Doctor Faustus (1973)
We all know Richard Burton is great at making Shakespearian language sound like normal words. However, that doesn’t mean he has to do it all the time, and you don’t have to watch every movie in which he does it. In other words, don’t watch Doctor Faustus.
Richard Burton must have really, really wanted to make this movie. He starred in it, co-produced it, and co-directed it! I don’t know what was the matter with him, but the film is a train wreck. It’s boring, creepy in a bad way, way too wordy, terribly slow, and nonsensically directed. For most of the movie, there’s a sort of circular filter over the camera lens, and half the screen is blurry. For no reason.
Faust is an ancient tale about signing your soul to the devil in exchange for youth, vigor, and a beautiful woman. There have been operatic and musical adaptations, dramatic and comedic inspirations, and usually they’re at least moderately entertaining. Doctor Faustus is rotten. Richard Burton stands in his room for twenty minutes soliloquizing whether or not to summon the devil. Then he finally decides to do it (which is not a nail biter, since we know the story!) and he spends another ten minutes saying he doesn’t believe the devil is all-powerful. To prove his power, the devil sends a proxy, and the proxy summons Elizabeth Taylor out of thin air, who, as soon as Richard Burton starts caressing her, turns into an ugly, old man. Have you had enough? I have.
DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie is not your friend. There is a filter on the camera lens that makes half the screen blurry. In other words, “Don’t Look, Mom!”
Kiddy Warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, due to scary and disturbing content, I wouldn’t let my kids watch it.
Want to watch it? Click here to watch it on ok.ru. And thanks "Sonia SC" for posting!
More Richard Burton movies here!
More Elizabeth Taylor movies here!
Richard Burton must have really, really wanted to make this movie. He starred in it, co-produced it, and co-directed it! I don’t know what was the matter with him, but the film is a train wreck. It’s boring, creepy in a bad way, way too wordy, terribly slow, and nonsensically directed. For most of the movie, there’s a sort of circular filter over the camera lens, and half the screen is blurry. For no reason.
Faust is an ancient tale about signing your soul to the devil in exchange for youth, vigor, and a beautiful woman. There have been operatic and musical adaptations, dramatic and comedic inspirations, and usually they’re at least moderately entertaining. Doctor Faustus is rotten. Richard Burton stands in his room for twenty minutes soliloquizing whether or not to summon the devil. Then he finally decides to do it (which is not a nail biter, since we know the story!) and he spends another ten minutes saying he doesn’t believe the devil is all-powerful. To prove his power, the devil sends a proxy, and the proxy summons Elizabeth Taylor out of thin air, who, as soon as Richard Burton starts caressing her, turns into an ugly, old man. Have you had enough? I have.
DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie is not your friend. There is a filter on the camera lens that makes half the screen blurry. In other words, “Don’t Look, Mom!”
Kiddy Warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, due to scary and disturbing content, I wouldn’t let my kids watch it.
Want to watch it? Click here to watch it on ok.ru. And thanks "Sonia SC" for posting!
More Richard Burton movies here!
More Elizabeth Taylor movies here!