Free Tix: Internet Archive’s Classic Comedy 1953 “Beat the Devil” Movie Night (SF)

Submitted by the Event Organizer

For our 11th monthly public domain film night, Internet Archive will host a screening of Beat the Devil (1953). Directed by John Huston, the film stars Humphrey Bogart, Peter Lorre, Jennifer Jones, and Gina Lollobrigida (in her first popular English language movie).

A sharp, campy adventure that flips noir on its head—full of wit, twists, and Atomic Age absurdity.

Public Domain Movie Night
Beat the Devil
Bogart Film (1953)
Friday, April 11, 2025 | 6:15p Doors
Internet Archive, 300 Funston Ave. @ 13th Ave., SF (Inner Richmond)
Get Tickets – FREE $5 – First 100 people get free tix w/ secret code FUNCHEAP

• Doors & Reception at 7:15p
• Your FREE $5 ticket includes complimentary snacks and any seat in our spacious 400-seat great room.
• Screening at 7:30p

Arrive when doors open: you won’t want to miss a brief introduction to the film by motion picture aficionado James Fraser. James has enjoyed a moviegoing career of many decades and is always pleased to share his unique, ineffable interpretation of cinema with others to enhance their film experience and foster a sense of appreciation, enthusiasm, and wonder regarding old movies.

Viewed variously as a puzzle, a parody, a feature-length in-joke, a product of Hollywood, a group of celebrities on vacation with the cameras running, or possibly all of these things. Above all, it was far ahead of its time in its efforts at black comedy, an art form mainstream audiences would not fully embrace until a decade after the film’s original release. In a directorial career that spanned nearly a half-century, Beat the Devil may be Huston’s most entertaining, yet most inscrutable film.

About Beat the Devil (1953)

Taking the formula of The Maltese Falcon and turning it on its head, the movie plays upon the dreams and fears of the then-contemporary Atomic Age and substitutes a cutthroat quest for lucrative Uranium rights for that of a gem-encrusted sculpture. Combining unusual, erratic plotting with dialogue so funny and penetrating that audiences have been known to suppress their laughter for fear of missing the next line (Truman Capote co-wrote the script with Huston hours, and sometimes minutes, before the day’s filming started), Beat the Devil became an art house hit upon its re-release in 1964 and has held the interest of critics and cinephiles alike ever since.

Disclaimer: Please double check event information with the event organizer as events can be canceled, details can change after they are added to our calendar, and errors do occur.