The Devils (1971) (Ken Russell) Discussion Thread

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by gasteropod

The superb Mondo Vision plan to release it sometime in the future, it's probably going to be a while yet, but it'll be worth it!

Thanks for letting me know. I'll keep an eye on their twitter feed.

[The Reaper Man@Cult Labs]

Alan Frank was mentioned on the Hammer thread.....
I sometimes wonder about him.
I'm sure it was The Devils that he actually congratulated the bbfc on taking 'Their trusty scissors' to the film......


Just shows what a hot potato it was in the seventies.

[Michael Brooke]

Originally Posted by Reaper@Cult Labs

Alan Frank was mentioned on the Hammer thread.....
I sometimes wonder about him.
I'm sure it was The Devils that he actually congratulated the bbfc on taking 'Their trusty scissors' to the film......


Just shows what a hot potato it was in the seventies.

A great many British critics - possibly even the majority - flat-out loathed The Devils when it was originally released.

Ken Russell had been something of a critical darling up to early 1970, but the one-two punch of Dance of the Seven Veils (on telly) and The Music Lovers (in the cinema) turned a lot of people off, and The Devils was really extreme for the time - at least as far as a biggish-budget major-studio-funded film was concerned. So it became a political football even before it was released, and a lot of the coverage at the time was more about that than it was about the film's actual content.

[hallo37]

Originally Posted by Michael Brooke

A great many British critics - possibly even the majority - flat-out loathed The Devils when it was originally released.

Ken Russell had been something of a critical darling up to early 1970, but the one-two punch of Dance of the Seven Veils (on telly) and The Music Lovers (in the cinema) turned a lot of people off, and The Devils was really extreme for the time - at least as far as a biggish-budget major-studio-funded film was concerned. So it became a political football even before it was released, and a lot of the coverage at the time was more about that than it was about the film's actual content.

Nothing seems to change then. I can understand the rape of christ scene being unacceptable at the time though. Its a pity the powers that be still see it that way.

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Michael Brooke

A great many British critics - possibly even the majority - flat-out loathed The Devils when it was originally released.

Just about every critic hated Peeping Tom when that was press screened, ruining Michael Powell's career but now that, just like The Devils, is now regarded as one of the greatest British films ever made.

[Michael Brooke]

Originally Posted by Nosferatu@Cult Labs

Just about every critic hated Peeping Tom when that was press screened, ruining Michael Powell's career but now that, just like The Devils, is now regarded as one of the greatest British films ever made.

It's a good story, but I've never been entirely convinced by the "Peeping Tom ruined Michael Powell's career" hypothesis - or at least I don't think it's quite as conveniently pat as that.

For instance, the more expensive and truly terrible The Queen's Guards, made the following year, probably did more direct damage to his bankability - but that film really has been buried and forgotten.

[The Reaper Man@Cult Labs]

Yeah,a case of it's too handy just to blame the 'repugnant horror movie' Michael.

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Michael Brooke

It's a good story, but I've never been entirely convinced by the "Peeping Tom ruined Michael Powell's career" hypothesis - or at least I don't think it's quite as conveniently pat as that.

For instance, the more expensive and truly terrible The Queen's Guards, made the following year, probably did more direct damage to his bankability - but that film really has been buried and forgotten.

I wasn't aware of The Queen's Guards as every interview I've seen and read only mentions Peeping Tom as the film which wrecked his reputation and made him relocate to Australia to try and resurrect his career.

[Michael Brooke]

Originally Posted by Nosferatu@Cult Labs

I wasn't aware of The Queen's Guards as every interview I've seen and read only mentions Peeping Tom as the film which wrecked his reputation and made him relocate to Australia to try and resurrect his career.

I once interviewed the editor of The Queen's Guards (and Peeping Tom), and she told me that she hated the project from the start - and gave me the distinct impression that Powell was none too fond of it either.

Much though the critics would prefer otherwise, it's very rare indeed for bad reviews to kill a career - in fact, I'm really struggling to think of an uncontentious example. But an expensive flop is far more threatening, and in Powell's case he had two in a row. In fact, he hadn't had a bona fide hit in ages.

But just imagine what might have happened if Peeping Tom had been released a mere six months later, in the wake of Psycho. In fact, if its distributors had any nous, they should have reissued it and cashed in on one of 1960's biggest hits, but they'd long since washed their hands of it, presumably in the hope that The Queen's Guards would pay off. Whoops.

[Nemesis]

Originally Posted by Michael Brooke

I once interviewed the editor of The Queen's Guards (and Peeping Tom), and she told me that she hated the project from the start - and gave me the distinct impression that Powell was none too fond of it either.

Much though the critics would prefer otherwise, it's very rare indeed for bad reviews to kill a career - in fact, I'm really struggling to think of an uncontentious example. But an expensive flop is far more threatening, and in Powell's case he had two in a row. In fact, he hadn't had a bona fide hit in ages.

But just imagine what might have happened if Peeping Tom had been released a mere six months later, in the wake of Psycho. In fact, if its distributors had any nous, they should have reissued it and cashed in on one of 1960's biggest hits, but they'd long since washed their hands of it, presumably in the hope that The Queen's Guards would pay off. Whoops.

Charles Laughton with Night of the Hunter, perhaps? He did not direct again and the reviews back then did not appear to be kind as they are now.