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Bedazzled (1967 film)
Encyclopedia
Bedazzled is a 1967 British comedy film directed and produced by Stanley Donen
. It was written by and stars Peter Cook
and Dudley Moore
. It is a comic retelling of the Faust
legend, set in the Swinging London
of the 1960s. The Devil (Peter Cook) offers an unhappy young man (Moore) seven wishes in return for his soul, but twists the spirit of the wishes to frustrate the man's hopes.
). Despairing of his unrequited infatuation, he is in the process of an incompetent suicide
attempt, when he is interrupted by the Devil himself, incarnated as George Spiggott (Cook). Spiggott is in a contest with God, trying to be the first to gather 100 billion souls. If he achieves this first, he will be readmitted to Heaven.
In return for his soul
, Spiggott offers Stanley seven wishes. Stanley consumes these opportunities in trying to satisfy his lust for Margaret, but Spiggott twists his words to frustrate any consummation of desire. On the last occasion, he reincarnates Stanley as a nun
in a convent: whilst being specific about nearly every other aspect of the wish, he has forgotten to specify his gender and vocation, and Spiggott mischievously takes full advantage of that.
Spiggott fills the time between these episodes with acts of minor vandalism and petty spite, incompetently assisted by the personification of the seven deadly sins
, notably Lust (Raquel Welch
) and Envy (Barry Humphries
).
Meanwhile, Margaret finds the noose from Stanley's suicide attempt, as well as his suicide note, and accompanies a police inspector looking for signs of Stanley's corpse. The police inspector also seems to be interested in seducing Margaret, and is dismayed by Margaret's sudden interest in Stanley after his disappearance. He is a largely amoral character who searches for evidence of Stanley's suicide only so he can seduce Margaret.
Ultimately, Spiggott spares Stanley eternal damnation
out of pity (and because he has exceeded his quota of 100 billion), and Stanley returns to his old job, wiser and more clear-sighted. Spiggott then goes to Heaven to meet God, but is rejected again, and St Peter explains that when he gave Stanley back his soul, Spiggott did the right thing for the wrong motive (making himself feel better than someone else).
In the closing scene, Stanley and Margaret are back in the restaurant. Stanley asks her out, but she says she has plans. Spiggott tries to entice Stanley again, but Stanley turns him down. Spiggott leaves and threatens revenge on God
by unleashing all the tawdry and shallow technological curses of the modern age:
, in a review written early in his career, compared the film's humour to that of Bob and Ray
. He called Bedazzleds satire "barbed and contemporary ... dry and understated," and overall, a "magnificently photographed, intelligent, very funny film.". On the other hand,
Bosley Crowther
of The New York Times
called it a "pretentiously metaphorical picture" which becomes "awfully precious and monotonous and eventually ... fags out in sheer bad taste." Crowther does, however, compliment Donen for his "colorful and graphic" mise-en-scène
.
Library.
Before the opening titles, Stanley Donen sits in a director's chair and addresses the audience directly, expressing anger at having been signed-up to direct such a trivial and inconsequential piece. Donen then claims to have had a change of heart and is about to present us with a more worthy piece. Peter Cook, as the character of Spiggott, then rises slowly from behind the chair, leans forward, and murmurs in Donen's ear, "Just think of the money, Stanley..." The scene then segues in the film's opening credits.
Stanley Donen
Stanley Donen ; is an American film director and choreographer whose most celebrated works are Singin' in the Rain and On the Town, both of which he co-directed with Gene Kelly. His other noteworthy films include Royal Wedding, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Funny Face, Indiscreet, Damn...
. It was written by and stars Peter Cook
Peter Cook
Peter Edward Cook was an English satirist, writer and comedian. An extremely influential figure in modern British comedy, he is regarded as the leading light of the British satire boom of the 1960s. He has been described by Stephen Fry as "the funniest man who ever drew breath," although Cook's...
and Dudley Moore
Dudley Moore
Dudley Stuart John Moore, CBE was an English actor, comedian, composer and musician.Moore first came to prominence as one of the four writer-performers in the ground-breaking comedy revue Beyond the Fringe in the early 1960s, and then became famous as half of the highly popular television...
. It is a comic retelling of the Faust
Faust
Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend; a highly successful scholar, but also dissatisfied with his life, and so makes a deal with the devil, exchanging his soul for unlimited knowledge and worldly pleasures. Faust's tale is the basis for many literary, artistic, cinematic, and musical...
legend, set in the Swinging London
Swinging London
Swinging London is a catch-all term applied to the fashion and cultural scene that flourished in London, in the 1960s.It was a youth-oriented phenomenon that emphasised the new and modern. It was a period of optimism and hedonism, and a cultural revolution. One catalyst was the recovery of the...
of the 1960s. The Devil (Peter Cook) offers an unhappy young man (Moore) seven wishes in return for his soul, but twists the spirit of the wishes to frustrate the man's hopes.
Plot
Stanley Moon (Moore) is a dissatisfied introverted young man who works in a Wimpy's restaurant and admires, from afar, the waitress Margaret (frequent Cook and Moore collaborator Eleanor BronEleanor Bron
Eleanor Bron is an English stage, film and television actress and author.-Early life and family:Bron was born in 1938 in Stanmore, Middlesex, to a Jewish family of Eastern European origin...
). Despairing of his unrequited infatuation, he is in the process of an incompetent suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
attempt, when he is interrupted by the Devil himself, incarnated as George Spiggott (Cook). Spiggott is in a contest with God, trying to be the first to gather 100 billion souls. If he achieves this first, he will be readmitted to Heaven.
In return for his soul
Deal with the Devil
Deal With The Devil is the fifth studio album by the American heavy metal band Lizzy Borden released in 2000 .A return to form, featuring a cover by Todd McFarlane.2 covers were recorded...
, Spiggott offers Stanley seven wishes. Stanley consumes these opportunities in trying to satisfy his lust for Margaret, but Spiggott twists his words to frustrate any consummation of desire. On the last occasion, he reincarnates Stanley as a nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
in a convent: whilst being specific about nearly every other aspect of the wish, he has forgotten to specify his gender and vocation, and Spiggott mischievously takes full advantage of that.
Spiggott fills the time between these episodes with acts of minor vandalism and petty spite, incompetently assisted by the personification of the seven deadly sins
Seven deadly sins
The 7 Deadly Sins, also known as the Capital Vices or Cardinal Sins, is a classification of objectionable vices that have been used since early Christian times to educate and instruct followers concerning fallen humanity's tendency to sin...
, notably Lust (Raquel Welch
Raquel Welch
Jo Raquel Tejada , better known as Raquel Welch, is an American actress, author and sex symbol. Welch came to attention as a "new-star" on the 20th Century-Fox lot in the mid-1960s. She posed iconically in a animal skin bikini for the British-release One Million Years B.C. , for which she may be...
) and Envy (Barry Humphries
Barry Humphries
John Barry Humphries, AO, CBE is an Australian comedian, satirist, dadaist, artist, author and character actor, best known for his on-stage and television alter egos Dame Edna Everage, a Melbourne housewife and "gigastar", and Sir Les Patterson, Australia's foul-mouthed cultural attaché to the...
).
Meanwhile, Margaret finds the noose from Stanley's suicide attempt, as well as his suicide note, and accompanies a police inspector looking for signs of Stanley's corpse. The police inspector also seems to be interested in seducing Margaret, and is dismayed by Margaret's sudden interest in Stanley after his disappearance. He is a largely amoral character who searches for evidence of Stanley's suicide only so he can seduce Margaret.
Ultimately, Spiggott spares Stanley eternal damnation
Damnation
Damnation is the concept of everlasting divine punishment and/or disgrace, especially the punishment for sin as threatened by God . A damned being "in damnation" is said to be either in Hell, or living in a state wherein they are divorced from Heaven and/or in a state of disgrace from God's favor...
out of pity (and because he has exceeded his quota of 100 billion), and Stanley returns to his old job, wiser and more clear-sighted. Spiggott then goes to Heaven to meet God, but is rejected again, and St Peter explains that when he gave Stanley back his soul, Spiggott did the right thing for the wrong motive (making himself feel better than someone else).
In the closing scene, Stanley and Margaret are back in the restaurant. Stanley asks her out, but she says she has plans. Spiggott tries to entice Stanley again, but Stanley turns him down. Spiggott leaves and threatens revenge on God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
by unleashing all the tawdry and shallow technological curses of the modern age:
- "All right, you great git, you've asked for it. I'll cover the world in Tastee-FreezTastee-FreezTastee-Freez is a Newport Beach, California-based franchised chain of fast-food restaurants with stores in 22 of the United States, with most of its stores located in Virginia, Illinois and Maryland. Currently there are fewer than 100 freestanding stores in the United States and Panama. It was...
and WimpyWimpyWimpy could refer to:*J. Wellington Wimpy, a hamburger-loving character from the Popeye cartoons*Wimpy , a chain of hamburger restaurants, named after the cartoon character*Wimpy P-1, the first registered American Quarter Horse...
Burgers. I'll fill it full of concrete runways, motorways, aircraft, television and automobiles, advertising, plastic flowers and frozen food, supersonic bangs. I'll make it so noisy and disgusting that even you'll be ashamed of yourself. No wonder you've so few friends — you're unbelievable!"
Wishes
- Stanley wishes to be more "articulate". George turns him into a talkative and somewhat pretentious intellectual. Margaret becomes an equally pretentious character, and enthusiastically agrees with all of Stanley's beliefs. They visit the zoo, where they encounter George collecting donations for "the Society for the Advancement of Depraved Criminals". Then they catch the bus back to Stanley's apartment. Stanley discusses FreudSigmund FreudSigmund Freud , born Sigismund Schlomo Freud , was an Austrian neurologist who founded the discipline of psychoanalysis...
and RousseauJean-Jacques RousseauJean-Jacques Rousseau was a Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer of 18th-century Romanticism. His political philosophy influenced the French Revolution as well as the overall development of modern political, sociological and educational thought.His novel Émile: or, On Education is a treatise...
with Margaret, and, with the intent of seducing her, stresses the importance of breaking free from one's social and moral constraints. When Stanley makes his move, however, she is horrified and starts screaming 'rape', revealing that all the talk was only ego-preening. - In this wish, Stanley is a "multi-millionaire" and Margaret is his "very physical" wife. But, it turns out she is "very physical" with anyone BUT him . . . including George.
- In the third wish, Stanley is a rock star, singing out passionately for affection. However, his fame is short lived, and is usurped by a newcomer called "Drimble Wedge and the Vegetations" (George) who sings drably about his disinterest in anyone except himself. Margaret is a vapid and excitable groupie. Probably a parody of the British Psychedelia movement and artists like Syd BarrettSyd BarrettSyd Barrett , born Roger Keith Barrett, was an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and painter, best remembered as a founding member of the band Pink Floyd. He was the lead vocalist, guitarist and primary songwriter during the band's psychedelic years, providing major musical and stylistic...
. - Stanley literally becomes a fly on the wall in a morgue, where the inspector is showing Margaret various dead bodies, hoping that she will identify one as Stanley. Stanley is injured by a can of fly spray, and exits the wish after some difficulty in blowing a raspberry.
- George promises Stanley a wish where he has a quiet life in the countryside, with children playing in the front yard of his house, and Margaret making the anniversary dinner. It soon becomes apparent, however, that Margaret is actually George's wife. While deeply in love, even the attempt to consummate their affection drives both Stanley and Margaret into emotional agony.
- Stanley attempts to dictate a wish that George cannot ruin, and wishes that he and Margaret were two pious people who lived in isolation from the "false glitter" of the big city and would always be together. However, because Stanley doesn't specify the gender he wants to be in the wish, George turns him into a nun named Sister Luna (a play on Moon, Stanley's surname), a Sisters of the Order of Saint Beryl, or Leaping Beryllians, who glorify their founder by jumping on trampolines.
- It is revealed that Stanley has already wished for his seventh wish. Before signing the contract, George offers him any wish to prove that he is the Devil. Stanley wishes for a Frobisher and Gleeson Raspberry Ice lolly. However, he is unaware that this counts as a wish until he is unable to escape his sixth wish.
Reception
Initially, the film met with mixed reviews in the US. Roger EbertRoger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
, in a review written early in his career, compared the film's humour to that of Bob and Ray
Bob and Ray
Bob Elliott and Ray Goulding were an American comedy team whose career spanned five decades. Their format was typically to satirize the medium in which they were performing, such as conducting radio or television interviews, with off-the-wall dialogue presented in a generally deadpan style as...
. He called Bedazzleds satire "barbed and contemporary ... dry and understated," and overall, a "magnificently photographed, intelligent, very funny film.". On the other hand,
Bosley Crowther
Bosley Crowther
Bosley Crowther was a journalist and author who was film critic for The New York Times for 27 years. His reviews and articles helped shape the careers of actors, directors and screenwriters, though his reviews, at times, were unnecessarily mean...
of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
called it a "pretentiously metaphorical picture" which becomes "awfully precious and monotonous and eventually ... fags out in sheer bad taste." Crowther does, however, compliment Donen for his "colorful and graphic" mise-en-scène
Mise en scène
Mise-en-scène is an expression used to describe the design aspects of a theatre or film production, which essentially means "visual theme" or "telling a story"—both in visually artful ways through storyboarding, cinematography and stage design, and in poetically artful ways through direction...
.
Missing scene
At least one sequence did not make it into the final film, and it is unclear as to whether it was ever actually shot, although the scene exists in a draft of the original script held in the British Film InstituteBritish Film Institute
The British Film Institute is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to:-Cinemas:The BFI runs the BFI Southbank and IMAX theatre, both located on the south bank of the River Thames in London...
Library.
Before the opening titles, Stanley Donen sits in a director's chair and addresses the audience directly, expressing anger at having been signed-up to direct such a trivial and inconsequential piece. Donen then claims to have had a change of heart and is about to present us with a more worthy piece. Peter Cook, as the character of Spiggott, then rises slowly from behind the chair, leans forward, and murmurs in Donen's ear, "Just think of the money, Stanley..." The scene then segues in the film's opening credits.