This is the kind of film that on paper is mouth-watering, a pairing of the Old Guard and one of the Young Turks - we saw it with Duke Wayne and Monty Clift in Red River, Yves Montand and Gerard Depardieu in Les Choix des armes, Montand and Auteuil in Jean de Florette etc. This time around its Michel Simon and Gerard Philippe and it's a joy to watch. Clair sets his scene skilfully as the camera Pans a laboratory that in addition to the usual scientific objects is also groaning with books letting us know we are in for a blend of metaphysics and literature; it's also a masterstroke to have Simon and Philippe switch between Faust and Mephistopholes much the same way as two Shakespearean actors will alternate the roles of Romeo and Mercutio or Othello and Iago. Indeed our first glimpse of Philippe is brilliant; he stands in shadow at the back of the hall where Simon is lecturing and his hair is combed in a way that suggests horns. Clair has opted for a largely baroque look but he's not above switching to an uncluttered pastoral scene for contrast. Like one of the other posters here I'm not all that enamored of Clair compared to some of his contemporaries but this one is out of the right cauldron.
Review of Beauty and the Devil
