It’s 1777, and the British Army has hanged Timothy Dudgeon in the town of Westerbridge to convince the other colonists to stay in line.
The Rev. Anthony Anderson (Burt Lancaster) is too late to prevent the hanging, but the hanged man’s wayward son, Richard (Kirk Douglas) rescues the body and returns it to his church for burial.
That’s a treasonous act, the British decide. But when they arrive at the Anderson home to arrest the good reverend, they find Richard Dudgeon and Judith Anderson (Janette Scott) having tea together; Judith’s husband has rushed to the bedside of Richard’s dying mother.
Richard poses as the reverend and winds up facing the gallows instead of Anderson. After giving the wife who really isn’t his a passionate kiss goodbye, he urges Judith to have the real reverend flee for his life.
Will the reverend flee? Or will he join the revolution and try to save the man who refers to himself as the devil’s disciple? Will his wife give in to temptation and fall prey to Richard’s charms? Or will she remain the good reverend’s wife?
And how will Gen. Burgoyne (Laurence Olivier) handle the bungling of the British war department in the face of a determined enemy?
Review:
Decent little film that should have been better given all the star power involved. Douglas and Lancaster co-produced the movie; Olivier was also a star at the time of its release.
Unfortunately, it features lots of treasonous talk, especially from Douglas in the Dudgeon role, and very little action. For a devil’s disciple, we don’t see him do anything devilish except for kissing the minister’s wife and stealing his father’s body from the gallows.
During the one battle / fight scene, the peaceful reverend suddenly becomes an unstoppable force for the revolution, fighting off a British officer, two soldiers and an unwilling accomplice with very little trouble.
Janette Scott is probably best remembered for playing one of the leads in the science fiction thriller “The Day of the Triffids.” She would later marry actor Mel Torme and have two children with him.
This film was based on a 1897 play by George Bernard Shaw.
Directed by:
Guy Hamilton
Cast:
Burt Lancaster … Rev. Anthony Anderson
Kirk Douglas … Richard Dudgeon
Laurence Olivier … Gen. Burgoyne
Janette Scott … Judith Anderson
Eva Le Gallienne … Mrs. Dudgeon
Harry Andrews … Maj. Swindon
Basil Sydney … Lawyer Hawkins
George Rose … British sergeant
Neil McCallum … Christie Dudgeon
Mervyn Johns … Rev. Maindeck Parshotter
David Horne … Uncle William
Erik Chitty … Uncle Titus
Brian Oulton … Mr. Brudenell
Jenny Jones … Essie
Runtime: 82 min.
Memorable lines:
Maj. Swindon: “Come what may, general, the British soldier will give a good account of himself.”
Gen. Burgoyne: “And, therefore, I suppose, the British officer need not know his business. The British soldier will get him out of all of his blunders with the bayonet. In future, sir, I must ask you to be a little less generous with the blood of your men and a little more generous with your brain.”
Richard Dudgeon: “I’ve never met a minister yet who doesn’t ask you to supper and treat you to a sermon.”
Richard Dudgeon: “I was brought up a good sound signing little church boy, but I saw the world cringed at the almighty only through fear. Then I made the devil’s acquaintance. I knew he was my natural master, captain and friend. I promised him my soul and swore an oath that I would stand up for him in this world and stand by him in the next. That promise and that oath made a man of me.”
Richard Dudgeon: “We’re all rebels, and you know it.”
The good folks of Westerbridge: “No, no, no.”
Dudgeon: “Yes, you are. You haven’t damned King George as I have and none of you have the courage to fight, but you’re all waiting for the outcome before paying your taxes.”
Richard Dudgeon, pretending to be the Reverend: “I would think you’d have the decency to treat me as a prisoner of war and shoot me like a man rather than hanging me like a dog.”
Gen. Burgoyne: “Have you any idea of the average marksmanship of the army of his majesty, King George III? If we make up a firing party, what will happen? Half of them will miss you and the rest will make a mess of the business and leave you to the provo marshal’s pistol. Whereas we can hang you in a perfectly workmanlike and agreeable way. Let me persuade you to be hanged, Mr. Anderson.”
Gen. Burgoyne: “I understood when we supposed we had you in custody that you were a clergyman.”
Rev. Anthony Anderson: “In hours of trial, general, a man finds his true profession.”
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