Bedazzled (1967)

Director:

Stanley Donen

Writers:

Peter Cook (story) and
Dudley Moore (story) ...

Release Date:

10 December 1967 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Fantasy | Romance

Tagline:

Peter Cook and Dudley Moore in their first starring comedy! [UK}

Plot:

Stanley is a short order cook, infatuated with Margaret, the statuesque waitress who works at Whimpy Burger with him...

Plot Keywords:

Seven Deadly Sins | Cook | Soul | Devil | Waitress

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Peter Cook	...	George Spiggott / The Devil
Dudley Moore	...	Stanley Moon
Eleanor Bron	...	Margaret
Raquel Welch	...	Lust / Lilian Lust
Alba	...	Vanity
Robert Russell	...	Anger
Barry Humphries	...	Envy
Parnell McGarry	...	Gluttony
Danièle Noël	...	Avarice (as Daniele Noel)
Howard Goorney	...	Sloth
Michael Bates	...	Inspector Clarke
Bernard Spear	...	Irving Moses
Robin Hawdon	...	Randolph - Harp Teacher
Michael Trubshawe	...	Lord Dowdy
Evelyn Moore	...	Mrs. Wisby

Also Known As:

Stanley Donen's Bedazzled (USA) (complete title)

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:PG | Germany:16 | Finland:K-8 | Sweden:11 | UK:12 (video re-rating) (2005) | UK:A (original rating) | USA:Approved | UK:PG (video rating) (1988) | Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

BT Tower, 60 Cleveland Street, Fitzrovia, London, England, UK

Company:

Stanley Donen Films

Trivia:

Dudley Moore adopted the moniker Stanley Moon in this film after John Gielgud wrote him a letter of introduction because he was impressed with Moore's work in the stage revue "Beyond the Fringe". Gielgud obliviously referred to Moore as Stanley Moon in the letter, and an amused Moore adopted the name as an alter ego for the rest of his life. After they worked on Arthur (1981) and Arthur 2: On the Rocks (1988) together, Gielgud good-naturedly said that he "got to know Stanley Moon rather well."

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Stanley uses a sock to plug a leaking pipe only to have it fall back out, the sock is obviously pulled out of the pipe by an off camera hand.

Quotes:

George Spiggott: You see, a soul's rather like your appendix: totally expendable.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Not Only But Always (2004) (TV)

I'm The Horned One, The Devil, Let Me Give You My Card

Cooke and Moore were possibly the finest comedians the UK has ever produced before Python and others followed Pete and Dud were the undisputed kings of the new cutting edge of comedy/satire in the UK.

But always just under the surface (and later out in the open) there was a sadness and dis-satisfaction to both Peter Cooke and Dudley Moore and I think some of that shows up in this film. Think of the old lady taken for all her money by the Devil and the cheery goodbye she still manages. Also part of the film seems to be dealing with the moral flexibility of people given their circumstance.

Stanley Moon (Moore) has limited opportunities as a short order cook all he desires is the love of Margaret one of the waitresses at the Wimpy he works in. But he is a good person, when after a botched suicide attempt he sells his soul to the devil (Cooke) he has all the opportunities in the world but it is easier for the devil to corrupt him.

Throughout the seven wishes (in accordance with 7 the mystic number, 7 days of the week, 7 deadly sins, 7 brides for 7 brothers..)Stanley can only think of his own needs and perhaps this is why they fail to make him happy. On his one opportunity to give a wish away to stop one of the devils petty tricks (sending a swarm of bee's to harass some flower children) he refuses saying 'Their mine and iv'e only got four left!' The other main theme of this film is more to the forefront dealing with Cooke and Moores attitudes towards religion and it's place in what at the time was the modern world. People were beginning to come away from the church and for the first time non-believers were becoming the majority. Part of the film lampoons religion particularly the bouncing nuns, but at the end it's god who wins out over the devil all be it by a technicality. In a way they showed the obvious contradictions and flaws in the Christian faith - religion nice idea but surely it cant be that way? If all of the above makes this film sound heavy going be assured it's not, and where as in others hands it may have become a pretentious mess it becomes a light hearted very funny comedy romp. If you just want a laugh on a Saturday night this will provide it, if you want to look deeper in and start divining meaning from every little aspect you can it's that sort of film.

Highly recommended 9/10 NOTE - AVOID THE REMAKE LIKE THE PLAGUE IT'S Awful