The Devils (1971) (Ken Russell) Discussion Thread

[Wes]

Of course I'd love The Devils on Blu (as well as all of Ken Russell's great run of 70's films) but The Rape of Christ has been oversold in my opinion. I can take or leave it, and I think the X-Rated version plays just fine without it. The BFI disc is really a stunner and should not be dismissed in the absence of a Blu-Ray or the Rape of Christ sequence...

[Rik]

Originally Posted by Wes

Of course I'd love The Devils on Blu (as well as all of Ken Russell's great run of 70's films) but The Rape of Christ has been oversold in my opinion. I can take or leave it, and I think the X-Rated version plays just fine without it. The BFI disc is really a stunner and should not be dismissed in the absence of a Blu-Ray or the Rape of Christ sequence...

I agree, we waited long enough for a decent version of this classic, and that is what we got. Plus it still looks great upscaled anyway

[Vipp]

I'm going to read the Huxley book on this, i think this film is special and might hold a place in my top films of all time, i agree with Wes on the note that the new release looks great and has a nice cut to it. I am yet to put money down for the DVD set from the BFI but it's my anniversary soon so i will be asking the missus if she will pick it up for me. Oliver Reed is just brilliant in this film too.

[Wes]

Originally Posted by Vipp

I am yet to put money down for the DVD set from the BFI but it's my anniversary soon so i will be asking the missus if she will pick it up for me. Oliver Reed is just brilliant in this film too.

Excellent stuff. As Vanessa Redgrave's character Sister Jeanne, says in the film Satan is ever ready to seduce us with sensual delights, and The Devils is one of the most sensual, for me it's a perfect 10...

[trouserpress]

I think effectively Warner didn't want to be seen to be legitimising The Devils beyond a begrudging permission to the BFI for this release. Plus from a business perspective they may be holding back so they can eventually cash in and release the first ever blu ray. Personally however I can't imagine this looking any better than it already does.

[Rik]

No, as these stills I posted from it last year clearly show, it looks great already
http://www.cult-labs.com/forums/gene...tml#post225525

[Vipp]

I re -watched the film yesterday and really enjoyed it. Venessa Regrave's voice or the way it has been recorded sounds crisp and odd, the way she laughs in short bursts is also unsettling. I'm not sure what i like about this film the most but it is great what ever i focus on.

[Vipp]

It was only a matter of time before i got my hands on the book, I'm a few pages in as it's brand new today but it reads very well. I'm not a reader so it may take a wee while but that's not a problem for me.

for the curious i took a photo of the synopsis too.

[Susan Foreman]

looks like it's not only the UK that has problems with this film:

https://uk.yahoo.com/movies/guillerm...628674276.html - Guillermo Del Toro Slams Warner Bros. For Censoring Ken Russell's The Devils

"Guillermo del Toro has slammed Warner Bros. for blocking the home entertainment release of Ken Russell’s controversial 1971 religious drama The Devils in North America.

The Devils, which has yet to be released on DVD or Blu-ray in North America, has Oliver Reed playing a vain priest who faces a witch hunt when a mad nun, played by Vanessa Redgrave, accuses him of being a sorcerer."

[Michael Brooke]

The US has always had much bigger problems with The Devils than the UK.

To my knowledge, not even the British theatrical cut (i.e. the one on the BFI DVD) has been officially screened over there, never mind the 2004 semi-restoration. Both the X-rated and R-rated cuts were substantially mutilated, and disowned by Ken Russell - at least with the British cut he was able to supervise the changes himself, but Warner Bros took the US version out of his hands.

Which is why the BFI DVD was so important, because until it came out the only way of seeing The Devils in its correct aspect ratio on video was to opt for the US R-rated cut. (Or worse - I think I read somewhere that the Spanish DVD has additional cuts over and above what was removed from the US version, but the mere fact that it's sourced from a butchered version makes it worthless to begin with.)