The Beauty of the Devil

"Rene Clair - whose genius has created masterpieces...now brings his magic touch to the screen in a new achievement!"

1950 1h 36m FR

👍

7.2

SOLID

★7.2TMDB · 68

DramaFantasyComedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Henri Faust, retiring after 50 years as a professor in a circa-1700 French university, despairs at the ravages of old age ... whereupon Mephistopheles, agent of Lucifer, appears as a virile, handsome young man and exchanges bodies with him to induce Faust to sign a pact to exchange his soul for renewed youth, riches and power. But though the "new" Faust is attracted by the material improvements in his life, he remains wary of signing, while Mephistopheles, now posing as the aged professor whose body he inhabits, must find a way to trick him into signing the pact - and dissuade him from the love of a gypsy girl who prays for his soul - or find himself damned by his own Master...

“Rene Clair - whose genius has created masterpieces...now brings his magic touch to the screen in a new achievement!”

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Cast

Michel Simon
Mephistopheles / Old Prof. Henri Faust
Gérard Philipe
Young Henri Faust / Young-Looking Mephistopheles
Nicole Besnard
Marguerite the Gypsy Girl
Simone Valère
The Princess
Carlo Ninchi
The Prince
Raymond Cordy
Antoine the Servant
Paolo Stoppa
Official
Tullio Carminati
The Diplomat

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: René Clair
Writers: René Clair, Armand Salacrou
Languages: French
Countries: France, Italy

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

76 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: France, Italy.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by René Clair, shot by Michel Kelber. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor James Cuenet shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Michel Simon and Gérard Philipe and Nicole Besnard carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Rene Clair - whose genius has created masterpieces...now brings his magic touch to the screen in a new achievement!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0042235 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

René Clair directs. Michel Kelber behind the camera. James Cuenet cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in France, Italy. Dialogue in French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

176 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2International production across 2 countries: France, Italy.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by René Clair, shot by Michel Kelber. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Editor James Cuenet shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Michel Simon and Gérard Philipe and Nicole Besnard carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Rene Clair - whose genius has created masterpieces...now brings his magic touch to the screen in a new achievement!".
8IMDB entry: tt0042235 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 68 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.