful Life where he lived until the final end credits, I think the man that taught me might have had something. Mitchell is fine as a man desperately trying to do the right thing and having to contend with his own ambitions at the same time.

Paramount normally did not go in for noir films, but in this case they produced one with classic satanic overtones. In the end Milland makes a rather interesting confession as the film ends. It explains his attitude and his character.

I'd make it a point to check it out.

Alias Nick Beal (AKA: A few other titles...) is directed by John Farrow and adapted to screenplay by Jonathan Latimer from the Mindret Lord story. It stars Ray Milland, Audrey Totter, Thomas Mitchell and George Macready. Music is by Franz Waxman and cinematography by Lionel Lindon.

It's the Faustian legend filmed through film noir filters as Thomas Mitchell's politician unwittingly makes a deal with Ray Milland's suspicious Nick Beal.

Nicholas Beal - Agent.

It's all fogs, smogs and smoky pubs here, it's 1949 and John Farrow and his team are having a great time of things blending Faust with politico machinations. Narrative thrust comes by way of corruption and character disintegration, sprinkled naturally with your good old cinematic staple of good versus evil in bold type.

Don't touch him! He doesn't like it!

Milland is superb here, his Nick Beal is the ultimate Machiavellian Mannipulator, and the chief film makers really bring these traits to the fore. Beal is a bundle of smug grins and glinting eyes, he just appears in scenes, Farrow cunningly using various props and persons to suddenly unleash his little old devil when he is least expected. Around Nicky there are subtle changes of clothes and snatches of dialogue that hit the requisite devilish notes, Totter is our darling who is caught in Old Nick's trap, Mitchell (great) even more so.

The last time I was here was quite exciting. City was on fire. Picked up quite a lot of recruits that night. Made quite a transportation problem.

Lionel Lindon and Franz Waxman are also key components to what makes the pic work. Waxman (Sunset Blvd.) deftly shifts between big bass drums for thunder clap effects, to delicate swirls that give off other worldly - eerie - effects. Lindon (I Want to Live!) does great work isolating the eyes in light, while his fog and shadows work wouldn't be amiss in a Val Lewton picture.

This is a criminally under seen movie, it's far from perfect because the collage of genre influences give it a very unbalanced feel, but there's so much fun, spookiness and technical craft on show to make it a must see movie for fans of the stars, noir and supernatural tinged pictures. 8/10

A variation on the Faust theme, Thomas Mitchell plays an honest politician who is tempted with the state governorship if he follows the political advice given to him by a mysterious stranger who emerges from the fog (Milland). Among other things, Milland has the ability to predict, word for word, the exact dialogue that will occur between two people in a future conversation.?

It seamlessly blends political drama, noir and Val Lewton-esque psychological horror. Ray Midland's portrayal is restrained, without sacrificing any of Nick Beal's monstrous evil. The subtle, malevolent smile on Milland's face as Thomas Mitchell's Foster has his epiphany reveals that, perhaps, Nick Beal is truly omnipotent. He's thought of everything, and there's no escape for poor Foster. The screenplay by Jonathan Latimer is outstanding. When Nick lectures Foster that in politics, and life, there are no absolutes, just shades of gray, I can't help but think of Broadcast News and Albert Brooks' speech about the devil - "What do you think the devil's going to look like if he's around? ... Nobody is going to be taken in by a guy with a long, red, pointy tail!"??

The ending was a tad heavy-handed, but appropriate for the times. Audrey Totter was her usual terrific self. And George Macready is miles away from his sleazy character in Gilda. Director John Farrow, along with the production design, music by Franz Waxman and Lionel Lindon's chiaroscuro cinematography create a feeling of inescapable dread.

Forget Double Indemnity - for me, this is the quintessential film noir. Ray Milland was never better, and all the cast are on top form. The editing's great, and there's not a wasted shot. Some say the ending's a cop out (see other comments for plot details), but it's hard to see how else it could have been done without compromising both the essence, and flavour, of the film.

I last saw this classic on TV about 15 years ago, and as far as I know it's never been either repeated, or released on video or DVD. WHY???

If anyone out there's got a recording they'd be willing to copy for me I'd love to hear from them. Maybe we can trade. Thanks.