Synopsis
The Beauty of the Devil (La Beauté du diable, 1950) — René Clair's watch-online French fantasy on iFILM. An aging professor meets Mephistopheles, who brings the familiar offer: youth, strength, and beauty for one soul.
What makes Clair's take different is the casting arrangement. Gérard Philipe plays a smooth, impatient devil; Michel Simon takes the professor through a body swap that leaves Mephistopheles suddenly wearing old flesh and the professor walking around with young legs and no signature on the pact. A gypsy girl's prayers complicate Hell's schedule further.
Made just after the war, the film's wry comedy sits over something darker. Clair was never interested in thunder and brimstone — he got at the same ideas through lightness. Stream The Beauty of the Devil (1950) online on iFILM.
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