Alias Nick Beal

Alias Nick Beal
Directed by	John Farrow
Produced by	Endre Bohem
Written by	Jonathan Latimer Mindret Lord (story)
Starring	Ray Milland Audrey Totter Thomas Mitchell
Music by	Franz Waxman
Cinematography	Lionel Lindon
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release dates	March 4, 1949 (1949-03-04)
Running time	92-93 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Alias Nick Beal (British title: The Contact Man) is a 1949 film retelling of the Faust myth directed by John Farrow and starring Ray Milland, Audrey Totter and Thomas Mitchell (although third-billed, Mitchell plays the leading role). The picture is also known as Dark Circle, Strange Temptation and Alias Nicky Beal.

Cast

• Ray Milland as Nick Beal
• Audrey Totter as Donna Allen
• Thomas Mitchell as Joseph Foster
• George Macready as Reverend Thomas Garfield
• Fred Clark as Frankie Faulkner
• Geraldine Wall as Martha Foster
• Henry O'Neill as Judge Ben Hobbs
• Darryl Hickman as Larry Price
• Nestor Paiva as Karl
• King Donovan as Peter Wolfe
• Charles Evans as Paul Norton

Critical reaction

A 1949 review of the film in The New York Times notes that, "Due to the fine acting and the wily direction, the story plays exceptionally well, but the script tends to be somewhat wobbly and indecisive upon reflection."^[1] Film4 commented on the leading man's performance, "Milland is outstanding as the personification of evil - a talent often obscured by his charm and early juvenile good looks."^[2]

Notes

A 35mm print recently struck from a studio vault print was exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art on November 2, 2013. As of that date, the film could not be shown on television or released as a DVD due to legal complications and could only be seen during individual theatrical exhibitions of that print.

References

External links

• Alias Nick Beal at the TCM Movie Database
• Alias Nick Beal at the Internet Movie Database
• Alias Nick Beal at AllMovie