Marlowe: Dr Faustus (Globe August 2011) (Charlotte Broom/ Michael Camp/ Matthew Dunster) [Globe on Screen] [DVD] [2013] [NTSC]

From time to time the Globe releases its plays in cinemas. It publicises them badly (I caught this totally by chance), but if you live an inconvenient distance from The Globe, look out for Globe on Screen releases. Though far from an expert, I am at least conversant with most of Shakepeare's plays. This, however was (to my shame) my first ever exposure to Marlowe. It was a revelation. Of course, the basic plot is universally-known. The eminent scholar Faustus is bored by all he has achieved and wants more - and so sells his soul to the devil in return for 24 years of enhanced life, with Mephistopheles as his devoted attendant. What matters is what Marlowe does with this premise. For my money, he does far more than Goethe. Better get Mephistopheles out of the way first, since (as a publicity ploy?) he is played by Arthur "Doctor Who" Darvill. The biggest compliment I can pay here is that after ten minutes I stopped thinking of him as Rory. He actually gave a wonderfully restrained performance, subtly portraying the tormented nature of one who has unlimited temporal power, but is shut off from any higher plane. Faustus himself is a complex and ambiguous character - which is as it should be. Each viewer has to make their own mind up as to how much (if at all) they sympathise with Faustus. Contradictory views can both be completely correct; and this production avoids the trap of coming down too heavily on one side or the other. This is a very busy production. Those responsible for costume, make-up and (particularly) props must have been on danger-money. There's a lot of stage trickery as well. Faustus is beheaded and comes back to life on stage; and though intellectually you can see how it was done, it's still a wonderful illusion. On the down side, some of the stage make-up doesn't stand up too well to cinematic close-up. One character's beard seemed to be held on by sellotape. As with all Globe productions, the comic scenes are played for all they're worth (anyone who says that Shakespeare invented comic relief simply hasn't seen Marlowe); but I was a little lost during the Pope/Antipope scenes (presumably Marlowe expected his audiences to get the reference to an event which was topical 400 years ago). The Globe is a National Treasure. These DVDs are compulsive viewing, and should also be compulsory.

I missed this years back in the Stratford performance and saw it screened at a local multiplex - next best thing. Having chosen this and other texts to teach A-level Lit, I have been alert to available video productions that are eligible for watching in support of the textual reading. This is the best one for Doctor Faustus. All key elements of tragedy and Renaissance thought explicit, sub-plot sufficiently bawdy.

I brought this as I was struggling with the text for my OU course. I did not like the play and then I put the DVD on. It is brilliantly staged, the actors are great, just look at the cast list! Most of all it is fun, funny and entertaining. I loved the clowns, the asides, the descent to hell. I feel that it was produced in a way that was true to the spirit of Marlow. Literally blown away by this performance. So happy.

I bought this to help me study for a BA(Hons) History degree at the OU and found it to be a great help. As entertainment goes, I thought the lead actor needed more charisma but the production as a whole was good. If you need it for study purposes, you won't go far wrong!

Slick and engaging, and visually stunning. The central performances (Paul Hilton as Faustus and Arthur Darvill as Mephistopheles) are excellent leads, and the wealth of fleshed-out characters adds a lovely variety to the performance. The chorus is a nice touch, and the props and tricks are wonderful to behold. It is all done very enthusiastically, and is definitely worth a watch for anyone who hasn't seen it.

This film is great and I'm so glad The Globe have made it available. I originally bought this because I was studying the text at school and though seeing it visually would aid my understanding. Although it mixes Text A and Text B, I would highly recommend it.

I am doing an OU course where we have audio of some sections of the play. It was great to see a performance, it really helped get to grips with the text. I found it interesting so see the changes that the production made when they realised play. Very worthwhile.

History degree hated it .....sorry.

舞台としても面白かったです。グローブ・シアターの舞台も初めてですし、英語もそれほど得意ではないのですが、見ているだけでも楽しめました。お下品な笑いがあったり、意外なシーンも多かったです。メフィストフェレス役のアーサー・ダーヴィルも思ったより出番もあり、舞台俳優として活躍しているのも納得です。

gli attori sono bravissimi e ricreano il modo di recitare tipico di un Morality Play con la freschezza di un'altissima competenza

Très belle pièce de Marlowe, contemporain de Shakespeare. Joué dans le théâtre de Shakespeare avec une mise en scène captivante. Je conseille ! Par contre, en anglais, possibilité de sous-titrer en anglais mais pas en français.

Granted, the actors may have since matured. Or was it this particular production? Elizabethan theatre never sounded so small and inconsequent: for all their posturing, and owing in large measure to their propensity for liberally inserting pregnant pauses before and after "key words" (why? to ensure the audience "gets it"?) Faust, Mephistopheles, Lucifer, Beelzebub... are all puny and scarcely believable. And none of the actors appears to be possessed of a real voice. Whatever happened to timbre, diction, elocution, pacing and delivery? As a minor example, the Good Angel is positively shrewish - no wonder a man turns to evil... The saddest thing is that Marlowe's glorious poetry must accept second billing to an ill-conceived production such as this (what was the model? Shakespeare in Love?), including unmitigated pandering such as fire spewing from a woman's vagina and a dog urinating on the audience. A certain amount of bawdiness is in order, but surely the ceiling for this sort of thing is... 14 years of age? Lawrence Olivier, Richard Burton, Ian McKellen, Derek Jacobi - where are they now? If this kind of theatre is the new benchmark, we have never been so impoverished.

Although Christopher Marlowe wrote numerous plays, including "Edward II," "Tamburlaine," and "The Jew of Malta," undoubtedly his most famous work is "Doctor Faustus" -- the seminal Deal-with-the-Devil story. The Globe Theatre production presents Marlowe's work in as close to the original form as possible, including some extremely effective *special effects* without the benefit of modern CGI trickery. "Faustus" presents the parable of a man who places philosophy above religion and makes a deal with Mephistopheles while at the same time denying the existence of Hell. After wasting 24 years in drunkenness, debauchery, and frivolous use of his magical powers, Faustus must face the inevitable night when his debt to Lucifer will come due. Performed on the authentic Elizabethan stage, at the reconstructed Globe Theatre, "Faustus" features compelling performances by its leads while offering bawdy comic relief from the plebeian minor characters. As outstanding as the actors' performances are, the recreated Elizabethan stage is equally impressive and provides a unique "You-Are-There" experience. Highly recommended!