Character Analysis: Satan

Character Analysis: Satan

By: Brian Cotnoir

     Hey everybody, today we’re going to talk about Satan!  Well...A Satan.   You see throughout the earliest days of filmmaking there have been multiple depictions of Satan in films.  And seeing as I do NOT want to spend all that time researching them all and compiling comparisons I’m only going to pick one depiction of Satan in films to write a Character Analysis on.  With that being said, here is my “Character Analysis” on Satan from the 1985 Stop Motion Film “The Adventures of Mark Twain”.

CHARACTER: Satan from “The Adventures of Mark Twain” (1985)

Satan meets his new "friends"

The film “The Adventures of Mark Twain” was a stop motion film created and released in 1985.  In a nutshell it’s Mark Twain riding a homemade zeppelin in hopes of meeting Haley's Comet.  He is accompanied on his journey but three of his literary creations, Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, and Becky Thatcher.  While journeying to the comet Mark Twain tells the children multiple stories (inspired by his own literary works).  Tom, Huck, and Becky enter the room of the “Mysterious Stranger” where they encounter a tall shape-shifting figure who introduces himself as an “Angel” named Satan.                 

What's with the mask, Satan?

     Satan has a number of different physical characteristics.  For one thing, he has no face, but rather he carries around a masquerade mask on a stick to talk and show facial expressions.  He has a number of different powers such as shape-shifting, the ability to disappear and reappear out of thin air and the ability create and destroy anything he wants.  At one point Huck Finn asks Satan, “Where’d you learn to do that trick?” Satan replies with “I didn’t learn it at all...it comes naturally to me, like other things”.  He then proceeds to show off his powers to the three characters.  He hands them some clay and instructs them to make some clay people for a sand castle he just created.  Tom, Huck, and Becky happily oblige and Satan brings the clay figures to life.  However, Satan becomes irritated when the clay figures begin to argue and sends down a lightning storm to destroy them all.  The kids are horrified and call Satan a murderer.  Satan claims “I cannot do wrong, because I don’t know what wrong is”.  Some of his more identifiable characteristics are a short temper, a God Complex (he believes can do no wrong), and the ability to create matter with no effort.

Satan's Appearance in the Film

THE ACTORS:

     Satan is unique because he is voiced by not one, but two voice actors.  Satan is voiced by Wilbur Vincent and Michele Mariana (who also voices Becky Thatcher).  What I really like about the decision to have two voice actors voice the same character is that it gives Satan a distinctive voice.  He doesn’t sound masculine or feminine.  Both actors are reading his lines and it had to be such a pain to get their voices to sync up perfectly. In other films we’ve seen depictions of Satan where he has a deep, intimidating voice or a voice that makes him sound more creature-like than man-like.  Satan in “The Adventures of Mark Twain” sounds more human by having a man and woman voice him, but at the same time adds a great deal of mystery and fear to his character.

CHARACTER IS SIMILAR TO OR INSPIRED BY:

Satan is the antagonist from the Mark Twain story The Mysterious Stranger, which is set in the Austrian countryside in the 16 century.  It was the last story that Mark Twain ever wrote, and it is a fantastic read if you ever get a chance to read it.  The Satan in the story is said to be a handsome Teenage Boy and the nephew of the fallen angel Satan.  As opposed to the Satan in the film version which is shown as being more androgynous without any real distinguishable gender characteristics. Satan in both the story and film seduce the people they meet with their magic and then use it torment them and instill fear into their souls.  I like how Satan is modeled differently than other film versions of other Satan’s, he’s not red, he does not have horns sticking out his heads, he does not have black eyes, he’s just unlike any other version and I think that’s what makes him the most unique depiction of Satan in any film.

THE FATE OF THE CHARACTER:

     After Satan scares off Tom, Huck, and Becky is left alone once again, to lament all that has happened and all that he is done and he finishes off his brief appearance in the film with a dramatic soliloquy from the short story.