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Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:
- Comedy
- Dudley Moore Films
- Pact With the Devil
- Raquel Welch Films
- Stanley Donen Films
Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary writes that “although [it’s] dated, Dudley Moore and Peter Cook’s irreverent Faust tale in mod clothing was much funnier than other British imports of its day”. He notes that it “combined the absurdity and breezy style of Richard Lester; the mixture of ridiculousness and sophistication of early Peter Sellers/Alec Guinness/Ian Carmichael/Alistair Sim films; the verbal outrageousness and slapstick of the later Peter Sellers; [and] the lowbrow comedy of the Carry On Series,” while also drawing upon Moore and Cook’s Beyond the Fringe revue act. He points out that while “Cook and Moore don’t do much visual comedy… much of the verbal repartee is brilliant”, and he praises “how adeptly their voices and mannerisms change as they change characters and move from class to class, in the various segments that comprise the film”. He argues that while the “vignettes aren’t particularly clever, [they] all have funny moments”, and points out that the “film dares make God, who no longer pays attention to human prayers and whose petty feud with Satan causes misery among mortals, into the villain of the piece”.
I’m essentially in agreement with Peary’s review — though I disagree with his assertion that its “delight today is to catch a nostalgic glimpse of [the] once-wonderful comedy team”. Indeed, most modern viewers will never have heard of Cook-and-Moore (unless they’ve seen the duo in The Wrong Box), and will primarily be familiar with Moore from his later (solo) work, in 10 (1979) and the Arthur films. Therefore, the film must stand on its own as a comedy — and to that end, I believe it still “works”. While it may not be uproariously funny, the very premise itself — that “Cook’s Satan is more of a prankster than Evil personified” — is clever enough to keep one consistently engaged; I found myself especially eager for the “inter-vignette” moments, to see where and how Cook would next be wreaking gentle havoc on the Earth (by, for instance, “ripping out the last page of Agatha Christie mysteries, scratching record albums, making grocery bags tear open, setting wasps loose on picnickers”:
… or “calling up women and revealing to them their husbands’ infidelities”:
… as Peary writes in his Cult Movies 2 review). It’s all good fun, and certainly worth a one-time look by film fanatics, especially given its (onetime?) cult status.
Note: Raquel Welch’s appearance here — as Lust personified — is brief but memorable.
Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
- Peter Cook as George Spiggott/the Devil
- Eleanor Bron as Margaret
- A clever, fast-paced screenplay
Must See?
Yes, as a cult favorite.
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