Doctor Faustus (1967)

A man sells his soul to the devil in order to have the woman he loves.

Directors:

Richard Burton, Nevill Coghill

Writers:

Nevill Coghill, Christopher Marlowe (play)

Stars:

Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, Andreas Teuber

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Richard Burton	...	Doctor Faustus
Elizabeth Taylor	...	Helen
Andreas Teuber	...	Mephistophilis
Ram Chopra	...	Valdes
Richard Carwardine	...	Cornelius
Patrick Barwise	...	Wagner
Michael Menaugh	...	Good Angel / Bishop (as Michael Meneaugh)
Richard Durden	...	Evil Angel / Knight (as Richard Durden-Smith)
David McIntosh	...	Lucifer
Jeremy Eccles	...	Belzebub
Gwydion Thomas	...	Lechery
Ian Marter	...	Pride / Emperor
Nicholas Loukes	...	Envy / Cardinal of Lorraine
Adrian Benjamin	...	Pope
Elizabeth O'Donovan	...	Empress

Storyline

Faustus is a scholar at the University of Wittenberg when he earns his doctorate degree. His insatiable appetite for knowledge and power leads him to employ necromancy to conjure Mephistopheles out of hell. He bargains away his soul to Lucifer in exchange for living 24 years during which Mephistopheles will be his slave. Faustus signs the pact in his own blood and Mephistopheles reveals the works of the devil to Faustus.

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Plot Keywords:

hell | deal with the devil | based on play | character name in title

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Taglines:

The story of a scientist who sells his soul to the devil

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Mystery

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 February 1968 (USA)

Also Known As:

Doctor Fausto

Filming Locations:

Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Nassau Films, Oxford University Screen Productions, Venfilms

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Elizabeth Taylor has no line.

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Quotes

[Mephistopheles has come to Faustus' study]
Doctor Faustus: Where are you damned?
Mephistopheles: In hell.
Doctor Faustus: How comes it, then, that thou art out of hell?
Mephistopheles: Why, this is hell, nor am I out of it. / Think'st thou that I, who saw the face of God / And tasted the eternal joys of heaven, / Am not tormented with ten thousand hells / In being deprived of everlasting bliss?

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Connections

Version of Faust (1960)

User Reviews

Trashed by the critics when first released, time has been kind to this mini-masterpiece.

The movie did draw in sizeable audiences in the Philippines although most of those who saw it were disappointed including the critics. I remember one shallow critic lamenting the baring of Elizabeth Taylor in one fleeting scene (rear view). He wished she had done it in her earlier years when she would have been more attractive. I must admit that at my age then of 17, she did look a bit too mature for me. But seeing her again on video with me pushing 50, I found that she looks great.

I not only saw the movie, I acted in our school play albeit in a small role as one of the scholars who spoke with Faustus. Alas! the play did not open as our director resigned after he couldn't pull off the open arena presentation he envisioned. Blocking was such a problem.

Seriously, the cinematic effects achieved by Burton who was both actor and director, deserve kudos considering the technical limitations of special effects at the time (1967). A striking scene was when he and Mephistopheles were walking in the night heavens discussing hell. They didn't look superimposed at all and on the full screen, with the two figures seeming to walk on the bottom of the frame across the blue black firmament among the stars, it gave one a feeling of both wonder and terror of being lost in the heavens. Looking back, it seems that Burton pioneered in achieving a surreal LSD effect which later became quite common.

The lines of Mephistopheles describing the nature of hell is memorable. I quote him freely: "Think you not that I who had experienced the Beatific Presence am not constantly tortured since I have been deprived of it? Hell is where we (the devils) are and where hell is, there we are, for each of us carry our own hell." This would apply to humans and not only to devils.

The Oxford players were great especially the actor who played Mephistopheles who was portrayed sympathetically in that he seemed to regret the Faust's loss of his immortal soul. The devil was shown weeping.