Loosely inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s 1841 story “Never Bet the Devil Your Head,” “Toby Dammit” was part of “Spirits of the Dead,” a collage of films by Fellini, Louis Malle and Roger Vadim. Flasy and ostentatious as ever, this was Fellini’s short film follow-up to “Juliet of the Spirits,” and it has that film’s lurid stylishness.
Sexy Terence Stamp (not-so-sexy and actually quite dead-looking here) plays a boozy former Shakespearian actor in meltdown mode who sells his soul to the devil a la “Doctor Faustus.” But here he’s driving around the Rome cityscape in a Ferrari, having creepy visions of Satan in the form of a creepy blonde child. Nina Rota, of course, provides the groovy score.
Thanks to Open Culture for the generous share.
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