The Devils (1971) (Ken Russell) Discussion Thread

[The Reaper Man@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by The Limey

Mark Kermode's take:

Good points Marky Mark.
Good points.

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

When it comes to films like The Wicker Man, The Exorcist, The Devils, Crash and Possession, Kermode really knows his stuff as he has written about them, championed them and railed against those who would rather they not see the light of day (or the dark inside of a cinema).

[The Reaper Man@Cult Labs]

[The Reaper Man@Cult Labs]

Just preordered the fantastic BFI disc.

I'll then be the proud owner of four Devils discs!

[Michael Brooke]

Originally Posted by Culture Vulture

I remember watching it on television as a kid (I'm 32) and it contained the nuns orgy scene.... is this the scene that everyone is saying was never in the film? If so I'm a tad confused...

The scene that was thought lost until the early 2000s was the "rape of Christ" scene, a two-minute continuation of the existing orgy scene involving the nuns tearing down a statue of the crucified Christ and treating it with a certain lack of due respect.

So you would have seen orgiastic revelry involving nuns... but not that.

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Is it too late for the DVD or packaging to mention a tribute to Ken Russell and be adapted to reflect his passing?

[Michael Brooke]

Originally Posted by Nosferatu@Cult Labs

Is it too late for the DVD or packaging to mention a tribute to Ken Russell and be adapted to reflect his passing?

It's not out for another three months, so I assume it's entirely feasible.

[Wes]

I'm not sure if the death of Ken Russell will affect any change at Warners concerning The Devils. Was his death widely reported ? I didn't see any mention of it on TV, I suppose the death of Gary Speed overshadowed it...

It would be nice if BBC4 gave those old Monitor episodes an airing, or the 1970 film Dance of the Seven Veils. I'm glad I picked up the BFI Elgar and Song of Summer DVDs when they were easily available...

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Michael Brooke

It's not out for another three months, so I assume it's entirely feasible.

That's great to hear it would be great if the DVD was dedicated to Ken Russell, perhaps with a retrospective essay or overview of his career.

[Michael Brooke]

Originally Posted by Wes

I'm not sure if the death of Ken Russell will affect any change at Warners concerning The Devils. Was his death widely reported ? I didn't see any mention of it on TV, I suppose the death of Gary Speed overshadowed it...

Russell's death got tons of coverage - obits on the BBC and Channel 4 News (I daresay ITN too, but I didn't watch that) plus lengthy eulogies in the press. Just to give two examples at either end of the spectrum, go to guardian.co.uk and mirror.co.uk and do a search for 'Ken Russell' on each, and you'll find multiple articles. (Sorry, I'm still too much of a newbie to be trusted with posting my own links)

Granted, I was specifically looking out for coverage, but it would have been quite an impressive achievement to have failed to spot any.

It would be nice if BBC4 gave those old Monitor episodes an airing, or the 1970 film Dance of the Seven Veils.

It would be very nice indeed, and since I've been banging that particular drum for several years now, you can imagine how thrilled I was when the Guardian ran a leading article yesterday (a proper one, on the main editorial page) calling for just that.

However, Dance of the Seven Veils is still technically banned until New Year's Day 2020, unless Richard Strauss's family changes its collective mind - which, given what the film says about their distinguished ancestor, is a tad unlikely. There's a lousy print on YouTube, though.