[Salvation]

**Again, the devil and other angels can't be classified by us mortal men (and women ;-P) as male/female. I think in the movie, though he uses an actress, the figure is not quite male or female, something weird -- I think that's what Mel wanted to potray -- the devil as being something familiar, yet so differnt, so alien that it gives you the shivers, a travesty of reality to wit.**

Siobhan answered this in another thread and I will attempt to paraphrase.

The devil can take on anyone's/anything's form in order to serve his purpose. In the movie Mel Gibson had the devil morph the Blessed Virgin Mary (in black -- all in mockery). Even the ugly baby-who looks like the scourgers-is a mockery of Our Blessed Mother and the Christ Child.

Pinging Siobhan for further clarification. But basically Gibson wanted to portray the devil in direct opposition to Mary the Mother of God.

PS. I didn't figure it all out until I saw her post, so don't feel bad here. (very subtle on Gibson's part)

[Siobhan]

Mel uses a female actress but he shaves off her hair eyebrows and eyelashes. He dubs over a man's voice. He wanted the Enemy to appear at first alluring, to draw one's interest but then to repulse.

Gibson wanted to show that satan cannot create, has never had an original idea, can only parody and ape God and God's work. So throughout this film we actually see satan in drag so to speak. satan is apeing Mary. In the Garden of Gethsemane the image from western iconography is a negative parody of "Our Lady of Grace". At first one might think "Our Lady of Sorrows" or perhaps a monk, or another apostle ... it is an arresting and confusing scene. But in the typology of the film with regard to Gibson's treatment., satan is this antitype of "Our Lady of Grace" -- Jesus Mother dressed in white radiantly triumphant in her Son's triumph and Grace, her foot crushing the serpent's head.

In this opening scene however, satan stands having told Jesus he can't succeed, he can't, he can't, he can't. satan is dressed in black not white, and instead of the snake being crushed under foot, the snake slithers out from between satan's "feet."

The genius then comes with Jesus crushing the serpent's head so that the prophecy of the Garden of Eden is joined to the Garden of Gethsemane -- just brilliant on Mel's part.

satan continues to appear in drag to mock Mary -- but the very striking image comes during the Scourgin of Christ at the pillar. The type of image seems to be a Madonna and Child image -- it reminded me of the Madonna of the Streets image -- and clearly satan is mocking Mary and Jesus by revealing the horror that satan was bringing forth out of humanity even as Mary had brought forth Jesus out of humanity.

Well, I could go on, but I think that puts it into perspective from this point of view. satan apes God, hates "Woman", goes about in drag, and is utterly defeated by the Woman's Son upon the Cross.