The Devil's Disciple Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

The Devil's Disciple Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf November 19, 2015

1959’s “The Devil’s Disciple” is an adaptation of an 1897 play by George Bernard Shaw. The Guy Hamilton-directed feature respects its source material in many ways, but the effort primarily strives to be a cinematic experience, boating incredible star power with leads Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, and Laurence Olivier, who deliver exceptional work while the screenplay struggles to figure out the tone of the picture.

An American Revolution tale that braids together a reverend (Lancaster), a rogue (Douglas), and their British enemy (Olivier), “The Devil’s Disciple” opens with a fresh vision for exposition, staging a bit of stop-motion animation with paper figures to explore the setting of the story and to visualize troop movement and battle without having to drain the budget. It’s a neat idea (returning periodically), helping to break the initial chill of the material, which is mostly concentrated on steely men finding their moral core challenged by unusual turns of fate. “The Devil’s Disciple” eventually warms up when an unusual love story emerges to confront the American rebels, but the feature takes its time to find an enticing emotional level, though performances are uniformly terrific, hitting beats of courage, confusion, and comedy with professional muscle.

The Devil's Disciple Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation is quite good with detail overall, registering fibrous costumes and facial particulars, which provide some necessary pop during rare forays into close-ups. Stop-motion animation is also open for inspection. Black and white cinematography retains satisfactory balance, leaving delineation comfortable. Grain is present and filmic. Source is a little ragged at time, with scratches and speckling consistently on display, but no substantial damage is detected.

The Devil's Disciple Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix doesn't offer much in the way of depth, keeping crispy and shrill as it manages a period track. Dialogue exchanges are discernible, providing dramatic intent without interference, but enticing definition is missing, registering thinly. Scoring is loud and commanding, working with passable instrumentation, but rarely showing complete confidence. Atmospherics are adequate for crowd interactions and echoed interiors. Hiss is present throughout the listening experience.

The Devil's Disciple Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• A Theatrical Trailer (2:56, SD) is included.

The Devil's Disciple Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"The Devil's Disciple" relaxes as it unfolds, eventually staging a few comedic moments before giving over to an action-oriented finale, albeit one with limited room to work with. Despite surges in intensity, the material is most comfortable with character arcs, embracing irony and evolution as the leads trade world views and religious consistency. "The Devil's Disciple" doesn't always share the most profound appreciation for the complexity of human behavior, but it retains interest in pressure points and broad swings of conflict, keeping it engaging as the actors chew on their dialogue and develop compelling levels of tension.