The Devil (1972)

A political allegory wrapped in the guise of a gory horror film Andrzej Zulawski's The Devil did not escape the wrath of communist censorship. The film was banned in Poland for 15 years before getting a sporadic release in 1987. Jakub (Leszek Teleszynski) a young 18th century nobleman rots in prison for conspiring against the king. A mysterious stranger frees him but demands a list of Jakub's fellow conspirators in exchange. Jakub follows him on a journey across a nightmarish snowbound countryside where they witness countless acts of brutal violence. Affected by the overall chaos and moral corruption the young nobleman descends into madness. "Conducted at a consistently operatic pitch the camera forever wheeling restlessly packed with inexplicable outbursts of emotion sudden devastating moments of violence and a gravid promiscuous sexuality" (The Australian). In Polish with English subtitles.System Requirements:Running Time; 119 mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: FOREIGN/CLASSICS UPC: 644527655093 Manufacturer No: DV94843 Product Description

Do not buy this DVD

The transfer is worse than a VHS tape. This is a great film that deserves a much, much, much better DVD. Unfortunately, companies like Polart seem only to care about money and hang stubbornly onto the rights while delivering insulting DVDs. It may be a long time before Zulawski gets his due on Region 1 DVD, but it's better to wait than to see the film in this condition. Trust me, it's awful. June 23, 2008

The Devil is like stepping into a world of insanity

Andrzej Zulawski's The Devil (Diabel) is a portrait of insanity. It is a horror movie that not everyone will appreciate. The reason for that would mostly be due to it not being sensible. Many of the people in the film act like they are drugged out, there is a theatrical feeling to the way they talk and unquestionably many of them act insane. To say the movie is surrealistic would be an understatement. The Devil is like stepping into a world of insanity.

The story starts out with a crafty beaded man dressed in black entering an asylum run by nuns in 1793, when the Prussians took over part of Poland. He frees a political prisoner, Jakub, moments before the Prussian army goes in and murders everyone there. His liberator becomes a sort of strange guide and tries to influence his morals.

Jakub's guide is very animated and shows him various places as they travel together in the countryside. His impish guide seems all knowing. The people Jakub meets are deeply affected by the war and appear insane. The moral decay Jakub observes influences him. At the urging of his guide, he is transformed into a murderer.

Although The Devil may appear senseless at first, there is meaning in it. At first, my impression was that we are seeing insanity caused by war. But I also thought it suggests the real cause of war and insanity is sin. Of course, just as with great literature, there are many possible messages one could reveal from this film. Furthermore, there are also political comments weaved throughout the entire movie dealing with patriotism and invaders.

The Devil is unquestionably different. The fact that it is a horror, which is relatively rare in Polish cinema, makes it stand out compared to other Polish films. Perhaps the closest film to The Devil (1972) is Instability (Nienasycenie; 2003), which is also Polish. Both films have that surrealistic feeling and nearly everyone in them is crazy; both have atypical sex and nudity interspersed thought the story; both are for viewers that want something very different. I have to add that even if you didn't care for Instability that you still may enjoy the Devil because it very unique.
April 19, 2008

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