''Doctor Faustus'' is a 1967 British horror film adaptation of the 1588 Christopher Marlowe play ''

The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' directed by

Richard Burton Richard Burton (; born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.; 10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) was a Welsh actor. Noted for his baritone voice, Burton established himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor in the 1950s, and he gave a memorable pe ...

and

Nevill Coghill Nevill Henry Kendal Aylmer Coghill (19 April 1899 – 6 November 1980) was an English literary scholar, known especially for his modern English version of Geoffrey Chaucer's ''Canterbury Tales''. Life His father was Sir Egerton Coghill, 5th ...

. The first theatrical film version of a Marlowe play, it was the only film directed by Burton or Coghill, Burton's mentor. It starred Burton as the title character Faustus. Elizabeth Taylor made a silent cameo appearance as Helen of Troy. The film is a permanent record of a stage production that Burton starred in and staged with Coghill at the

Oxford University Dramatic Society The Oxford University Dramatic Society (OUDS) is the principal funding body and provider of theatrical services to the many independent student productions put on by students in Oxford, England. Not all student productions at Oxford University ...

in 1966. Burton would not appear onstage again until he took over the role of Martin Dysart in '' Equus'' on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

ten years later.

Plot

University of Wittenberg Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg (german: Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg), also referred to as MLU, is a public, research-oriented university in the cities of Halle and Wittenberg and the largest and oldest university in ...

scholar Faustus earns his

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''li ...

, but his insatiable craving for knowledge and power leads Faustus to try his hand at

necromancy Necromancy () is the practice of magic or black magic involving communication with the dead by summoning their spirits as apparitions or visions, or by resurrection for the purpose of divination; imparting the means to foretell future even ...

in an attempt to conjure

Mephistopheles Mephistopheles (, ), also known as Mephisto, is a demon featured in German folklore. He originally appeared in literature as the demon in the Faust legend, and he has since appeared in other works as a stock character (see: Mephistopheles i ...

out of hell. Faustus bargains his soul to

Lucifer Lucifer is one of various figures in folklore associated with the planet Venus. The entity's name was subsequently absorbed into Christianity as a name for the devil. Modern scholarship generally translates the term in the relevant Bible passa ...

in exchange for 24 living years where Mephistopheles is his slave. Signing the pact in his own blood, Mephistopheles proceeds to reveal to Faustus the works and doings of the Devil.

Cast

as Doctor Faustus * Elizabeth Taylor as Helen of Troy Of the Oxford University Dramatic Society, Queen's College, Oxford, England: *

Andreas Teuber Andreas Teuber (May 5, 1942 – February 15, 2021) was an American academic and actor. He was an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Brandeis University. Teuber studied under Paul Grice at Oxford University and at Harvard University with philos ...

as Mephistopheles * Ram Chopra as Valdes * Richard Carwardine as Cornelius * Patrick Barwise as Wagner * Michael Meneaugh as Good Angel / Bishop * Richard Durden as Evil Angel / Knight (credited as Richard Durden-Smith) * David McIntosh as Lucifer * Jeremy Eccles as Beelzebub * Gwydion Thomas as Lechery * Ian Marter as Pride / Emperor * Nicholas Loukes as Envy / Cardinal of Lorraine *

Adrian Benjamin The Reverend Adrian Victor Benjamin (born 1942) is a prebendary emeritus of St Paul's Cathedral (appointed in October 2007) and a former actor who has appeared with Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. He is a graduate of Wadham College, Oxford ...

as Pope * Elizabeth O'Donovan as Empress With: * Ambrose Coghill as Avarice *

Maria Aitken Maria Penelope Katharine Aitken (born 12 September 1945) is an English theatre director, teacher, actress, and writer. Early life and career Aitken was born in Dublin, Ireland, the daughter of Sir William Aitken, a Conservative MP, and Penelo ...

as Sloth (uncredited) *

Hugh Williams Hugh Anthony Glanmor Williams (6 March 1904 – 7 December 1969) was a British actor and dramatist of Welsh descent. Early life and career Hugh Anthony Glanmor Williams (nicknamed "Tam") was born at Bexhill-on-Sea, Sussex to Hugh Dafydd Anth ...

as Scholar

Reception

Reviews of the staged version in the British press were "less than enthusiastic", with critics commenting "a sad example of university drama at its worst", with an uninspired Burton "walking through the part". Taylor was "undeniably decorative, but there was nothing much to say about her acting ability". The movie received a terribly negative review in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'',

Renata Adler Renata Adler (born October 19, 1938) is an American author, journalist, and film critic. Adler was a staff writer-reporter for ''The New Yorker'', and in 1968–69, she served as chief film critic for ''The New York Times''. She is also a write ...

criticizing the adaptation of the text ("the play has been quite badly cut"), Burton's performance ("he seems happiest shouting in Latin, or in Ms. Taylor's ear"), the score ("some horrible electronic Wagnerian theme music"), and Taylor's role ("in this last role lexander's paramour she is, for some reason, frosted all over with silver—like a pastry, or a devaluated refugee from '' GoldfingerOne of the memorable visual images in the James Bond film '' Goldfinger'', produced three years before ''Doctor Faustus'', was the film villain's habit of covering women with gold.''"), reserving praise only for Teuber's performance ("one fine, very pious performance").

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Doctor Faustus 1967 films 1967 horror films British horror films British mystery films Latin-language films Films directed by Richard Burton Adaptations of works by Christopher Marlowe Films scored by Mario Nascimbene British films based on plays Films shot in Rome Works based on the Faust legend Columbia Pictures films 1960s fantasy films Films set in the 16th century Films set in the Holy Roman Empire Filmed stage productions 1960s English-language films 1960s British films