Review of The Devil at 4 O'Clock (1961) by K S — 16 Dec 2008

Spencer Tracy, who at this point in his career was aging gracefully, plays Father Doonan, a lone priest on French island. He appears to bother the locals with his unorthodox approach to faith and community.

One problem I have is the selfishness of the locals which at times borders on lunacy, including the governor who controls everything with military force, often times kept in check by Tracy.

The role Sinatra plays really could've been anybody and should've been somebody else. This wasn't Sinatra's fault, the character was just inconsistent with his talents. This was clearly a paycheck role for him. Of course, he also had to jump at a chance to work alongside a master actor such as Spencer Tracy so I'm sure that was part of the appeal to sign for the film.

The plot deals with a leper camp for children located high on the mountain of the island. Doonan is using convict labor to build a hospital for the children. One of the convicts happens to be Sinatra. The island seems to be atheistic, even Father Doonan shows indications of his own loss of faith early in the film and doesn't truly get it back until a volcano erupts on the island, forcing the locals to evacute while Doonan and the three convicts are parachuted onto the mountain where the volcano has erupted from, to save the children at the camp.

This is all rather ridiculous but makes for intriguing entertainment that you find in more modern films such as Dantes Peak.

In the end, Doonan and a convict sacrifice themselves to aid the children across a dilapidated bridge. The ending is rather anti-climatic, if not depressing.