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Being a mote in Gods eye is likely to get you ignored, however
if your virginity has caused a sty in the Devil's eye you
just know he's going to come calling. But even the Devil cannot
act personally so he selects Don Juan, who is being punished
for his fornicating ways, to travel to earth to steal away
the young girl's virginity. Problem is, he only has a single
evening, one night and one morning to complete his task...
The
Devil's Eye (Djavulens oga 1960) was directed and
written by Ingmar Bergman. Although,
on the face of it, the film has many of the themes which Bergman
returned to again and again - the futility of love, the inevitability
of duplicity and evil, as well as the creation of our own
hell on earth - it is most probably one of his most accessible
films. In a strange sort of way love even triumphs over evil,
though not in the way that the audience would expect.
Structured
as a comedic play, it is split into acts with Gunnar Bjornstrand
setting the scene by introducing the various segments. We
are first introduced to Don Juan (Jarl Kulle) as he is being
tortured in hell by the suave Satan (Stig Jarrel). Destitute
and despondent, tortured by dreams of an earthly paradise
he cannot obtain. Neither he nor his manservant Pablo are
able to carry out their mission without becoming tainted by
the love they sought to corrupt.
Much
of the tension of the film arises from Don Juan's attempted
seduction of Britt-Marie (Bibi Andersson) and her encounter
with Don Juan disabuses her of the notion that her love for
her fiancé Jonas will protect her from anything. In
the end, although he fails at his main mission, Britt-Marie
lies to Jonas about kissing Don Juan, giving Hell its looked
for victory and removing the sty from the Devil's eye.
The
main cast give good solid performances, though a lot of the
film is stolen by Nils Poppe who plays Britt-Marie's father,
a vicar who traps a demon in his closet. The rest, such as
Gertrude Fridth who plays Renata, the vicar's wife; Georg
Funkquist and Gunner Sjoberg, do nothing which interferes
with the overall ambience of the film.
The
4:3 print seems extremely clear and sharp, though there is
no indication as to whether this is a restored print or just
taken from a pristine original. Audio is mono Swedish with
optional subtitles. The extras are lacklustre, being only
trailers for two other Bergman films.
Charles
Packer
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