Alias Nick Beal
No man ever held more terrible power over women than this tall dark handsome stranger from nowhere!
Production
After straight-arrow district attorney Joseph Foster says in frustration that he would sell his soul to bring down a local mob boss, a smooth-talking stranger named Nick Beal shows up with enough evidence to seal a conviction. When that success leads Foster to run for governor, Beal's unearthly hold on him turns the previously honest man corrupt, much to the displeasure of his wife and his steadfast minister.
Trailers & Videos
Alias Nick Beal (1949) ORIGINAL TRAILER
Cast
Ray Milland
Nick Beal
Audrey Totter
Donna Allen
Thomas Mitchell
Joseph Foster
George Macready
Thomas Garfield
Fred Clark
Frankie Faulkner
Geraldine Wall
Martha Foster
Henry O'Neill
Judge Ben Hobbs
Darryl Hickman
Larry Price
Nestor Paiva
Karl
King Donovan
Peter Wolfe
Charles Evans
Paul Norton
Ernö Verebes
Mr. Cox
Douglas Spencer
Henry T. Finch
James Burke
Bum
Frank Darien
Assistant Tailor
James Dime
Barfly
Lester Dorr
Commercial Fisherman
Franklyn Farnum
Supporter
Julia Faye
Reformer
Al Ferguson
Pedestrian
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Reviews
John Chard
Old Nick - Crafty Devil.
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
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