The devils is a 1971 british historical drama horror film directed by ken russell and starring oliver reed and vanessa redgrave. Reveals the worst of religion, government, and crowd mentality, a brilliant, hard to forget, film. Russell then made the boy friend 1971 and savage messiah 1972 before he again achieved a commercial. Originally released in 1971, it was treated like warner bros. In seventeenthcentury france, a promiscuous and divisive local priest, urbain grandier oliver reed, uses his powers to protect the city of loudun from destruction at the hands of the establishment. Even forty years later it has proved extraordinarily difficult to see. He followed it with the devils 1971, a film so provocative that the producers. Download vintage exploitation horror giallo scifi cat. When camus and i got to interview ken russell back in 2009, we briefly discussed the unavailability of the devils on dvd and russell laid the blame at the studios door. Buy the devils 1971 ken russells film of the devils the devils of loudun from amazons movies store.
Ken russell interview in 1971 on the making of the devils. For years, an uncut version of ken russell s delirious, provocative 1971 witchcraft drama the devils has been a movie lovers holy grail no pun intended on the level of orson welles unfinished later works. Rare unrated cut of controversial 1971 film the devils. Seeing ken russells the devils on the big screen feels like a minor miracle. David is joined by richard doyle, josh hornbeck, jon laubinger and brad mcdermott to. Ken russells widely banned the devils makes a surprise. In 17thcentury france, father urbain grandier seeks to protect the city of loudun from the corrupt establishment of cardinal richelieu. The film was shredded to pieces by censors, who removed several scenes, including one that russell himself referred to as the heart of the film.
The devils 1971 ken russell giallo, pinku, wip, rape and revenge, cat. For years, an uncut version of ken russells delirious, provocative 1971 witchcraft drama the devils has been a movie lovers holy grail no pun intended on the level of orson welles unfinished later works. The devils 1971 ken russells film of the devils the. The other films being kubricks a clockwork orange 1971 and the other, sam peckinpahs straw dogs 1971. Does anyone think criterion will ever release an uncut version of ken russells the devils. The devils 1971 ken russells film of the devils the devils of loudun nonusa format, pal, reg. Why ken russells crazy, sexy, heretical shocker is a masterpiece in raising hell. The film is a dramatised historical account of the rise and fall of urbain grandier, a 17thcentury roman catholic priest executed for witchcraft following the. Release the full directors cut of ken russells the devils. I was 19, and someone brought me a very bad quality vhs copy because they knew i liked extreme cinema. A union of church and state produces something that is neither, but far greater in both appetite and execution than either. In 1971, the late, great ken russells masterpiece the devils was released in a highly censored form. About power, corruption and political expediency in france as the church cardinal richelieu and crown louis xiii battle for power over the city of loudon, in france.
Alternatively, use the tick boxes to select only the releases you wish to view and then click apply filter. It is also known as the devils of loudon and the story was adpated from the aldous huxley book of that name. The controversial scene from ken russells the devils. The devils 1971, based on the aldous huxley novel the devils of loudon, aroused even more vehement criticism with its story of mass sexual hysteria in a convent. The devils 1971 directed by the british enfant terrible, ken russell, was one of a couple of controversial films to have been submitted and to have challenged the bbfc during the early 1970s. The devils 1971 directed by the british enfant terrible, ken russell, was one of a couple of controversial films to have been submitted and to have challenged. Considered by many to be ken russells best film and by others to be simply unwatchable, the devils is an undeniably powerful and unforgettable cinematic experience. The devils 1971 full movie 123movies free watch online with english subtitles,stream free the devils full movie online on marvel biggest movie. Well, cinematic miracles do happen, and the day after netflix announced it was restoring welles unfinished, largely unavailable film the other side of the wind, the devils has. The 1971 british theatrical cut of ken russells film the devils is getting a 2 disc dvd release by the bfi in march 2012.
But russell began questioning the religion more, and by the devils healthy scepticism has set in. Ken russells infamous, blasphemous, sexy religious horror reaches new audiences just in time to take on new meaning in the trump era. Russells screenplay is based partially on the 1952 book the devils of loudun by aldous huxley, and partially on the 1960 play the devils by john whiting, also based on huxleys book. Ken russell, back right, directs oliver reed and vanessa redgrave on the set of 1971s the devils. More than forty years after its release, ken russells film the devils has still not been given the home video release it deserves by warner bros. Alamy k en russells best work was done by the early 1970s. Ill never forgot the first time i saw the devils 1971, ken russells blasphemous masterpiece about a 17th century priest who is accused of possessing a convent full of nuns and is subsequently tortured and executed, despite his innocence. Criterion reflections episode 62 ken russells the devils. Devils the aka ken russells film of the devils 1971 hell holds no surprises for them. The film is a dramatised historical account of the rise and fall of urbain grandier, a 17thcentury roman catholic priest executed for witchcraft following the supposed possessions in loudun, france. Vanessa redgrave in ken russells sensational the devils.
The devils 1971 ken russells film of the devils the devils of. I wish the people who were horrified and appalled by it had read the book, because the bare facts are far more horrible than anything in the film. The devils 1971 full movie free watch online with english subtitles. All dogma contains within it necessarily its own blasphemy, all orthodoxy contains its heresies. The violent, sexual, and religious content of director ken russell s 1971 film the devils has long made it one of the most controversial horror movies of them all. Pekinpah straw dogs, pakula klute, kubrick clockwork orange, freidkin french connection, and all manner of other lesser directors were exploring the boundaries of what might be possible in film. The tales of hoffmanns kittens and other pet storys michael powell and. But warner owns the rights to it and for some reason they seem uninterested in letting it loose on digital disc. Henry kenneth alfred russell 3 july 1927 27 november 2011 was a british film director. Devils the aka ken russells film of the devils 1971. Soon, he stands accused of the demonic possession of sister jeanne vanessa redgrave, whose erotic obsession with him. Does anyone know where i could buy an uncensored, uncut version on. Ken russell today is not the mischievous maverick of forty years ago. Directed by ken russell 1971 united kingdom starring vanessa redgrave, oliver reed the most controversial film of the 1970s was banned across the world for its deliriously overheated, shockingly blasphemous tale of sexual frenzy and demonic possession in a.
At the time of its release, and later, the film has been regarded as. Rarely has so much anger and outrage been poured into a film or directed at a film by its detractors and rarely has a film offered so much to surely offend and shock so many. Ken russells film of the devils 1971 full download ken russell. Stream free the devils full movie online on 123movies. The devils 1971 ken russell the devils 1971 ken russell the devils is a film directed by ken russell and starring oliver reed and vanessa redgrave. The devils 1971 time out says russells overwrought adaptation of john whitings play and aldous huxleys book the devils of loudun, full of much spiritual and physical writhing, is best. Why ken russells the devils deserves divine resurrection. Ken russell and the unmaking of the devils, movie critic richard crouse argues that. When ken russell began production on the devils during the summer of 1970, he was fresh off the critical and commercial success of women. Aldous huxley wrote a book about it, and john whiting wrote a play about it, but only ken russell has made a movie about it.
Urban grandier has many lovers, but turns out to be a true believer and martyr in a corrupt world of politician priests. Through some miracle bfi was able to licence ken russells extremely controversial film the devils from warner bros. The devils aldous huxleys the devils of loudon filmed by russell in 1971. Perhaps even more importantly, one of his true masterpieces, 1971s the devils. The devils 1971 in 17thcentury france, father grandier oliver reed is a priest whose unorthodox views on sex and religion influence a passionate following of nuns, including the sexually. Though its not the nearcomplete reconstructed version from 2004, which included many sequences that were first cut out, the version we do get is probably the next best thing. At 10, he was evacuated from his native southampton, a dog tag around his neck, while the german bombs fell. Criterion reflections episode 62 ken russell s the devils. When ken russel made the devils, it seemed everyone in hollywood was trying to outdo each other in the sexandviolence department. For the first time ever, you can now stream the devils, the 1971 ken russell film that critic judith crist called a grand fiesta for sadists and perverts. Hysteria occurs within the city when he is accused of witchcraft by a sexually repressed nun. Russell described the devils as a harsh filmbut its a harsh subject matter. The devils 1971 looks at in graham greenes terminology a whisky priest a priest who sins.