Bedazzled

Peter Cook - George Spiggot
Dudley Moore - Stanley Moon
Eleanor Bron - Margaret Spencer
Racquel Welsh - Lillian Lust
Alba - Vanity
Martin Boddey - Cardinal
Betty Cooper - Sister Phoebe
Max Faulkner - Priest
Howard Goorney - Sloth
Barry Humphries - Envy

After directing a number of classic musicals over the years (including On the Town, Singin' in the Rain and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers), Stanley Donen switched over to producing and directing a number of refined comedies and dramas in England. The offbeat Bedazzled is one of those films, and is definitely Donen's most unusual film.

Bedazzled is a stylish and comic updating of the Faust legend. Stanley Moon (Dudley Moore, back in the days when he actually used to be funny) is a pathetic, miserable and shy short order cook in love with waitress Margaret (Eleanor Bron). Unfortunately, as Margaret barely acknowledges Stanley's existence, he decides life isn't worth living and attempts suicide. Miserably failing to kill himself, Stanley makes the acquaintance of George Spiggot (Peter Cook), a suave, polite and incredibly sarcastic gentleman who claims he's really the Devil - you know, Beelzebub, Lucifer, The Prince of Darkness, The Horned One (you get the picture). George makes a deal with Stanley, whereby Stanley gets seven wishes and the love of Margaret all in exchange for his "expendable" soul (George has, of course, a quota to fill). And should Stanley want to cancel any of his wishes, all he needs to do is blow a "raspberry". So George sends Stanley on his merry way, with a snap of the fingers and the uttering of the magical words "Julie Andrews!." So, in an effort to make his dreams come true and get his true love Margaret, Stanley uses his wishes to become a rock star, a multi-millionaire, a fly, and a nun. But Stanley always manages to bungle his wishes in some way and thus never gains Margaret's affections. Raquel Welsh also appears as Lillian Lust, a temptress working in George's employ.

One's enjoyment of Bedazzled probably depends upon you tolerance and enjoyment of very British comedies. Bedazzled was cooked up by Cook and Moore, who were part of the 1960's British comedy troupe Beyond the Fringe, after which they formed their own two-man show and moved on to stage shows, record albums and films. And Bedazzled is apparently an adaptation of some of their earlier comedy skits. While some of the comedy skits work, others don't. The film slows down in a few places, but watching Cook's and Moore's interaction with one another is always an amusing delight. The film ends as St. Peter is laughing, and the devil goes out and tries again to create as much hackling as he can come up with, so that God can, once again, test the faith of mankind. But this time, the devil is doing it because he is angry, not because it was a job that he was asked to do.

In between are several characters that enliven the whole act. The seven deadly sins appear, with Raquel Welch doing the honours as Lust, who is married to Sloth. This clever film never fails to deliver on its clever plans, and in the end, Stanley gets his just means. He has learned something which has made him less greedy, less gullible, and a more interesting person. Peter Cook is excellent in his role as the self important devil, doing his duty so people can show God that they believe in him. Dudley Moore is good, until the film gets soapy and tired, when he can not maintain his seriousness, or abilities as an actor, which have never been that good anyway. He makes up for it by being sharp witted and fast when he has to, and this helps his abilities. The film has stood up rather well to the test of time, and its comedy values and thoughtful writing, seems today, so clever, and so well done. The late Peter Cook deserves some credit for his ability in writing, which has always been grossly underrated and not well known enough... he was one of the major satirists of this century.