Bedeviled
This is a review for the "Bedazzled" Double-take DVD set containing the 1967 and the 2000 version. I think for story and a little "deeper" meaning, the 1967 version is better than the 2000. In the opening, Dudley Moore is in church (imagine that) praying, well sort of and the Devil, he calls himself George, hears his thoughts, especially the part of "giving anything" to make his dreams come true. He is a cook who is deeply in love with a co-worker but never has the courage to ask her for a date. So George (Peter Cook) offers him a deal and with a "JULIE ANDREWS!" Dudley Moore goes from one bad wish to another. I never got the impression that Dudley Moore's character grew; he never outsmarted the devil. It turns out that God and Satan have a bet, to see who can get to 100,000 souls first. The film deals more with the sins and George's desire to get back into heaven. Which adds a depth that the 2000 version doesn't have. Also, despite her prominent image on the cover, Rachel Welch plays...
This is not about Brendan.
All of the reviews i have read so far ignore the fact that this double set is about AN ORIGINAL and ITS REMAKE. I saw the original when it came out and it stuck to my mind as one of the most anti-clerical, no target-barred (including Hollywood) movies ever to come out of Britain. Dudley Moore and Peter Cook are a perfect comedy team, and their chemistry is unbelievable. Compare with Hollywood's version: a female bimbo in red as the Devil, and hapless Brendan Frazer, who happens to be a fine comedy actor, stuck in a movie totally devoid of ideological satire. I love both versions, the British as a thinking man's movie( 5 stars) and Hollywood's as mindless fast food fare (3 stars, and only for Brendan)
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