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4/10
Unfunny, pact-with-the-devil short
Leofwine_draca17 December 2015
TALK OF THE DEVIL is another lacklustre short film that comes to us courtesy of prolific B-movie director Francis Searle. Others in this series include THE PALE FACED GIRL, A COUPLE OF BEAUTIES, and A HOLE LOT OF TROUBLE. The story is a straightforward riff on the old Faustian devil pact, albeit revitalised with a Swinging Sixties vibe.

Unsurprisingly, it's also a very poor showing and a film which has dated considerably since first release (and maybe it seemed dated even then). The devilish jokes are of the bargain basement variety, and the lack of money is evident from beginning to end. Even worse, the humour isn't funny, and I think the best bit is the short opening segment with the Victor Maddern cameo. The film features the dour Tim Barrett (THE MUMMY'S SHROUD) in an expressionless turn as the lead, although it's fun to see the delectable Suzan Farmer (DRACULA: PRINCE OF DARKNESS) as the love interest.
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10/10
A Devil of a good time!
Yonilikka-227 February 2016
Warning: Spoilers
After years of languishing in the archives, Francis Searle's 'Talk Of The Devil' has just resurfaced on Talking Pictures T.V. It is a half-hour comedy about a hapless man called 'Stephen Wallace' ( Tim Barrett ) who is in love with the beautiful 'Wendy' ( and who would not be, seeing how she's played by the stunning Suzan Farmer ). But Wendy hates him. So Stephen strikes a pact with 'Young Nick' ( Hugh Latimer ) a.k.a. the Devil. Stephen gets to marry the woman of his woman of his dreams. But things do not go according to plan...

Made in 1969, the film shows its age, albeit rather charmingly. Why complain if a 1969 film looks like it was made in 1969? Yes, it was done on the cheap, but so then were a lot of other good movies. Today's audiences demand that every film that they see be a mega- blockbuster, and that is tiresome.

This film is reminded me of 'The Twilight Zone', as well as the Stanley Donen masterpiece 'Bedazzled', made two years before. The performers are all good, particularly Barrett, who surely must have appeared in every British sitcom ever made, usually cast as pompous twits. The main difference between this and 'Bedazzled' is that here the Devil is outwitted by the man whose soul he has taken. 'Talk Of The Devil' is a pleasant way to kill thirty minutes - gently amusing rather than hilarious - and has a cracking theme song to boot!
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