The Devil main backdrop
The Devil main poster

The Devil

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6.1/10 • 4

1921-01-170h 58m

Drama

Dr. Muller, a friend to all, finds pleasure in turning the goodness in people to evil ends. He meets Marie Matin and her fiancée, Georges Roben, while viewing a new painting, "The Martyr--Truth Crucified by Evil." Marie declares that the picture was wrong--evil could never triumph over truth--and though Muller says he agrees with her, he plots to prove otherwise.

Directors
James Young

Top Billed Cast

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  1. George Arliss

    George Arliss

    Dr. Müller

  2. Sylvia Breamer

    Sylvia Breamer

    Mimi

  3. Lucy Cotton

    Lucy Cotton

    Marie Matin

  4. Florence Arliss

    Florence Arliss

    Marie's Aunt

  5. Edmund Lowe

    Edmund Lowe

    Paul de Veaux

  6. Roland Bottomley

    Roland Bottomley

    Georges Roben

  7. Fredric March

    Fredric March

    Bal Masque Participant (uncredited)

Reviews2

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CyrusPK Avatar

CyrusPK

Sep 12, 2018

6/10

It may be difficult to countenance now but there was a time when George Arliss was close to being the biggest film star in the world. This slightly stooped, perhaps not conventionally handsome, mature gentleman had spent years on the stage to tremendous acclaim and achieved the same in the early sound era of film. His great skill was a tremendous personal charisma that defied his actual appearance. When he is on screen there is little else that the viewer remembers – his precise diction and sheer presence dominate. The Devil (1921) was Arliss’ first film and though denied his superb voice, that presence so evident in his sound films of a decade later is ever present. As Dr. Mueller he puts a loving couple to a test of fidelity, slowly drawing them through deception and innuendo into compromising circumstances. It is this sly approach that gives Arliss the opportunity to show, through expression and mouthed dialogue his skills as a seducer. I had assumed the title of the film was a metaphorical one, highlighting the devilish nature of the Arliss character, but in a final reckoning he is revealed to indeed be more than a lecherous fiend but at the very least a servant of the Dark One. The heroine is protected from his advance by a glowing cross and he is eventually seen to be defeated by the powers of light. The very essence of deux ex machina in a story that at least follows a logical path.

Media

  • The Devil poster

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
--
Revenue
--
Keywords
influencesatirebased on play or musicaldevilevil