RATINGS: IMDB ― 7.0/10, Rotten Tomatoes ― 82%, ME ― DNS
George Spiggott: [having gotten Stanley's attention by mentioning a million pounds] Your great-great-great grandfather, Ephraim Moon, sailed to Australia in 1782 on a ship of the Line. Set himself up as an apothecary. The business flourished, and by the time he died it was worth something in the region of 2,000 pounds - a large amount in those days.Stanley Moon: Yes...
George Spiggott: Your great-great-grandfather, Cedric Moon, by skillful management and careful husbandry, increased that sum a hundredfold. This in turn was inherited by your great-grandfather, Desmond Moon, who expanded, diversified, and built up a personal fortune of well over a million pounds!
Stanley Moon: Oh!... it's a lot of money!
George Spiggott: A great deal of money, Mister Moon! And this gigantic sum was inherited by your grandfather, Hubert Moon, who returned to London and frittered it away on wine, women, and loose living.
Stanley Moon: ...ermh... where does that leave me, then?
George Spiggott: Penniless, and on the brink of suicide!
[giggles]
Peter Cook as George Spiggott and Dudley Moore as Stanley Moon
Trivia (From IMDB):
An article about Peter Cook that appeared in the New Yorker stated that the filmmakers didn't have a title for Bedazzled (1967) when it was being made. Cook suggested calling the film Raquel Welch. The producers didn't understand why Cook would want to name the movie after an actress that only appears for a few minutes in it. Cook explained that movie marquees put the lead actors names over the movie title. Thus the letters on the marquee would say "Peter Cook and Dudley Moore in Raquel Welch". The producers ended up going for the more ordinary title.
Dudley Moore adopted the moniker Stanley Moon in this film after John Gielgud wrote him a letter of introduction because he was impressed with Moore's work in the stage revue "Beyond the Fringe". Gielgud obliviously referred to Moore as Stanley Moon in the letter, and an amused Moore adopted the name as an alter ego for the rest of his life. After they worked on Arthur (1981) and Arthur 2: On the Rocks (1988) together, Gielgud good-naturedly said that he "got to know Stanley Moon rather well."
George is always wearing red socks, even when he's a fly.
The book George tears the last page from (supposedly so the infuriated reader will never know whodunnit) is the 1966 Fontana Books printing of Agatha Christie's 1963 novel "The Clocks".
At the time of its release, blasphemy was considered a common-law offense in the UK, and the British Board of Film Censors were concerned that the film's premise would offend religious groups. Stanley Donen defended the film against such claims. To prove his point, Donen claimed that he pre-screened "Bedazzled" to a London rector and the Arch Deacon of Westminster Abbey, both of whom took no offense to the film. After that assurance, the case was dropped. By 2005, standards about what could be considered blasphemous in Britain had been relaxed, that when the film was resubmitted to what was now called the British Board of Film Classification, the only problem they had was with a particular scene involving Stanley's hanging attempts, which had the potential to be considered a glamorous depiction of suicide (the solution was raising the film's previous "PG" rating to a "12").
After Stanley signs away his soul, Spigot files the form away under "M"; the other names he reads out from the files while finding Moon's place are Niccolò Machiavelli, Senator Joseph McCarthy, Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, Miller (presumably a reference to their Beyond the Fringe (1964) colleague Jonathan Miller) and Moses ("Irving Moses, the fruiterer").
Peter Cook later recalled (with some astonishment) that Stanley Donen turned down the offer to direct Hello, Dolly! (1969) in order to make this movie.
Although Raquel Welch is featured in most of the promotional material for this film, her character is only on screen for roughly no more than 7 minutes
At its earlier stages of development in 1967, this was unimaginatively titled " The Sale "
Starring feature film debuts for Peter Cook and Dudley Moore.
When George Spiggott says to Stanley Moon that the sins who worked for him performed their duties poorly because of the wages, he was alluding to Romans 6:23, which reads "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
There is a reference to the American clothing company, Abercrombie and Fitch, when the Devil is making prank calls. The Devil: "Mrs Fitch?" Voice on phone: "Speaking" The Devil: "Abercrombie here, I work with your husband"
George Spiggott: Your great-great-grandfather, Cedric Moon, by skillful management and careful husbandry, increased that sum a hundredfold. This in turn was inherited by your great-grandfather, Desmond Moon, who expanded, diversified, and built up a personal fortune of well over a million pounds!
Stanley Moon: Oh!... it's a lot of money!
George Spiggott: A great deal of money, Mister Moon! And this gigantic sum was inherited by your grandfather, Hubert Moon, who returned to London and frittered it away on wine, women, and loose living.
Stanley Moon: ...ermh... where does that leave me, then?
George Spiggott: Penniless, and on the brink of suicide!
[giggles]
Peter Cook as George Spiggott and Dudley Moore as Stanley Moon
Trivia (From IMDB):
An article about Peter Cook that appeared in the New Yorker stated that the filmmakers didn't have a title for Bedazzled (1967) when it was being made. Cook suggested calling the film Raquel Welch. The producers didn't understand why Cook would want to name the movie after an actress that only appears for a few minutes in it. Cook explained that movie marquees put the lead actors names over the movie title. Thus the letters on the marquee would say "Peter Cook and Dudley Moore in Raquel Welch". The producers ended up going for the more ordinary title.
Dudley Moore adopted the moniker Stanley Moon in this film after John Gielgud wrote him a letter of introduction because he was impressed with Moore's work in the stage revue "Beyond the Fringe". Gielgud obliviously referred to Moore as Stanley Moon in the letter, and an amused Moore adopted the name as an alter ego for the rest of his life. After they worked on Arthur (1981) and Arthur 2: On the Rocks (1988) together, Gielgud good-naturedly said that he "got to know Stanley Moon rather well."
George is always wearing red socks, even when he's a fly.
The book George tears the last page from (supposedly so the infuriated reader will never know whodunnit) is the 1966 Fontana Books printing of Agatha Christie's 1963 novel "The Clocks".
At the time of its release, blasphemy was considered a common-law offense in the UK, and the British Board of Film Censors were concerned that the film's premise would offend religious groups. Stanley Donen defended the film against such claims. To prove his point, Donen claimed that he pre-screened "Bedazzled" to a London rector and the Arch Deacon of Westminster Abbey, both of whom took no offense to the film. After that assurance, the case was dropped. By 2005, standards about what could be considered blasphemous in Britain had been relaxed, that when the film was resubmitted to what was now called the British Board of Film Classification, the only problem they had was with a particular scene involving Stanley's hanging attempts, which had the potential to be considered a glamorous depiction of suicide (the solution was raising the film's previous "PG" rating to a "12").
After Stanley signs away his soul, Spigot files the form away under "M"; the other names he reads out from the files while finding Moon's place are Niccolò Machiavelli, Senator Joseph McCarthy, Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, Miller (presumably a reference to their Beyond the Fringe (1964) colleague Jonathan Miller) and Moses ("Irving Moses, the fruiterer").
Peter Cook later recalled (with some astonishment) that Stanley Donen turned down the offer to direct Hello, Dolly! (1969) in order to make this movie.
Although Raquel Welch is featured in most of the promotional material for this film, her character is only on screen for roughly no more than 7 minutes
At its earlier stages of development in 1967, this was unimaginatively titled " The Sale "
Starring feature film debuts for Peter Cook and Dudley Moore.
When George Spiggott says to Stanley Moon that the sins who worked for him performed their duties poorly because of the wages, he was alluding to Romans 6:23, which reads "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
There is a reference to the American clothing company, Abercrombie and Fitch, when the Devil is making prank calls. The Devil: "Mrs Fitch?" Voice on phone: "Speaking" The Devil: "Abercrombie here, I work with your husband"
From IMDB and Google.
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