The Devil’s Eye

The Devil’s Eye

Year: 1960

Runtime: 87 mins

Language: Swedish

Director: Ingmar Bergman

DramaComedyFantasy

The devil, afflicted by a stye caused by a vicar’s pure daughter, dispatches Don Juan from hell to seduce 20‑year‑old Britt‑Marie and strip her of virginity and faith in love. Britt‑Marie withstands his advances, and unexpectedly Don Juan falls genuinely in love with her. His newfound feelings make him unattractive to her, and he is forced to return to hell.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline & Setting – The Devil’s Eye (1960)

Explore the full timeline and setting of The Devil’s Eye (1960). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Location

Earth, Vicar's House

Earth serves as the backdrop for a story that blends sacred life with fantastical meddling. The vicar's house becomes the central stage where piety, domestic life, and supernatural schemes collide. The setting grounds the mythic wager in a recognizable rural atmosphere, highlighting the tension between faith and desire.

🌍 Earth 🏠 Vicar's House

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 14:52

Main Characters – The Devil’s Eye (1960)

Meet the key characters of The Devil’s Eye (1960), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Britt-Marie (Bibi Andersson)

Daughter of a vicar, twenty and a virgin whose chastity is central to the plot. She becomes the target of Don Juan's seduction, tested by supernatural forces. Her choices, steadfastness, and eventual marriage to Jonas shape the story's moral arc.

🎭 Female lead 🌟 Virtue 🕊️ Innocence

Don Juan (Jarl Kulle)

A legendary seducer who travels to Earth to win Britt-Marie, constrained by Satan's punishment. He experiences genuine emotion, ultimately falling in love and failing to seduce her. His arc shifts from conquest to reluctant surrender and departure back to Hell.

🎭 Romantic lead 🗡️ Trickster

The Ear Demon (Allan Edwall)

A demon who follows Don Juan and Pablo, stoking jealousy and mischief while preventing others from freely enjoying themselves. He embodies the scheme that tests relationships and highlights the fragility of mortal virtue.

👹 Trickster 🌀 Manipulator

Pablo (Sture Lagerwall)

Don Juan's servant who becomes enamoured with Renata, drawn into the demon's schemes. His affections reveal how desire can complicate loyalty and family bonds.

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Complicated desire 💘 Infatuation

Renata (Gertrud Fridh)

Wife of the vicar who becomes entangled with Pablo due to the demon's manipulation. Her actions trigger misunderstandings that reverberate through the vicar's household.

💑 Infidelity 🕊️ Temptation

The Vicar (Nils Poppe)

A happy, gullible man who hosts Don Juan, Pablo, and Britt-Marie. He tries to manage the turmoil with practical measures—like using a key to discipline the demon—and he worries about his daughter's chastity.

👨‍👧 Family 🏡 Domestic life

Jonas (Axel Düberg)

Britt-Marie's fiancé; His relationship with Britt-Marie becomes strained as jealousy and manipulation enter the story, culminating in his leaving and the couple's future uncertain.

💑 Engagement 🔥 Tension

Satan (Stig Järrel)

The cosmic catalyst behind the wager on Britt-Marie's chastity. He experiences both frustration and eventual mercy as the human lie alters the outcome of the eye's punishment.

😈 Cosmic antagonist 🌀 Fate

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 14:52

Major Themes – The Devil’s Eye (1960)

Explore the central themes of The Devil’s Eye (1960), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

💋 Seduction

Don Juan's mission to seduce Britt-Marie sets up a clash between desire and virtue. Britt-Marie's virginity is treated as a moral stake that even a legendary seducer cannot win. The demon and Satan manipulate circumstances to provoke desire, exposing human vulnerability. When Don Juan genuinely falls in love, the usual conquest fantasy is rewritten by authentic emotion rather than victory.

🗝️ Secrets and deception

Deceptions ripple through the vicar's household as the demon stirs rumors and manipulates events. The vicar's key becomes a symbol of control, used to lock the demon away in the cupboard. Renata's actions, stirred by deception, ignite misunderstandings that test Britt-Marie and Jonas. Britt-Marie's later denial of a past kiss becomes a pivotal move in the plot's shifting balance of truth.

⚖️ Punishment and mercy

Satan's eye pain frames the wager as a cosmic test of virtue against temptation. The seduction plot carries the threat of a dreamless sleep and poetic justice imposed by the demon. Britt-Marie's final lie—claims of never kissing another man—heals Satan's eye, granting a mercy that reframes punishment as something mercy can soften. The ending suggests love and truth can redeem even a supernatural scheme.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 14:52

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Movies about supernatural bargains like The Devil’s Eye

Stories where characters are tempted by cosmic powers for a price.If you enjoyed the celestial temptation and manipulation in The Devil’s Eye, you'll find similar stories here. This collection features films about deals with the devil, supernatural seductions, and the moral dilemmas that arise when human lives intersect with dark, mythic forces.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative typically involves an otherworldly agent, like a demon or fate itself, intervening in human affairs with a specific goal. A mortal character becomes the target of a supernatural scheme, leading to a battle of wits and will. The arc often explores the corruption of innocence, the nature of temptation, and whether genuine human emotion can subvert even the most diabolical plans.

Why These Movies?

These films are grouped together for their shared focus on the trope of a supernatural bargain or temptation. They blend fantasy elements with deep moral and psychological conflicts, creating a unique tension between the cosmic and the personal. The tone is often darkly ironic, examining the high stakes of celestial wagers.

Bittersweet fantasy romance movies like The Devil’s Eye

Fantastical love stories where affection blooms in unexpected, often ironic, ways.For viewers who liked the ironic and tender love story in The Devil’s Eye, this section highlights similar films. Discover fantasy romances where love emerges from unlikely scenarios, challenging characters' beliefs and leading to emotionally complex, bittersweet conclusions.

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Narrative Summary

The plot often begins with a cynical or manipulative premise for a relationship, set within a fantastical world. Through the course of the story, genuine feelings unexpectedly develop, contradicting the original intent. This creates a central irony that drives the emotional core, culminating in an ending that acknowledges the transformative power of love while accepting its painful limitations or consequences.

Why These Movies?

These movies share a specific emotional blend: the whimsy and possibility of fantasy combined with the mature resonance of a bittersweet romance. They are united by a tone that is darkly comedic yet genuinely heartfelt, exploring how love can be both a redemption and a complication within extraordinary circumstances.

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The Devil’s Eye Summary

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The Devil’s Eye Summary

The Devil’s Eye Timeline

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The Devil’s Eye Timeline

The Devil’s Eye Spoiler-Free Summary

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The Devil’s Eye Spoiler-Free Summary

More About The Devil’s Eye

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