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:

Christopher Marlowe (play), Nevill Coghill (adapted for the screen by)

Stars:

Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, 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 | human skeleton | maggots | bubble | carried on shoulders | 

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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:

Dino De Laurentiis Cinematografica Studios, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Nassau Films,Oxford University Screen Productions,Venfilms

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film's opening prologue states: "A tragic legend written down in the sixteenth century wherein a learned scientist honoured with the laurels of his university, sold his soul to the devil for still greater knowledge and power in the unknown".

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Goofs

When Faustus anoints his head with blood there is one mark on his forehead, but when he is conjuring Mephistophilis, there are two blood marks.

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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. Der Tragödie erster Teil (2009)

User Reviews

An excellent horror film

I have been intrigue by the legend of Dr. Faustus, the man who sell his very soul to the devil himself for knowledge and lust; after much research on the web. I have watched this film based on the play by Christopher Marlowe (a playwright who lived in the same time as Shakespeare) and it was AWESOME! I love Elizabeth Taylor and I have a few of her films. But I had gotten confuse whether it's a horror film or dramatic film? Of course the film's horrific images of Hell and that gross corpse cover with maggots when Dr. Faustus practiced necromancy (the magical art of bringing the dead to life) makes it a horror film.

I was shocked by the negative reviews I would see on the web, I thought it was an excellent horror film. You know on the scene where Dr. Faustus sees the Seven Deadly Sins, I think the guy that played Lechery/Lust is very hot (*drool*). But they left out Gluttony & Sloth, well DUH! the film is 92 minutes.