959. Bedazzled (1967)

Starring: Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Raquel Welch

Director: Stanley Donen

Running Time: 103 mins

Bedazzled is a British film about a middle-aged loser who sells his soul to the Devil in exchange for seven wishes, however he soon realises the deal is not all he expected it to be, leading to hilarity and chaos.

This is a typically 60s comedy, with great classy wit, vibrant colours, a zany story, and ridiculous innuendo everywhere. It works as not only a parody of a the classic Faust tale, but also as a crazy fantasy full of laughter from start to finish, and although some of the humour is a little dated, this is still an absolute riot to watch.

The main thing about this film that you’ve got to love is the extreme farce in the episodes of the man’s seven wishes. Obviously, it’s a fantasy, so it’s likely to be weird, but the various twists that the Devil puts on these wishes make for extreme unpredictability and almost surreal hilarity at every point, something that makes this so much funnier to watch.

The vibe that you get from this is a really enjoyable one. Stanley Donen, one of the best directors and creators of classic comedies such as Singin’ In The Rain and Charade, plays his hand brilliantly here, using his trademark colourful palette to make this another visual delight, whilst the whole atmosphere is very slick and seductive just like the swinging sixties, something heightened even more by the countless innuendoes that are thrown in throughout.

The characters in this film are also a lot of fun. The main character, a simple loser working as a cook in a local cafe, played by Dudley Moore, is really easy to sympathise with and like, whether it be out of pity or not, whilst the character of the Devil (AKA George Spiggott) is a hell of a lot of fun. Thanks to a top performance by Peter Cook, his passive aggressive bad deeds make for a lot of sneaky entertainment throughout, whilst the actual back story of the Devil is surprisingly interesting, as well as pretty funny.

Overall, this gets a 7.8, because of its consistently funny comedy across the board, good characters, crazy story and slick sixties vibe, all of which makes for a properly enjoyable movie full of great laughs.