4,847 words!

An undevilish devil of Bedazzled

Seldom do the arts represent a devil that is so humane as it is the case in the British

comedy Bedazzled, directed by Stanley Donen and released in 1967. The film can be

interpreted on various levels. One of the possible ways of its classification is looking at the

film as a modern adaptation of the German legend of Faust, featured in literary works such as

the tragedy The Tragic History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus by Christopher

Marlowe, Goethe’s Faust or The Master and Margarita by Bulgakov. In the Faust Legend the

main protagonist, Faust, makes a pact with the devil as a result of which the devil grants him

wishes at the exchange of his soul. In Bedazzled the plot revolves around two main characters:

George Spiggott, performed by Peter Cook, who plays the devil, and Stanley Moon,

performed by Dudley Moore, who plays the devil’s victim. They mirror the devil and Faust of

the German legend, but are represented in a different way than it was the case with Faust.

Both George and Stanley are substantially different from their literary predecessors and it is

largely thanks to their uniqueness and the humour resulting from their representation that

Bedazzled has acquired a cult status. First and foremost, it is the representation of a one-of-a-

kind devil that is worth analyzing in detail. Nice intro

The audience of Bedazzled do not need to wait long to see the character in question,

the devil, as he appears in the first scene in a church where a man, later known as Stanley, is

praying to God. As Stanley asks God to give him a sign of His presence, there suddenly

appears the face of a man who opens one of the stained glass windows and sticks his head

through it. Dark-haired, with thick eyebrows and dark glasses, he has his eyes fixed on one

point and keeps observing something very intensely. The right part of his face is in shadow so

the viewers cannot see it clearly, which only adds to the feeling of mystery. Good Then, he

moves his glasses onto his nose and his blue eyes become visible. The scene is shot in such a

way that it is impossible for the audience to see the object of his careful observation; he faces

the camera full front and is depicted in the middle position of the frame. Therefore, he appears

as the central element, very mysterious and puzzling, and the viewers may only guess that he

is watching Stanley. Indeed, another shot is taken from the perspective of his vision and the

close-up features Stanley, praying, with his eyes closed. Then, the face of the devil is shown

one more time; this time very close, but still mysterious as part of the stained-glass window

covers his mouth and the rest of his body. This initial depiction of the devil signals his deep

1

interest in Stanley and is later reflected in the story. It appears as if the devil hears all

Stanley’s thoughts and responds to them in the third scene of the film in Stanley’s house. It is

very interesting to observe that it is the devil, not God, who reacts to Stanley’s prayers. Just

from the beginning to the very end God is depicted as passive and not particularly interested

in human beings. Then, in such a world the devil is free to interfere with the lives of people

and seduce them at the price of their souls.

The third scene of the film features the first encounter between Stanley and the devil,

at least the first one of which Stanley is fully aware. The devil appears right after Stanley’s

unsuccessful suicidal attempt. He walks into his room as if that was the most obvious thing of

the world. Clad in a long, black and red cloak, a bow tie, a suit and funny long red socks, in

his early thirties, the devil looks very elegant and handsome. He is also not devoid of a sharp

and ironic sense of humour. “Don’t let me interfere with your doing away with yourself” or

“You realize that suicide is a criminal offence. In less enlightened times they’d have hanged

you for it” are the devil’s remarks which provoke laughter in the majority of addressees of the

film. In fact, it is partly due to many witty remarks and funny dialogues between the devil and

Stanley that the film has obtained its cult status. Its fans call it “hip comedy that gets better

every time you see it”1, largely due to “the offbeat humour”. Indeed, well-known comedians

and writers of this film Peter Cook and Dudley Moore have done such a great job that even

after fifty years after of the film’s release there are a few dozen funny quotes from the film

circulating through the Internet, which mirrors the success of this comedy2. The character of

the devil would be dramatically different and lacking essence if it were not for his

mischievous, but at the same time wonderful sense of humour. Stanley’s initial astonishment

1 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061391/ [27.01.2017]2 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061391/trivia?tab=qt&ref_=tt_trv_qu [27.01.2017]

2

and slight distance towards the devil adds to the amusement of the scene. The devil appears to

be very outspoken, convincing and always prepared to answer back: “But suicide, Mr. Moon.

Really, really, really. That’s the last thing you should do”. Such tiny plays of words testify to

the devil’s high intelligence and sharp wit. It is also worth noticing that, while uttering these

words, he approaches Stanley and crosses his arms, which is a clear sign of his self-

confidence, bordering on slight arrogance and conceitedness. Doubtless, he acts in an

authoritarian way throughout the major part of the film. He guides Stanley and behaves as if

he were his mentor. For instance, when Stanley’s first wish turns into a nightmare, the devil

instructs him: “As far as sex is concerned, patience is a virtue”. He is also extremely well-

read and knowledgeable in all spheres of life, quoting Marcel Proust at will. And, what is in

accordance with the traditional representations of the devil, he is unbelievably sly. He knows

exactly how to approach Stanley and talk him into signing the contract. He begins by offering

help and when that does not help repetition, he resorts to a trick of mentioning million pounds

of Stanley’s predecessors, which has nothing at all to do with helping Stanley in the present

moment, but is a means of attracting his attention. He even leaves the room once, sure that

Stanley will ask him back, which is obviously the case.

The devil operates under many names. He has been dubbed “Prince of Darkness”,

“Beelzebub”, “Mephistopheles”, “The Horned One”. But in this film he is just George

Spiggott. The fact that the devil has a proper name and a surname is a factor which brings him

closer to ordinary human beings. Good Another such factor is his residence. He occupies a

flat in London, “The Rendezvous Club”. The sign before the entrance reads: “George Spiggott

– Proprietor – Licensed to Buy and Sell Spirits”. “Early Hitler”, this is how the devil

describes his clubroom, a place of his mischief. Situated in a depressed, run-down area of

London, here lies the devil’s den, which looks like a very ordinary place, but with very nasty

residents, seven deadly sins. They are human beings, but their image is exaggerated as they

incarnate the sin they represent. In this way, Vanity is portrayed as a man with a mirror

attached to his body, while Anger throws Stanley out of the house the first time he sees him.

Most surprisingly, George is not particularly fond of his employees. He despises them and

loudly complains about their vices: “What rotten sins I’ve got working for me. I suppose it’s

the wages”. When the devil cannot wake Sloth and Stanley asks if all his staff is like this, the

devil responds: “That’s the trouble. I can’t get any decent help these days. God’s laughing, of

course. All he has to do is raise his little finger and he’s got a thousand sycophantic, prissy

angels at his beck and call”. His statement signals that, deep down in his heart, George envies

God. He recognizes God’s power and is not happy to yield to it. At some point, in a scene

3

inside the van Stanley remarks: “I thought you were supposed to be his equal”, to which the

devil replies: “Huh! That’ll be the day”, which suggests that God is much higher above him in

hierarchy and George is aware of this fact. This is what Envy confirms: “He may think he’s

the cat’s whiskers, but there is one person who can run rings round him.”. It is God, of course.

Envy adds: “Old creepy drawers can’t hold a handle to him”. God is omnipresent, while

George is only “highly maneuverable”, which really irritates George and inspires him to

compose a funny rhyme about God: “He’s in the van. He’s in the can. He’s up the trees. He’s

in the breeze. He’s in your hair. He’s everywhere”. Behind this funny poem, however, is the

devil’s fury and bitterness. He accuses God of spying and peeping, both of which activities

have a very negative connotation identified with something illegal or rude. Then, he even

starts yelling at God, ordering him to leave the van while he changes. This is another scene

which is particularly funny, but also dramatic and of paramount importance as the devil is

exposed, vulnerable, showing his emotions, behaving as if he were a normal, ordinary human

being. When he pretends to be humble, he keeps his irony and venom: “Excuse me, Your

Ineffable Hugeness. I wonder if you’d be gracious enough to step outside for a moment while

we, miserable worms, get our drawers on”. The culminating point of this scene is when the

devil hits Stanley on his buttocks because, as he explains, he saw God “nestling” in his

trousers. It is virtually impossible not to laugh at this scene because the idea of God nestling

in one’s trousers is ridiculous, but surprisingly in accordance with the theory of his

omnipresence. Apart from that, what is most important is that the viewers may feel a real

sympathy for the devil and pity him a bit. One of the viewers of Bedazzled and a writer of a

blog wrote in a review of the film: “There’s “Sympathy for the Devil” in this film; God comes

off as sort of the villain of the piece, an omnipresent being who apparently can’t be bothered

with the mortals he took time to create (…)”3. And the devil is observant enough to

mercilessly point this fact out to Stanley a few times in the film. Thus, one of the adjectives

that best describe George is: bitter. One may feel that the punishment the devil is forced to

suffer is too great and not bringing him permanent satisfaction. He resorts to a multitude of

different tricks he calls “just a bit of routine mischief”, such as mashing the bananas that

people would eat, tearing off pages of Agatha Christie’s novels or cutting out one of the

buttons in an off-the-peg shirt. Later on in the film, after each Stanley’s unsuccessful wish,

Stanley witnesses the tricks George plays on other people, such as giving drivers undeserved

fines or bringing a swarm of bees onto a group of children. George even seems to enjoy his

tricks for a moment because he often laughs when he sees their results. However, in the

3 http://thrillingdaysofyesteryear.blogspot.com/2014/06/1967-in-film-blogathon-bedazzled.html [27.01.2017]

4

second part of the film he confesses: “I’m so depressed. This job, it’s really getting me down”.

It is because God interferes with the devil’s plans and ruins what could be his success with the

help of “last-minute repentance”. “He’s a very destructive, unpredictable person”, George

complains. Besides, the devil’s mischief does not usually cause serious harm. It may be

therefore associated with naughty children who play tricks on each other, rather than a full-

scale, intentional action aimed at ruining people’s lives. For example, calling a woman in

order to get her out of her bathroom is not a tragedy, but just a tiny trick. Thus, it provokes

laughter and is a source of the viewers’ amusement rather than anger or irritation aimed at the

devil. Light, pleasant music which accompanies George’s tricks and his funny dialogues with

Stanley throughout the whole film create a positive, relaxed atmosphere, not the one that is

traditionally linked to the evil works of the devil. In fact, it is another factor that contributes to

the extraordinary nature of the devil in Bedazzled. He is very humane for a devil and his

wickedness is nowhere near as visible as in other works of art that depict the devil, such as

Goethe’s Faust. Very good

What is more, Bedazzled features a devil that is part of a larger system and not totally

independent. He works for God and, when Stanley protests at his wrongdoing, George

explains: “Banal as it may seem, Stanley, it is my job”. Therefore, it seems as if the works of

the devil were determined by the will of God and not, as it is often taken for granted, the

manifestation of his evil devilish nature. He explains that he works for God, that he is “a vital

part of his plan”, because in order for human beings to be happy, they need to freely choose

between the good and the evil and he provides them with the latter. Somehow, it appears, the

devil contributes to the order of the world as he plays a substantial role in its constant

development. This role is not necessarily detrimental to human beings because he is just

“giving them the chance to be happy”, to choose good rather than evil offered by the devil.

George elucidates this to Stanley while performing one of his tricks, namely encouraging bees

to attack a group of children and laughing out loud when he succeeds. Stanley, however, is not

fully convinced when he replies, outraged: “Oh, you rotten, nasty-minded troublemaker”.

Obviously, this dark side of George does not prevent Stanley from forging a friendship with

him. He soon learns that there is more to the devil than meets the eye when he starts talking

about religion and his relationship with God.

In the scene in which the devil gives some drivers fines and later sits on a letterbox, he

explains to Stanley how he ended up on Earth, playing tricks. He confesses: “It was pride that

got me into this”. Indeed, the devil in Bedazzled is proud and he manifests it on numerous

occasions. On one hand, he is sincere and able to notice his weakness, but on the other hand,

5

he often resorts to lies in order to manipulate his victims. His later words present his opinion

of heaven. Laughing and playing tricks, he admits that it was fun in heaven. “Very nice, really.

We used to sit around all day and adore him. Believe me, he was adorable. Just about the most

adorable thing you ever did see”. Then, having climbed on top of a letter box, he imitates God

on His throne. The scene is hilarious as George does not look like God at all, with long, red

socks and a police uniform. George asks Stanley to dance and praise him as if he were God,

which Stanley does, in the most clumsy way imaginable. George sits atop the letter box and

constitutes the dominant contrast of the scene. The camera is pretty far from George so that it

appears as if his throne of a letterbox was much higher than it really is. He is positioned in the

middle of the frame on top, which symbolizes power, authority and the central position of the

devil. In contrast, Stanley appears much smaller than George and he is in the bottom of the

scene, which implies his subordination and powerlessness. George’s raised hands and straight

back may signify the importance he assumes in imitating God. Surprisingly enough, one

colour stands out in this scene and this colour is red; the colour of the letterbox. In fact, any

other colour would be acceptable, but not red, which is associated with blood, violence and

the devil. It only strengthens the devil’s attributes and does not mirror God at all. George does

not do particularly well as God. Funny music in the background, which evokes a feeling of

the absurd, only confirms that.

When Stanley becomes bored and asks the devil to change places with him, George

responds that it is exactly how he felt and that God accused him of pride. He “flew into a

monumental rage, chucked me out of heaven, gave me this miserable job. Just ‘cause I wanted

to be loved”, George complains. “I had no idea. It’s a very sad story”, replies Stanley. God is

depicted in Bedazzled almost as a monster with no heart and no feeling whatsoever. And the

devil, in contrast, as his first victim. Such a portrayal allows the viewers to identify rather

with the devil than with God and it questions the basic, traditional differentiation between

6

good God and bad devil. What follows is that the viewers of the film are allowed a fresh new

insight into the person of the devil, seen not necessarily as the root of evil, but as a poor little

prankster who became a prankster rep due to a misunderstanding and injustice on God’s part.

This does not mean that the devil is inherently good and flawless as he is proud, cunning and

full of irritation at God, but he may be forgiven. This film offers a new perspective on the

God-devil dilemma and it shakes a deeply rooted belief of God’s infallibility and the devil’s

blame. Consequently, such a picture is completely unacceptable for devout Christians who

lack a proper sense of humour not sure what a proper sense of humour means. Perhaps they

lack distance and irony? and distance towards what they see or hear. They are bound to regard

it as blasphemous at the very least. So I guess they wouldn’t like Monty Python, would they?

Mikhail Bulgakov’s novel The Master and Margarita features a devil that, similarly to

the devil in Bedazzled, is not represented as a tyrant, but as a highly intelligent, well-read,

mind-reading man who is even able to show mercy at the end of the novel. It is worth pointing

out that the book by Bulgakov was published at a very similar time in which Bedazzled was

released: around 1966-1967. There are a few striking similarities between the two devils, but

they are a world away from each other in one respect. Namely, there is a feeling that the devil

in Bedazzled is not free, but bound and crushed by God’s will, whereas the majority of other

representations of the devil, including the one in The Master and Margarita, do not include

this aspect at all. interesting

For instance, the devil in Bedazzled cannot stop his tricks: “It’s a compulsion! I’m

compelled to. His orders.”. Thus, God is made responsible for the devil’s wickedness. This is

another reason for compassion towards the devil, hard to swallow for some and extremely

funny for others. The outcome of this conversation on religion between George and Stanley is

that when George plays another trick, Stanley’s first reaction is laughing together with the

devil. It is only after a few seconds that Stanley gets back to his normal self and says: “Here,

that’s terrible”. However, something has changed in Stanley and he sees the devil in a new,

definitely more humane and friendly light. It arouses his curiosity and he keeps asking George

questions about God. What colour is he? What is he like? Is he English? George replies with

his sharp wit: “Oh, yes. Very upper-class”. Then, they keep on joking about Jesus and Stanley

breaks in with his own funny remarks.

The description of the devil would be incomplete without mentioning his relationship

with Stanley. It seems that from the very beginning the devil treats Stanley as a possible

object of the deal, at the result of which Stanley gets seven wishes for the price of his soul.

George wants Stanley’s soul for his collection. He has made a deal with God that whoever of

7

themir two reaches a hundred billion souls first, is the winner. If the devil succeeds, he will

return to God and stay in heaven. He says: “Oh, when I’ve won, the world would be in such a

rotten, stinking mess that it can get on without me”. He adds, imagining the situation: “I’ll go

back to heaven, sit on God’s right hand and be his favourite angel again”. One can get the

impression that he actually hopes he will get back to heaven and this is why he is so

determined to collect as many souls as possible. For the devil, it seems, this job is a means to

an end and this end justifies the means. In other words, George is ready to resort to trickery

and dishonesty in order to get what he wants, which is exactly how he behaves towards

Stanley. Having aimed a tempting target and knowing all Stanley’s weaknesses, he promises

him the woman he has a craving for, Margaret Spencer. Although initially reluctant, Stanley

eventually is talked into signing the contract with the devil, not fully aware of its

consequences. Actually, George takes Stanley for a ride as he constantly plays with him, ruins

all his wishes and proves much too clever for him. He deceives Stanley on numerous

occasions, claiming to like him and offering his help, but deep down in his heart planning

how to get Stanley’s soul. After all, he is the devil. His behaviour is no real surprise. However,

Stanley seems to be completely oblivious of the devil’s true intentions and soon gets to like

him. The scene in George’s house when Vanity collapses and the devil offers Stanley his bed

is another stage in the development of their friendship. Stanley begins to call the devil

“George” and is definitely grateful for his attention. Allowed to sleep in the devil’s bed, he

says: “You’re really the first person who’s ever taken the trouble to talk to me. I like you

(…)”. If it had not been for the devil’s “doing these terrible things”, Stanley would have

definitely taken to George much sooner. He keeps his distance, though, as his major goal is

winning the love of Margaret, which is not nearly as easy a task as he previously thought.

Interestingly enough, when he is deceived by the devil twice in his last wish and ends up as a

nun, he still has a very good opinion about George. “He’s the devil. We’re very good friends.

He’s not so bad when you understand his problems”, he explains to Margaret, the nun. When

he finds the devil and learns about the fact that he does not have any more wishes, he

threatens to kill himself, but is not particularly angry at the devil. “I hope you get back in”, he

tells the devil when he bids him goodbye before his encounter with God. “I’ll rather miss

you”. These words may come as a shock to anyone who has seen Stanley tricked so many

times before by the devil. And here he is, doomed for eternity as a nun, smiling to the devil as

if he were his ally, grateful for his attention. In fact, Stanley is a character that can be easily

identified with by a lot of people. He represents all those who are lost in their lives, in one

way or another, striving for ephemeral things which will not give them happiness, forgetting

8

that the only way possible for a human being to be happy is to accept himself or herself as

they really are. Without pretending they are someone else or constantly dreaming about being

someone else. There are thousands of people who struggle with inertia and a loss of all

meaning in their lives, perhaps now more than at any other period in the past, due to

technological progress, fast speed of life and an oppressive, ubiquitous feeling of loneliness.

Therefore, if what Stanley represents is familiar to the present generation, the present

generation may identify with this character and absorb, as it were, his system of values, his

problems, his dreams and his constant fight for a woman he claims he loves. Make all these

things personal. What follows is that if people identify with Stanley, they may instinctively

feel some slight sympathy for the devil, just as Stanley does. This sympathy is irrational and

not well-grounded, because few people enjoy being fooled all along, but it is still possible.

When the devil decides to give Stanley back his soul, boosting and calling it “a magnanimous

gesture”, Stanley’s sympathy can be easily accounted for: “I knew you weren’t all bad”. There

is still chance for me to lead a normal life and be myself again! Stanley does not seem to

understand that the devil behaves in such an honourable way just to establish his new image

in front of God as someone who did a good deed. Still, the viewers of Bedazzled may be

grateful for the devil for letting Stanley go. good

When the devil approaches God, he has not done away with his pride and

conceitedness. Try as he might, he is still arrogant, he jokes at St. Peter and is rude to him.

Even throwing filth on his head does not really help. When he enters the building in which he

is about to speak to God, he is pleasant, joyful and looks very hopeful. One can keep one’s

fingers crossed to see the devil accepted by God. The scene is weird due to God’s

representation as a reproaching, strict Voice and the devil’s obedience. The music has

changed, too: it is much slower and much more serious, which encourages reflection. George

comments: “Just take a look at the world. It’s never been in such a mess. I’ve done a

wonderful job”. However, he is dismissed as he did not show selflessness in giving back

Stanley’s soul. He really wants to correct his mistake and come back in a moment, ready to

face God one more time. He does evoke pity as his obvious efforts can be easily seen and

appreciated. The viewers of the film may feel inclined to anticipate the happy ending both for

Stanley and George, but, alas, Stanley has already burnt his contract, not trusting the devil

again. The devil’s determination is in vain, Stanley disappears and George is left with nothing

and has to start his work from scratch. “His old friend”, Stanley, has tricked George just as

George had tricked Stanley several times before. It definitely serves George right, but there is

an underlying sadness and pity for the fate of the devil who is a mere employer of God.

9

Stanley declines another George’s offer back in the restaurant he works in as he has grown

wiser and wants to try his luck with Margaret “his way”. That leaves the devil eventually

defeated, shaking with rage and witnessing God’s laughter as he must continue his job on

Earth. “I’ll cover the world in Tastee-Freez and Wimpy Burgers. I’ll fill it full of concrete

runways, motorways (…). I’ll make it so noisy and disgusting that even you’ll be ashamed of

yourself”, he threatens God. And he keeps his promise, which is evident judging by the state

of the modern world. But has he been ever allowed to enter heaven and stop his wrongdoing?

Not at all. It appears, therefore, that he has fallen victim to God’s trickery and has been

manipulated right from the beginning, which puts him in a yet different light. Certainly, there

is more to the devil than meets the eye.

The above analysis indicates a truly complex and unusual nature of the devil featured

in Bedazzled. It seems that, in some respects, he is depicted in a similar way to other

representations of the devil: he is equipped with supernatural powers, can read minds and

travel fast, is highly educated, proud and malicious. However, this is not the end of the story.

George Spiggott, the devil, works for his much highly situated and respected employer, God,

who shows no mercy for him and sentences him for eternal wrongdoing on Earth. The life of

the devil is doomed to failure as he will probably never return to be God’s right hand, which is

his dream. In consequence, such devil evokes a feeling of pity and compassion. What is more,

he is determined to do evil on Earth, but his deeds often turn out to be good. This is in

accordance with Goethe’s words about the devil in Faust: I am “part of the Power that would

always wish Evil, and always works the Good4”. Without George’s help, Stanley would

continue his miserable life or kill himself in some other way. Thus, it seems that it is not so

bad to meet the devil of Bedazzled as he can change your life for the better.

This is a very good piece of writing and analysis. Original, with good argumentation and,

what is more, your written English reads very smoothly and naturally. I’ve read about 20

essays so far and yours clearly stands out for its language and for its ideas.

Grade for essay: 5

Well done and keep up the good work!

References:

http://www.imdb.com

http://www.iowagrandmaster.org

http://thrillingdaysofyesteryear.blogspot.com

4 http://www.iowagrandmaster.org/Books%20in%20pdf/Faust.pdf, page 56. [27.01.2017]

10