La beauté du diable

Though I'm french, I am not a fan of french movies which I usually find boring or too intellectual ( in a pejorative way ).

This being said, I've always liked this movie, greatly because of the incredible performance of Michel Simon, undoubtedly one of the greatest french actors ever. His portrayal of Mephistopheles is delightful in every way. He leaves but little place to the other actors ( mostly Gerard Philippe the avatar of the romantic actor, playing young Faust having sold his soul to the devil ).

In an era where special effects where about non existent, Rene Clair managed to make a really witty comedy about the meaning of life.

Astonishing to see how certain movies, no matter how old they are, remain entertaining. This is definitely one of them.

A must see ! Should you like it, try Belles de Jour from Rene Clair too, another witty romantic old times french comedy. You'll be pleased.

René Clair located the action in an imaginary land ,at a time which is not historically precise: it may make you think of Italy and the characters of the prince and his wife might hint at a principality .A time which may remind you of the Renaissance or the seventeenth century when science and alchemy were not entirely differentiated :hence the people's wrath , sorcery was unholy ......Mephistopheles was one of the seven princes of Hell and one of the incarnations of the Devil;however, in the film,he's sent by the Devil (as Dominique and Gilles were envoys in "les visiteurs du soir" (1942),or on God' s side ,Clarence in "it's a wonderful life "(1945)). He's really on a mission .

Michel Simon ,actor extraordinaire ,as brilliant in the tragedy ("panique" ) as in the comedy ("drôle de drame" ) , was the best embodiment of the Devil I had ever seen;And Clair insisted his film be a tragi-comedy! Gérard Philipe 's portrayal was more contested ,but his boyish looks ,his romantic appeal and even his sniggering face when he appears for the first time cannot fail to win the audience over :his premature death was a major loss for the French cinema .Both actors play doubles ,which confuses the viewer and adds to the pleasure to watch these monstres sacrés together on the screen.

The first scene in the academy sets the tone :although doctor Faust is praised by his peers ,he's bored stiff during the ceremony (you should see Simon's face); a life devoted to science is an unfulfilled one ; by reading the lines in the palm of his hand,Marguerite (who appears as a gypsy ,an astute choice,for gypsies 'science is close to magic) tells him that "his life is over" .Naively ,Faust thinks that his true life,in which he will enjoy all the pleasures of life ,has begun.

Another side of the movie won't be lost on today's audience : after WW2, the fear of the atomic bomb reached peaks circa 1950; as Carné disguised the French resistance as a medieval fable in "les visiteurs du soir" ,Clair uses the legendary costume drama as a warning against the power of wealth and science : Faust becomes a pawn in the Devil's game he uses for destruction ,for man's downfall ; fortune and the princess are lures which can only be the death of the country and later on, the whole world .

At the time I am writing this, IMDB has the title of this film rather confusingly translated as "Beauty And The Beast" - which is, of course, a whole other kettle of myth altogether.

"The Beauty Of The Devil", on the other hand, is a thoroughly sumptuous retelling of the Faust legend, told with unusual verve, and of course a flawless performance by Michel Simon (was he ever bad in anything?)

There is great atmosphere, delightfully fairytale-like sets, and first rate photography - far better than the flat cheapness of most other French films of the 1950s - all thankfully in an excellently preserved print.

The preternaturally beautiful Gerard Philipe, as Mephistopheles, also turns in a fine performance, throwing in just enough subtle traces of the rheumatic Simon to make us believe the older Faust is wearing his body. Nicole Besnard, as the gypsy maiden who takes him in, and Simone Valère, as her princess rival, both see his good looks and raise him some extra gorgeousness.

This is the most fun and romantic take on Faust I think I have seen, a parable of life and love and failure and regret. Yes, it could have been more frightening and dramatic and devilish, but then it would also have lost a lot of its charm. As it is, it's a worthy companion to Rene Clair's earlier english language movies 'I Married A Witch' and 'And Then There Were None', with a discernibly similar texture and touch, an atmosphere of fantasy, and every frame a painting in itself.

This is such an excellent movie. It's worth calling a masterpiece. I just want to tell everyone I know about it! Gerard Philippe is amazingly handsome. To lots of people, he might look not only handsome but also smart, sophiscated and sexy and he is as a matter of a fact. Plots, performance, direction, casting, music and background. These essences of movies are just outstanding. Told by my friends that he was an amazing actor, I understood that they were right after watching this movie. I felt deeply satisfied by the quality just like I had wonderful meals in the 3-star restaurant.

If you want to explore French movies, I will recommend you this one.

The Faust story has been adapted innumerable times. I have seen three adaptations: "Faust" (1926, Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau), "All that money can buy" (1941, William Dieterle) and this one of 1950 by Rene Clair.

It is interesting to see how different directors give a different interpretation to the story, maybe under influence of their national culture. The American production of Dieterle for example is by far the most materialistic interpretation, as the title already indicates. The European interpretations are more about non materialistic values as scientific curiosity and love (with the accent changing from the former to the latter when the wish of Faust for eternal youth has been granted by the Devil). Within the European interpretations the German one of Faust is much more pessimistic then the French one of Clair.

Not only the Faust character gives rise to different interpretations but also the Devil / Mephistopheles character. In "Le beaute du Diable" Michel Simon plays a sort of funny apprentice Devil, just like Henry Travers plays an apprentice angel in "It's a wonderful life" (1946, Frank Capra)