by Ted Davis
Original Title: Djävulens öga
Directed by: Ingmar Bergman
Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains some spoilers for this film!
Synopsis: Supple and lovely 20 year-old Britt-Marie (Bibi Anderson) is a virgin, a fact that rankles the outwardly cultivated Satan (Stig Jarrel) so much so that he has a stye in his eye. To remove the irritating offense, and the cause of the stye, Satan releases legendary seducer Don Juan (Jarl Kulle) from the bondage of Hell and sends him to Earth with the mission to obliterate Britt-Marie’s innocence. One of the infrequent comedies directed by Ingmar Bergman.
Cat Burglar (Scene Stealer): A mean old demon (Torsten Winge) tags along to foment all sorts of trouble and to ensure that Don Juan’s lackey Pablo (Sture Lagerwall), who is also serving his sentence in Hell, does not enjoy any pleasures of the flesh while visiting the mortal plane. Perversely, the notably ugly demon can shape-shift into the form of a glorious luxuriously furred black cat. The first shift occurs when the Vicar (Nils Poppe) delivers passengers Don Juan and Pablo to his home, with the old demon riding unseen on the back of the car. Once the instantaneous change is accomplished, the cat sneaks into the house through the front door.
Next, the cat plants himself firmly in the middle of a busy thoroughfare within the comfortable abode the Vicar shares with his wife Renata (Gertrud Fridh), and refuses to move from the spot, even when multiple inhabitants come near to treading on him. The reconnaissance kitty responds to the approaches with a dismissive wave of his tail.
Later, the cat follows the Vicar and Don Juan into the honeymoon cottage where Britt-Marie, the Vicar’s daughter, is painting the walls in expectation of completing her work before the forthcoming nuptials with her frankly dullish and cloddish fiancé Jonas (Axel Duberg).
The triumphant cat merits a closeup when he celebrates the Vicar’s departure, which allows Don Juan to initiate the seduction of Britt-Marie. The satisfied cat is emphasized with another shot directly after Don Juan and Britt-Marie kiss.
During the dining hour, the cat feasts on milk and herring in the kitchen.
The cat watches a weeping Britt-Marie leave the room after her fruitless argument with Jonas.
And there’s a brief shot of the sneaky cat hiding to better spy on Pablo’s persistent attempts to bed the succumbing Renata.
After the Vicar traps the demon in his cupboard, the cat is not seen again.
A cartoon version of the cat was included on posters and lobby cards for the film.
Final Mewsings: If so inclined, most cats have the ability to turn into demons.
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