Dir. René Clair, 1950, Italy, France, 95min, DCP, Black & White
With Michel Simon, Gérard Philipe, Nicole Besnard
In French with English subtitles

An alchemist at an 18th-century university, Professor Henri Faust (Gérard Philipe) readies for retirement while despairing that he knows nothing of nature’s mysteries. An old acquaintance, Mephistopheles—servant of Lucifer (Michel Simon)—arrives to grant him youth and a new life. Youth, however, diverts the professor’s interest from science to women. And Mephistophelas, who has disguised himself as the elderly Faust, plots to take his young friend’s fragile soul.

Nominee, Best Film, 1951 BAFTA Awards

“‘Beauty and the Devil’ is a venerable story re-told, but it is philosophy for sophisticates presented with vitality and movement and portrayed by a wholly professional cast.” – The New York Times