You are here:

My Friend the Devil

Name: My Friend the Devil
Director: Harry F. Millarde
Released: 1922
Duration: 80 min

Representation Score

1.9/10

Minimal

1922

Passed

Director

Harry F. Millarde

Runtime

80 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

My Friend the Devil adheres to early 20th-century cinematic conventions, emphasizing patriarchal authority and religious morality. The narrative is driven by a male protagonist, George Dryden, whose spiritual crisis shapes the entire plot. Representation is limited and follows historical clichés. Women and characters with illnesses are used as tools to advance the male lead's character development, lacking independent roles or complex identities. The film upholds established social hierarchies without challenging them. Since the film is lost, visual diversity cannot be confirmed, but the narrative remains deeply rooted in conservative, Western, and traditional religious frameworks.

Watch this, not that →

Category Breakdown

Does My Friend the Devil have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film does not include any LGBTQ+ characters or non-straight relationships. The story revolves around traditional marriage and infidelity.

How does My Friend the Devil portray gender?

Limited

Female characters are portrayed as domestic and vulnerable. The wife's character is defined by infidelity and death, while the daughter lacks control over her own story, serving mainly as a catalyst for the male protagonist's journey.

How racially and ethnically diverse is My Friend the Devil?

Minimal

The narrative centers on Western social structures and traditional family dynamics. There is no indication of a diverse cast or ethnic perspectives.

How does My Friend the Devil represent religion and culture?

Minimal

The plot critiques secularism and concludes with a divine miracle that restores the protagonist's faith, reinforcing traditional religious authority.

Does My Friend the Devil include disability representation?

Limited

The daughter's emotional breakdown is used as a plot device for the male lead's spiritual transformation. Her illness serves as a tool for moral instruction rather than a character study.

Present on Screen

The film provides a rare, traditional look at an atheist protagonist during a time when religious norms were prevalent.

Limited or Absent

The narrative relies on outdated clichés, using female illness and domestic tragedy to drive the male lead's character development.
The story reinforces rigid gender hierarchies and traditional religious authority without presenting alternative viewpoints.
There is a complete lack of racial, ethnic, or LGBTQ+ diversity within the established plot.

Official Synopsis

George Dryden, an atheist since he saw his mother struck and killed by lightning as a kid, becomes a prominent surgeon and marries a woman who soon dies of heart disease. Years later, on his daughter's wedding day, he discovers that his wife had a serious love affair with an artist. Infuriated, he drives his daughter away. She becomes ill, suffering an emotional collapse. The doctor exhausts his knowledge trying to save her and finally, in desperation, he calls upon God. The girl is miraculously cured and George Dryden's faith is restored. A lost film.

How are these scores produced? →