02 - “The World, The Flesh, and the Devil” (1959)

SCREENING QUESTIONS

PRE-SCREENING BACKGROUND QUESTIONS (CONTEXT EXPLORATION)

  1.  Briefly describe what your expectations for the film were?

    Having never seen writer-director Ranald MacDougall’s 1959 film, THE WORLD, THE FLESH, AND THE DEVIL, my expectations for the film were rooted in seeing how a film about a post-apocalyptic world would explore the possible sense of loneliness and depression that could emerge for individuals facing those circumstances in a city devoid of humanity.

  2. What did you already know about the film and from what source?

Thanks to the short time I attended a private Christian Academy during my high school days, I was broadly familiar with the phrase that forms this film’s title, THE WORLD, THE FLESH, AND THE DEVIL. Specifically, the phrase is grounded in Christian theology and is used to describe the three main sources of temptation and opposition to a righteous life. Chris Northcott, writing in a July 2023 entry for his blog on Christian Faith, Formation, and Practice called “The World, the Flesh, and the Devil’ and Christian Discipleship in Modern Society” describes ‘the World’ as representing the influence of global culture and worldly influences, values, and temptations that can lead people away from God (Northcott). In short, Northcott describes how this references the wider Western culture, alongside its assumptions, customs, goals, social habits, and taboos that are contrary to God’s kingdom (Northcott). Secondly, Northcott explains how ‘the Flesh’ represents the sinful desires and inclinations within human nature. He notes how our contemporary Western culture fails to look inward and resists the idea that there is ever anything wrong with human nature (Northcott). Third, ‘the Devil’ symbolizes the evil influence of Satan and his forces, actively working to tempt and deceive people. For Northcott, ‘the Devil’ represents Western contemporary opposition to the Spirit’s work in the world and in our lives (Northcott). Finally, Northcott calls on his Christian readers not to abandon these ideas and to remember the importance of considering what the tenants of ‘the World, the Flesh, and the Devil’ represents, when he notes how how : “The basic activities of Christian faith and formation include our confession of faith, reading of Scripture, prayer, sung worship, church gathering, acts of charity. (As such) It is worth considering how the World, the Flesh, the Devil undermine your participation and faithfulness in these things.” In short, it is the abandonment of these ideas that have led Christians to move towards blindly upholding the ideal that human nature is infallible and even superior to that of everything that is around mankind, including God. An abandonment of humility, if you will.

Works Cited

  • Northcott, Chris. “‘The World, the Flesh, and the Devil’ and Christian Discipleship in Modern Society.” CHRIS NORTHCOTT’s BLOG ON CHRISTIAN FAITH, FORMATION, & PRACTICE, 31 Jul 2023.