Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Hammersmith Is Out (1972)

Cinerama Releasing
Directed by Peter Ustinov
My rating: 1.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

This reworking of the Faustian legend is a complete failure. Richard Burton somehow keeps a stone face throughout as a mental patient who thinks he is, or perhaps really is, Satan. Beau Bridges is the dumb asylum worker who sets him free in exchange for wealth and power. Elizabeth Taylor is a waitress he picks up along the way. He becomes a multimillionaire in no time at all, but after reaching the top ignores Liz. He orders Burton-Satan to kill her, but instead he makes a new bargain with Liz, getting her pregnant and permanently sending Bridges to a wheelchair. Luckily Peter Ustinov, who also directed this mess, comes along and brings him back to the asylum. 

No comments:

Post a Comment