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Michel Simon, Gérard Philipe, Nicole Besnard, Simone Valère, Raymond Cordy ... see more see more... , Tullio Carminatti , Gaston Modot , Carlo Ninchi , Paolo Stoppa

La Beaute du Diable came into being when French filmmaker Rene Clair became fascinated with a structural defect in the "Faust" legend. Clair felt that the beginning and end of the story was perfect, b... read more read more...ut the middle section, wherein the title character blasphemes the Pope, was "silly." The director also wondered what would happen if, instead of forcing Faust to sign his soul away in exchange for happiness and knowledge, the Devil were to ask for nothing, and simply assume that Faust would sign the contract at a later date. As played by Michel Simon, Clair's devil -- or Mephisto --is actually quite a likeable fellow. In fact, he's more fun to be around than the somewhat ethereal Faust of Gerard Philipe. In establishing the "reality" of his fantasy, Clair utilizes several adroit camera tricks to get the audience to swallow the tale. Nicole Besnard co-stars as Marguerite, the vessel of Faust's ultimate redemption. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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95% liked it

440 ratings

Unrated, 1 hr. 35 min.

Directed by: René Clair

Release Date: March 16, 1950

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DVD Release Date: August 25, 1995

Stats: 23 reviews

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Critic Reviews


Dave Kehr
January 1, 2000
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

A prime example of intellectual kitsch. Full Review

October 31, 2006
New York Times

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Emanuel Levy
June 12, 2005
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

January 26, 2006
Time Out

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October 28, 2003
Film4

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