A very funny film, it is no great accomplishment for Stanley Donen—any number of directors could have pointed the camera and comedians Dudley Moore and Peter Cook
Moore and Cook were a sketch comedy duo—talented. Cook wrote the story and screenplay and he plays the devil character (played by Elizabeth Hurley in the 2000 remake by Harold Ramis starring Brendan Fraser which isn’t very good)
Moore does the music
Making a comedy of suicide here- four years before 1971’s Harold and Maude
“the interior decorating is ‘early Hitler’” – haha
It is a pretty straight forward comedy scenerio—Cook plays the devil who grants Moore seven wishes – Moore uses those to gain the favor of his love interest. The sketches are those seven wishes. He plays an intellectual, a rich cuckold, a pop star (winking at the Beatles in black and white), a literal fly on the wall (animated), a nun, etc.
It should be 80 minutes instead of 103—the blowing a raspberry to get out of the wish sequence or saying “Julie Andrews” from Cook to make a wish come true runs its course after about the third time
The Rachel Welch scenes aren’t much of the film (though they made big splash in the advertising and poster). This is where the red bra that Hurley wears in the 2000 version comes from. She plays “Lust” here and not the devil. Shows up about 50 minutes in and is only in 5 minutes or so
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