Bedevilled

Bedevilled is an unusual but dull tale of intrigue in post-war Paris. Anne Baxter and Steve Forrest are completely unable to set off any romantic sparks, and Jo Eisinger's screenplay does them no favors. That's a shame, really, because the setup--newly ordained priest confronts temptation in the City of Lights--holds potential interest. Are there any reasons to watch this Cinemascope trifle? Well, not really, unless you enjoy first class cinematography. Shot on location by the great British DoP, Freddie Young (Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago), the film looks positively stunning. Young was one of the early masters of the widescreen process, and he takes full advantage of the Panavision lens here. Even more remarkably, he managed to get good results from Eastmancolor stock. Turn down the sound and enjoy.

It seems that Mitchell Leisen was in love with France and Paris and the results were often excellent ("arise ,my love" "midnight" ).In other movies he displays the same Francophilia ,even if the stories do not take place there :"Frenchman's creek " , "Hold back the dawn" .

"Bedevilled" (the ludicrous French title is "Boulevard De Paris"!),sadly is not in the same league as the works I mention above. He couldn't capture the Parisian zeitgeist and the chemistry between Ann Baxter and Steve Forrest is nonexistent.It takes a lot of imagination to believe that they are eaten with desire and that the would be future priest has to fight to stay chaste .The story is muddled and worthless ,the kind of story an average viewer has been told and told and told.

For the French audience ,there are some of our actors: Victor Francen as a priest was already used by Leisen in "hold back the dawn"(he reads the famous lines of the statue of liberty,a gift from France to the USA!) ;Simone Renant as an ambiguous clothes designer and fashion businesswoman Forrest meets on the plane ;Maurice Teynac is the villain and Raymond Bussières the concierge.

Leisen's wit and his good sense of humor have metamorphosed into an annoying and very unsatisfying lack of weight or consequence and into what we have got to call bigotry.

In the 1950's, Baxter seemed to be on a roll when it came to tempting priests! First Monty Clift in "I Confess" and then Forrest in this film. Forrest (looking quite handsome and dashing) is on his way to Rome to take his priestly vows, but first has a layover in Paris. His roomie gets sick from the flight, so he sets out to catch a glimpse of The City of Lights. He's barely turned a corner when breathless Baxter hops in his cab, teary and worried. It turns out she's just been present at a murder and fears she is the next target. Forrest decides to help her, many times and in a variety of ways, often risking his own position and value system as a future man of the cloth. They scurry around Paris, the good parts and the bad, as he tries to help her exit the country. Eventually, they discover that they've been keeping some very important secrets from each other and this leads to a hyper-melodramatic resolution. The film is preposterous in the extreme and occasionally quite dull, though not without a few moments of unintentional hilarity. Forrest presents a calm, likable hero, even if his character doesn't always make a lot of sense in his decisions. Baxter is attractive, but unbelievable. Carrying on raspy conversations (often without looking at Forrest) as if she's narrating some film noir, she lays on the hard dame act in her best Claire Trevor impersonation. Amusingly, she skulks about Paris in a LOUD Helen Rose gown and sulks in an attic space wearing a cocktail dress and heels. One particularly ridiculous moment has the pair discussing incredibly sensitive information in the echoey and cavernous Napoleon's Tomb. Later, Forrest practically yells similar information during a quiet fashion show. No wonder they are always just one step away from being caught! What the film does offer is some striking and lovely location shots of Paris and some nicely photographed scenes throughout. Alfred Hitchcock was clearly an inspiration here, both in story and execution with an everyman and a blonde being thrown into a purportedly suspenseful situation. Unfortunately, the script and direction are nowhere near the level of Hitchcock product. The ending is not only ridiculous (and fall-down funny), but also pointless. If it were just a little worse, it may have ranked in Movieline magazine's "Bad Movies We Love". As it stands, it's worth a look for fans of the stars and an occasional hoot at the ludicrous goings-on.

Actor Steve Forrest is a young good looking man named Gregory Fitzgerald who has flown to Paris France with another seminarian named Tony Lugacetti (Robert Christopher) as a stop over for a few days before starting their intense priesthood formal training. While travelling by cab to meet up with another priest for dinner a mysterious woman frantically jumps into his cab and begs Gregory to allow her to share his cab with her to escape someone who is chasing her. The young seminarian Gregory is intrigued but more earnestly just wants to help this pretty damsel whose distress is visible all over her worried face and in her nervous mannerisms.

Gradually we find out that the woman in distress is a cabaret singer named Monica Johnson (Anne Baxter) and she is trying to flee the country to avoid being murdered herself by a very wealthy and prominent French tycoon.

Other reviewers have said there was no chemistry between actors Steve Forrest and Anne Baxter but you have to appreciate that Steve Forrest was playing a seminarian who pledges himself to God and to refuse any sexual offers of any kind even if it means saying no to the sultry blonde and vivacious Anne Baxter.

As this mystery unfolds most men and women would be disappointed with the ending which I will not spoil for those still interested in seeing it for themselves. Suffice to say I thoroughly enjoyed this suspense/thriller/mystery and I also felt that both Steve Forrest and Anne Baxter were exceptional in their respective roles.

I give Bedevilled an excellent 8 out of 10 IMDB rating.

Korean vet Gregory Fitzgerald (Steve Forrest) is headed to France to study for the priesthood along with Tony Lugacetti. On the plane, famed fashion designer Francesca (Simone Renant) is taken with Greg and gives him her address. He goes out into the Paris night and shares a cab with nightclub singer Monica Johnson (Anne Baxter). Soon, he is pulled into a murder mystery involving her.

Steve Forrest looks like an old matinee idol. He's got the chiselled jaw, the towering height, but without much charisma. He definitely isn't acting like a man of God. He's like a Jack Palance with less intensity. Anne Baxter is trying her best but her character is hopelessly lost in melodrama. As for the ending, I'm uncertain of the premise and dislike the execution. It is interesting to see 50's Paris in color and that's probably all to see in this movie.