The Devil's Eye

The sophisticated fantasy The Devil’s Eye—the last Ingmar Bergman film to be shot by the great Gunnar Fischer—is an engaging satire of petit bourgeois morals. The devil (Stig Järrel) suffers from an inflamed eye, which he informs Don Juan (Jarl Kulle) can be cured only if a young woman’s chastity is breached. So the legendary lover ascends from hell and sets about seducing an innocent pastor’s daughter, Britt-Marie (Bibi Andersson). Bergman’s dialogue bubbles with an irony reminiscent of his beloved Molière, and the music of Domenico Scarlatti (performed by Bergman’s fourth wife, Käbi Laretei) underscores the joy that infuses much of the film.