Doctor Faustus

In Brief: When it was first released in 1967, Richard Burton’s film version of Marlowe’s The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus was pretty soundly trounced by the critics. And while from today’s perspective it’s not hard to see why, it is hard to understand how they didn’t at least recognize they were in the presence of a bona fide cinematic two-headed cow. Since the film was made at a time when Burton and Elizabeth Taylor were in between divorces, he opted to cast Liz as Helen of Troy — and as a variety of other women of somewhat vaguer origin throughout the film. Yes, this is a respectable adaptation of the Marlowe play, but Burton and co-director Nevill Coghill opted to open it up and to tart it up — the overall effect is like a cross between a garishly colored Hammer horror film and a textbook example of ’60s hallucinogenic trendiness. Calling the film uneven is a kindness, but that doesn’t keep Burton’s attempt to bring Marlowe to the screen a positively mesmerizing experience that … well, has to be seen to be believed. This excerpt was taken from a review by Ken Hanke published on July 13, 2005.