The film was shot in 1999 and is based on the book written by Arturo Perez-Reverte “The Club Dumas”. The main theme of the film is the search of material and spiritual power. But it depends on the person what he will find in the end of the journey – enlightenment or death. Both Corso and Balkan are on the journey which will end for them differently.
One of the issues of the book is the conflict between knowledge which contains in the book and just a simple text. Dean Corso is a book dealer who buys and sells very rare books. But he makes it only for the material purposes. He gets quite big sums of money for his business. He is very clever person. But his faith is weak. At the beginning of the film, Boris Balkan asks Corso if he believes in supernatural, Corso answers that he believes only in his money that he gets for his job.
Boris Balkan is a famous businessman and collector of the rare books dedicated only to one theme – Devil. He believes that Devil exists and pursues one aim. He wants to get the power of Lucifer. Balkan has a copy of a very rare book. The book was about Devil, and its author was burned by the Holy Inquisition. There are three copies of the book. Balkan asks Corso to identify which copy is original. The original gives the power to call Satan.
While working on the books, Corso overcomes lots perils and saves his life. His searches bring him to the old castle where he finds Bolkan performing a ritual of calling Devil. In the end, both Bolkan and Corso face their destiny. Bolkan craved the forbidden knowledge. He wanted to get the power of Lucifer. But he was punished for his desire and burnt in the fire. He forgets that he is only a human and does not have neither the power nor the right to ask for this. He does not draw the line. Nothing can stop Bolkan from fulfilling his desire.
Dean Corso got the enlightenment at the end. He understands that supernatural things exist in the world near people. But compared with Bolkan, he knows when to stop. He understands that knowledge is real precious. People can even kill to get the information they need. From now on, Corso knows that book is not only the letters printed on the pages, but knowledge which is more precious than money.
The one who helps Corso in his work is the girl known as Green Eyes. When she appears, it seems that she is the guardian angel of Corso. She rescues him from different perils. But in the end it appears that she has a double role. In reality, she is a fallen angel and seduces Corso. In the Bible, this image is known as the whore of Babylon. This image is associated with downfall and antichrist. The original picture of the book represents the castle in the sunlight. And the wrong picture depicts castle in fire. This means that deceived with burn in fire. The man pure heart will overcome the last temptation will get enlightenment. Bolkan burnt in the fire for his desires. If or not Corso got enlightenment remains a riddle.