Seeing Faustus performed is different than reading it. I thought the Greek goddess figure had an importance in the movie that wasn’t there in the book. I found the morbidity of the play and its cinematic interpretation to be on par. I hate to say this, but I enjoyed reading the play more than seeings its visual. I think that largely has to do with the movie director’s interpretation; however, I do not think any movie or theatrical performance would fall me well. The play is particularly wicked, and I think because of that it fails in a way. While the play is definitely expressive and macabre, the play lacks a reason to follow. There’s no reason to like Faustus (nor any character, for that matter), so I was struggling to maintain interest. The play is negative from the beginning until the end. Maybe, if enough money were thrown at it and the language made more digestible, a movie of Faustus could be made that isn’t totally bad. There were scenes in the movie---a battle on horseback, Faustus shaking a skeleton---that I do not remember in the least bit. This is probably because I haven’t look at the play in a while. Burton’s acting performance was strong and, while I did not picture him in his exact performance, I found the role well-acted and genuine. There is a strong absence of God in this play; he appears, but the the largest power is in invested in the hands of the devil---something I find interesting as it does not glorify god in the customary fashion.
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