***SPOILERS*** A bit hard to follow due to the outdated Elizabethan English in it's screenplay but a joy to watch in Rchard Burton's over the top acting Doctor Faustus is without a doubt the most interesting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!
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!