A Devil by Any Other Name

Surfing the web, I found this delightful list of the top ten depictions of Satan in movies from the website Listverse.

http://listverse.com/2008/05/16/top-10-depictions-of-satan-in-movies/

Going through the numbers, I can't help but think of how this list is a wonderful summary of the class materials so far. With only one more week to go, I find it fascinating that so much ground has been covered that I can look at a list such as this and point to a particular historical period, document or philosophy that informs a certain depiction.

For example, #9 on the list is straight-up Book of Job Satan, while the #5 entry is the classical big-red and horned devil from Tim Curry. Of course, the South Park devil is mentioned (furthering some of the Romantics' philosophy about humanizing and glorifying Satan's human characteristics), as well as the Robot Devil from Futurama (one of my personal favorites.)

In addition to some of these, I find it interesting that some of these depictions involve women and children. This was a question that I thought of a few times during the class: With women being persecuted with such ferocity during the ages, why isn't it common to see Satan as a woman? Granted, there are a few exceptions (Morgan LeFey, Lilith), but it seems as if they are more in service to the Devil rather than the actual thing. Perhaps as time goes on, depicting Satan as a female will grow in use.

Overall, I found this quick list a wonderful way to begin to wrap up our class going into the final week. Look at the variety! There are far more versions of the Devil than versions of God in the media. After this class, I feel that due to the habit that societies have with scapegoating and eventually challenging authority, these vastly different interpretations of the Devil are natural.

Anyway, the Devil is far more interesting in his depiction in movies. There are like what, TWO different types of Gods possible in comparison? Morgan Freeman and a big white dude with a beard don't really trump the variety of an Al Pacino Devil.