SnoReptilePlenty Memorable, crazy movie

Chirphymium It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Zandra The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Gary The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

sol ***SPOILERS*** A bit hard to follow due to the outdated Elizabethan English in it's screenplay but a joy to watch in Rchard Burton's over the top acting Doctor Faustus is without a doubt the most interesting Burton/Taylor collaboration even suppressing their Academy Award winning soap opera "Who' Afraid of Virginia Wolf" the year before.Wise old Doctor Faustus, Richard Burton, has seen and done it all in the world of academics reaching the very heights of success by being named #1 at the prestigious center of learning the famed Wittengerg University in 16th century Germany. Dabbling in the black arts that could very well have him burnt at the stake for being a witch or warlock by the church the old Doc want's to find out if in fact the Devil who's called Lucifer in the movie, played by Oxford student David McIntosh, is really fact or fiction. Using his knowledge of the occult from a number of forbidden books, by the church, that he secretly obtained Doc. Faustus conjures up Lucifer's right hand man and #1 messenger Mephistophelese, Andreas Teuber, in order to make a deal with him. Faustus Wants Mephistophelese's boss Lucifer make it possible for him to obtain knowledge that he can't get in library or collage books. For all that Faustus is more then willing to sell his soul to the Devil to get it. With Faustus signing away his soul-in blood-to Lucifer he's then given powers to go back and forth in time and do anything he wants, by being invisible, to insult and humiliate those in power without fear of reprisals. As an extra bonus Fasutus has Mephistophelese become his personal gofer or guide to do anything his ask asks no question asked even make a complete fool of himself! The punch-line in all this shenanigans on Fasutus' part is that after a scant 24 years he'll be forced to go down under, to where the sun don't shine, to spend the rest of eternity shoveling coal and God knows what else for his now lord and master Lucifer.Richard Burton really has the run of the place in him not only staring but directing and producing the movie by having all the great lines and acts in it. Letting his hair down Burton as Doc. Faustus does a number of really hilarious wind-breaking or flatulent as well as pie trowing scenes-at the expense of the Pope and Collage of Cardinals no less-that had me, by laughing non-stop, almost go into asthmatic shock! I doubt that even the three stooges Soupy Sales or the Ritz Brothers could top Burton's outrageous antics in the film and he's not even a comedian!We also get to see Burton's gorgeous wife Elizeabth Taylor who looked like she dropped some 20 to 30 pounds, from what she looked like in her previous films, for the part-or parts- she played in "Doctor Faustus" one of them being Helen of Troy. Even though she never uttered a single word Mrs. Taylor/Burton stole every scene she was in just by being in them with her revealing and sexy outfits. One of which she was dressed up to look like the Eiffel Tower with metallic or silver paint covering her entire body except for her heavenly lavender eyes.the very unsurprising ending has the old Doc Faustus descend down to, for use of a better word, the Hot Corner-and it ain't 3rd base- together with his guide Mephistophelese to meet the big man himself Ol' Lucifer and give up his eternal soul for all the fun he provided Faustus over the last 24 years. With nothing but fire and brimstone to look forward to as well as never again seeing and making love to the eye popping beautiful Helen of Troy, whom he fell in love with, Doc Fatstus begins to wonder if, selling his soul to the Devil, was really all that worth it!

smarti21 This was a film I saw in my youth on late night television. It made quite an impression on me due to the power of Richard Burton's performance. Looking back after viewing the DVD, it seems like something the Burton's would have cooked up over a long holiday weekend. This was a great film for Richard Burton's ego. After all, he's in most of the scenes. Elizabeth Taylor seems strangely out of place as Helen of Troy and the effects of years of alcohol abuse caused her appearance to be seriously frayed at the edges. Still, this is a fun film that get's a watch from me about every five years. I particularly enjoyed Andres Truber's Portrayal of Mephistopheles. He is quite believable as the somewhat penitent fallen angel. The seven deadly sins sequence always gets a hardy laugh from me. The character of Lechery looks like a poofed up drag queen. The ending is quite dramatic and the delivery o the lines by Burton are indeed quite effective.

Julia Arsenault (ja_kitty_71) 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.

Deusvolt 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.