| The Devil | |
| Director: | James Young |
| Producer: | Associated Distributors Incorporated Harry Leonhardt Andrew J. Callaghan |
| Based On: | play The Devil by Ferenc Molnár[1] |
| Cinematography: | Harry Fischbeck |
| Studio: | Pathé Exchange |
| Distributor: | Associated Exhibitors |
| Runtime: | 60 minutes[2] |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | Silent (English intertitles) |
The Devil is a surviving 1921 silent drama film directed by James Young and starring stage actor George Arliss in a film version of his 1908 Broadway success of Ferenc Molnár's play, The Devil (aka Az ordog) [1].[2] [3] Long thought to be a lost film, a print was discovered in the 1990s and restored by the Library of Congress.
This was George Arliss' first film following a successful career on Broadway. Arliss' wife Florence Arliss co-starred with him in the film, and continued to do so until he died in 1946. Director Young was silent screen star Clara Kimball Young's ex-husband. Future Oscar-winner Fredric March had an uncredited bit part in the film.[2]
The Devil, in the guise of a human named Dr. Muller (Arliss), meets a young couple (Marie and her fiance Georges) who remark upon looking at a Renaissance painting of a martyr that Evil could never triumph over Good. The Devil, taking this as a challenge, decides to bring about the couple's downfall. In the end, Marie resorts to the power of prayer and a shining crucifix appears that causes the Devil to disappear in a burst of flames.
A copy of The Devil is preserved in the Library of Congress collection and the Archives Du Film Du CNC, Bois d'Arcy.[4] [5]