The Devil at 4 O'Clock

Customer Reviews:

"Lady I Missed The Boat A Long Time Ago" ~ Faith, Disbelief And The Good Thief.......2007-09-16

Synopsis: A small plane headed for Tahiti carrying three convicts makes a layover on a small, volcanic South Pacific Island named Kalaua. The local Catholic priest Father Doonan (Spencer Tracy) convinces the local authorities to allow him to borrow the incarcerated trio to help with repairs at a secluded hospital for lepers during their stay. When the volcano begins to awaken the island residents are forced to evacuate Father Doonan and the convicts are the only ones brave enough to attempt a rescue of the lepers and hospital staff. Will they be able to escape the dangerous eruptions and lava and get to the docks before the schooner leaves at four o'clock? Only God knows.

Critique: The '61 film `Devil At 4 O'Clock' is one of the lesser classics of the early `60's. Spencer Tracy delivers one of his usual strong performances as the ill-tempered, disillusioned Catholic priest and Frank Sinatra rises to the occasion with one of his best on-screen performances as the hard-nosed convict Harry.

This is a surprisingly good film; the cast is superior, the dialogue intelligent and believable, the scenery breathtaking, the soundtrack memorable and the volcano magnificent. If that's not enough the film also co-stars the beautiful Barbara Luna in the role of Camille, unquestionably one of the most beautiful Hispanic actresses to ever grace the silver screen.

Footnote: Here's a little something that might be of interest to all you trivia collectors out there. Take note of the first couple of minutes of the film when the plane comes in for a landing. Did you catch the island boy running into Father Duggin's office shouting "the plane, the plane!" Now you know where little Tattoo from the popular late 70's television series `Fantasy Island' got that phrase.

Not one of Tracy's greatest, but a very good old movie.......2007-07-15

I just finished watching this movie for the first time in about 40 years--i.e., since my early teens. For "action" junkies, it will prove tedious because the only "good" part is at the very end. For special effects junkies, it will seem deficient because the techology available in 1961 paled in comparison with that available today.

But if you're simply looking for a good movie with some human meaning and an emotional punch, this film will deliver. I'm not ordinarily a huge fan of Sinatra the actor, let alone Sinatra the person, but this is one of his best performances. And Tracy is, well, Tracy. 'Nuff said on that score.

The movie requires a certain level of suspension of disbelief, but no more so than the vast majority of contemporary films. Those of us who still love movies from the 1930's, 1940's, 1950's and 1960's don't regard a certain amount of requisite suspended disbelief as a fatal defect. Like the classic Western, this film is intended not as a reality-fest, but as a morality play, and it's and a good one. Unlike the classic Western, it's not racist. Indeed, it's anything but, and was ahead of its time in that regard, as the final 20 minutes make clear.

A powerful movie. Many TV shows and films which impress one as a kid don't impress one as a middle-aged adult, as I've found out from watching a lot of my favorite ancient TV shows and films in recent years. But this one holds up. If you can enjoy a pair of fine acting performances in an old-fashioned movie, this film won't disappoint.

A film that builds momentum slowly before unleashing its fury..........2006-12-27

Disaster films can be great fun--they can also live up to their title... Disaster films also have a tendency to be very formulated and very clichéd... To see a disaster film with actual originality, or at least a decent plot twist, would definitely be a welcome surprise...

'The Devil at 4 O'Clock' takes place before the actual eruption... There is enough tension in the air to keep the audience interested... The film opens with a small plane bound for Tahiti, stopping for the night at the small French island of Kalua, where the Governor is notifying the authorities of a disturbance at the mouth of the island volcano...

The passengers are three chained convicts--Harry, Mareel, and Charlie-- and Father Perreau (Kerwin Mathews), who has come to replace Father Doonan... The Governor releases the three convicts into Father Doonan's charge, and they are sent to repair the chapel at a children's leper hospital...

When Father Doonan prepares to leave Kalua, the volcano erupts and an earthquake rocks the island... So he enlists the convicts' aid, promising to speak up for commuting their sentences if they will help him evacuate the hospital and rescue the children...

Spencer Tracy is very well suited to the movie and gives the boost it needs to be a successful action film... He does a great job in the leading man role as the strong, determined priest trapped with the outgoing tide that following afternoon...

Frank Sinatra backs up the legendary actor as the brave Harry who brings the children safely to the waiting schooner, bids his new bride farewell, and returns to meet the devil at 4 o'clock...

Barbara Luna--the lovely blind girl dangerously in love--gives a nice aspect of romance to the film but there is a severe lack of chemistry between her and Sinatra... Their relationship seems extremely rushed...

'The Devil at 4 O'Clock,' vaguely resembling 'The Inn of the Sixth Happiness,' is a film that builds momentum slowly before unleashing its fury...

The ethic against the surviving instinct!.......2006-02-03

This is singular movie; beneath the epidermical script, there is powerful message. A priest, in charge of an orphanage will have to shake hands with a group of convicts when the island home be endangered by a volcanic eruption.

When the nature shows us its hidden face, you must leave behind certain conventionalisms, ethical patterns and ideologies, because at those moments the surviving instinct must prevail; the value of human life is above any sort of moral considerations.

They jumped into hell to save part of heaven........2005-05-15

Spencer Tracy plays an old priest on a small tropical island who's given to starting his mornings with more than a wee bit `a cognac. Frank Sinatra is one of three convicts Father Tracy gets to work on the mountaintop leper colony. The volcano on the island belches and spews and, eventually, erupts.
THE DEVIL AT FOUR O'CLOCK is a looong (over two hours) melodrama that has one thing going for it - Spencer Tracy as the broken priest. If you enjoy watching priest led kids and convicts spend an hour running away from lava and praying for a hardening rain this one might keep you on the edge of your sleep... er, seat.
Recommended for fans of Spencer Tracy only.

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