Bedazzled
Screening on Film
Directed by Stanley Donen.
With Dudley Moore, Peter Cook, Eleanor Bron.
UK, 1967, 35mm, color, 107 min.
Print source: 20th Century Fox
With Dudley Moore, Peter Cook, Eleanor Bron.
UK, 1967, 35mm, color, 107 min.
Print source: 20th Century Fox
Donen’s second take on Faust is set in swinging Sixties London and pits a meek short order cook against the Devil, who grants him seven catch-filled wishes to further his awkward attempts at winning the affections of an uninterested waitress. The film’s episodic structure affords Donen a platform to launch a ruthless satire of Christianity, including personal appearances by each of the seven deadly sins with Lust, appropriately, played by Raquel Welch. The hapless hash-slinger and the Devil are played by the comedy duo of Dudley Moore and Peter Cook, whose razor-sharp comedic style brings out a far darker and more farcical comedic strain than in any of Donen’s previous work.