The point of the Devil being located in the time of legends - Time Bandits (1981) Discussion

No. It wasn't commenting on that at all. Anyone who thinks so is seeing things in the movie that aren't there.

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[–] grazatt 10 years ago

So why was Satan in the time of Legends?

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The actor who plays Kevin mentions on the DVD audio commentary that after the invisible barrier sequence, they enter 'yet another world, which is the fortress itself'. There is nothing specific linking the Time of Legends with the fortress.
It continues the set-up of the film that the fabric of the universe is far from perfect, so there are holes everywhere. So they smash through the invisible barrier and get through to the fortress because the universe wasn't built & finished properly.

One of the main themes that IS intended in the film (again because Terry Gilliam says this on the audio commentary) is the shallow nature of people's dreams. Kevin's parents are closed-minded materialists whos highest hopes is to get a new kitchen.

Kevin reads and through books he gets to know about history and myths and fantastic places. Gilliam mentions that in a way the kid is the oldest member of his family and certainly the wisest. All his parents aspire to is nothing more than getting more material things and watching TV.

If anything a broad view of the story could be seen as a negative view on the futile nature of consumerism.

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[–] billumberg 10 years ago

If you assume that the devil was located in the time of legends, then it would seem to follow that he himself was a legend.

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[–] grazatt 9 years ago

That is an interesting point. Could that be what the director meant?

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[–] misscastaway 9 years ago

Maybe it was saying the Devil had more influence in those times, whereas now the biggest religion is Consumerism.

"He's making it up as he goes along!"

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[–] pyrrhus819 9 years ago

I think it's to show the age of the devil, that evil is ancient and has been around since the days before history.

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[–] lantzn 9 years ago

That's how I viewed it when I saw the film in theaters the first time.

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[–] Laserseightoclockdayone 8 years ago

He's not Satan; he's Evil. Not the 'adversary', just another one of the Supreme Being's toys.

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[–] holtor 8 years ago

In any monotheistic religion, there is no "adversary" to god. By definition, everything is created by that one god on purpose, and in particular there cannot exist a fight of good vs. evil. That is demonstrated in the movie where Evil believes in Dualism when he claims that he created himself etc. and believes himself to be in a battle with the Supreme Being, while the ending makes the real circumstances more than clear.

Most christians believe in monotheism, but there have always been dualistic heretic sects and many american protestants appear to embrace Dualism.

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[–] Laserseightoclockdayone 8 years ago

In the context of the film, I believe we're in agreement.

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[–] SpaceMountainMike 8 years ago

Many christians believe in the Devil and I think it's to explain why there is so much evil in the world.

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[–] holtor 8 years ago

I do not think you understood what I wrote. The difference between monotheism and dualism is not whether there is a devil. The difference is the relation of this devil to god.

In monotheism, god is the only creator and typically he is almighty, all-knowing, all-foreseeing. Thus he created the devil on purpose, if there is one. Everything the devil does is intended by god, albeit the devil might not be aware of this. The devil is one of his tools. This point of view is explained at the end in the movie, when the Supreme Being shows up. I recommend "Murder Mysteries" by Neil Gaiman as another excellent fictionalization of this idea.

In dualism, the devil is an adversary and an antagonist to god. Thus god cannot be almighty, otherwise he would simply finish the devil or render him harmless. Furthermore, either he is not all-knowing, otherwise he would not have created the devil, or he did not create the devil himself. In the latter case there are thus parts of the world not created by that god, and thus there are other gods. One could be the devil. This is what Evil believes throughout this movie.

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[–] movonupnow 8 years ago

1st. the film never calls him "the Devil", only "Evil"

Our entire universe is a fabric of Good & Evil. If you remove all religions, humans still have to deal with good and evil in everyday life.

All religions do their best to explain (so we can deal with it) our lives and show us the way to choose good over evil. It's pretty much that simple. One thing this film doesn't truly clarify (thankfully) is this a Christian understanding of our world. That is left up to the ego of the individual.

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