Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Bedazzled Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 21, 2021

Dudley Moore will probably always be best remembered as either hapless schlub George Webber lusting after the character played by Bo Derek in 10, or by another kind of hapless schlub who just happened to have several million dollars to his name, Arthur. Moore is indeed a hapless shlub in Bedazzled, but one need only pay attention to the credits to figure out that Moore himself was anything but hapless, even if he couldn't quite evade a certain shlub-like aspect to his persona. Not only does Moore co-star in this often quite funny retelling of the Faust legend, he also co-wrote the film and provided its swingin' sixties soundtrack. As fans of the diminutive actor are probably already well aware, Moore and his co-star and co-writer in this enterprise, Peter Cook, were an incredibly popular duo on television in the United Kingdom, having offered their own anarchic take on society in a kind of pre-Monty Python's Flying Circus series whimsically entitled Not Only. . .But Also. Bedazzled actually recycles one of the gags from the series, but the entire film has a sort of unabashed lunatic edge that may remind some of an extended Python sketch. The basic setup is "Faust simplicity" itself, with The Devil, having handily assumed the nom du guerre George Spiggott (Peter Cook), leading, yep, hapless schlub Stanley Moon (Dudley Cook) down a garden path that is decidedly more Gethsemane than Eden, at least in terms of some of the trials Stanley has to experience. The film is deliberately vignette driven, as Stanley burns through a half dozen plus wishes which George of course is easily able to undercut with a little, well, devilish logic.

Short order cook Stanley has one thing on his mind: his co-worker Margaret Spencer (Eleanor Bron), and George, sensing the opportunity to harvest another human soul for his burgeoning collection, offers Stanley one of those deals you can't refuse, even if you should. George insists Stanley can have whatever he wants in his wishes, which boil down to Margaret, and yet however Stanley attempts to formulate his desire, things never quite turn out the way he wants, in very traditional "be careful what you wish for" fashion. The vignettes offer everything from a hyperarticulate Stanley (now speaking for some unfathomable reason with a heavy Welsh accent) to Stanley as a nun, in an order that seems to favor outdoor exercise on trampolines (that was the bit evidently culled from the Cook-Moore television show).

There's a wonderfully cheeky attitude to the smart screenplay, which actually is not just provocatively metaphysical, it's also rather political in its own way and certainly observational in terms of how it treats the stumbling efforts of humans to navigate their often troubled lives. There's a rather marked sweetness to Bedazzled, which may be totally unexpected considering how barbed the humor can be, but part of that is due to the charming chemistry between Moore and Cook, the latter of whom may indeed be a sly devil, but who has an impish allure of his own.

There are a number of fun cameos scattered throughout the film, including a memorable turn (with maybe a bump and grind or two) by Raquel Welch as a character understandably named Lust. Kind of interestingly, Bron started out with quite a bang in films, appearing in rapid succession in Help!, Alfie, Two for the Road and Women in Love, but then started to appear somewhat more sporadically in major titles. She's an appealing presence here as she has to depict several "versions" of Margaret, depending on what Stanley's "wish du jour" might have been.

Bedazzled Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Bedazzled is presented on Blu-ray with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.37:1. While the color timing and general detail levels of this release look pretty similar to the German Blu-ray put out by Alive several years ago which Svet reviewed, even a cursory glance at the screenshots not to mention our specs will show that the German release had a 2.62:1 aspect ratio, while this has the aforementioned 2.37:1, and to my eyes at least it appears obvious that this release is rather weirdly anamorphically squeezed. You can do side by side comparisons of several screenshots that are somewhat similar between the two reviews and (again, to my eyes) it seems obvious that the German release, while sporting a somewhat odd aspect ratio, looks more natural than this one. This was the first thing I noticed about this transfer, and it's a rather odd situation but interestingly not the only time I've encountered something like this (I just reviewed a VCI release that was obviously stretched instead of squeezed). Otherwise, though, this sports a nicely suffused palette, albeit one that is perhaps just slightly faded, as evidenced by slightly orangish reds and some brown flesh tones. There are occasional signs of age related wear and tear, including quite a few white specks. Grain looks natural throughout. My score is 3.25.

Bedazzled Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Bedazzled features DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono and DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 tracks. Both tracks offer good fidelity and no real problems, but I found the Mono track to be more satisfying, with better amplitude and a more secure accounting of things like Moore's very enjoyable score. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Bedazzled Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Peter Cook and Dudley Moore on The Paul Ryan Show (SD; 5:25) is sadly not hosted by our former Speaker of the House, but you can't have everything.


• A Bedazzled Conversation with Harold Ramis (SD; 6:18) is an archival interview with Ramis, who helmed the not very successful remake of this film.


• Original Theatrical Trailer #1 (SD; 2:49)


• Original Theatrical Trailer #2 (SD; 2:49)


• Isolated Music and Effects Track is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and can be accessed under the Setup Menu.

Bedazzled Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Bedazzled is a really fun and often quite funny film, and it's wonderful to see Cook and Moore so obviously having a ball and enjoying each other's company. Maybe Stanley secretly wished for everyone to be weirdly skinny, since this release looks anamorphically squeezed to me. Otherwise (I know that will be a relative term for some videophiles), this sports a decently intact palette and good detail levels, and audio is fine. The accompanying supplements aren't especially bounteous, but are enjoyable, for those who may be considering making a purchase.