Doctor Faustus (1967)

Directors:

Richard Burton
Nevill Coghill

Writers:

Nevill Coghill
Christopher Marlowe (play)

Release Date:

6 February 1968 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Mystery

Tagline:

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

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Hell | Deal With The Devil | Based On Play | Character Name In Title

Cast

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
Ambrose Coghill	...	Avarice
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Maria Aitken	...	Sloth (uncredited)
Carolyn Bennitt	...	Dancer (uncredited)
Jeremy Chandler	...	Attendant (uncredited)
Bridget Coghill	...	Gluttony (uncredited)
Nevill Coghill	...	Professor (uncredited)
Sheila Dawson	...	Dancer (uncredited)
Richard Harrison	...	Professor (uncredited)
Jacqueline Harvey	...	Dancer (uncredited)
Richard Heffer	...	Disciple #1 (uncredited)
Valerie James	...	Idleness (uncredited)
Anthony Kaufman	...	Professor (uncredited)
Angus McIntosh	...	Rector Magnificus (uncredited)
Petronella	...	Gluttony (uncredited)
Renzo Pevarello	...	Wrath (uncredited)
John Sandbach	...	Boy Turned Into Hind (uncredited)
Sebastian Walker	...	Idiot (uncredited)
Jane Wilford	...	Nun / Court Lady (uncredited)
Julian Wontner	...	Professor (uncredited)

Directed by
Richard Burton
Nevill Coghill

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Nevill Coghill
Christopher Marlowe		play "The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus"

Produced by
Richard Burton	....	producer
Richard McWhorter	....	producer

Original Music by
Mario Nascimbene

Cinematography by
Gábor Pogány

Film Editing by
John Shirley

Production Design by
John DeCuir

Art Direction by
Boris Juraga

Set Decoration by
Dario Simoni

Costume Design by
Peter J. Hall

Production Management
Guy Luongo	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Gus Agosti	....	assistant director

Art Department
Fernando Valento	....	construction manager
Italo Tomassi	....	set designer (uncredited)

Sound Department
John Aldred	....	sound
David Hildyard	....	sound

Special Effects by
Augie Lohman	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Gerald Larn	....	matte painter (uncredited)

Stunts
Cristea Traian	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Bob Penn	....	still photographer

Music Department
Mario Nascimbene	....	musical director

Other crew
Jacqueline Harvey	....	choreographer
Elaine Schreyeck	....	script supervisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Nassau Films
• Oxford University Screen Productions
• Venfilms

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures Corporation (1967) (UK) (theatrical)
• Columbia Pictures (1968) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1972) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Columbia Films (1968) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Nacional Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (video)
• Telstar Video Entertainment (1990) (UK) (VHS)

Other Companies

• National Screen Service  titles

Also Known As:

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG (video rating) | UK:X (original rating) (1990) | USA:Unrated | Australia:PG | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Nassau Films

Trivia:

The sixth of eleven films that Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton starred in together.

Quotes:

Doctor Faustus:[speaking about Helen of Troy] Was this the face that launched a thousand ships and burnt the topless towers of Illium? Sweet Helen, make me immortal with a kiss!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Doctor Faustef (Versus Lucifer in the Fight for Immortality of the Human Race) (2009) (V)

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.