Devils, The

Those in the know will recall Bosch was a painter who made a name for himself with his unconventional (and somewhat surreal) biblical allegories. His most famous (most reproduced, anyway) is "The Garden Of Earthly Delights". A typtrich, it depicts (from left to right) The Earthly Paradise, Garden of Earthly Delights, and Hell. Naturally it is Hell everyone is fascinated by.

So it is with Ken Russell's "The Devils". Russell did his own brilliant adaptation of Huxley's book (and John Whiting's play) and delivers up an allegory as complex, as entertaining, as graphic, and as timeless as anything Bosch could imagine. Bottom line: an errant Priest (Oliver Reed) falls victim to political ambitions.

Released in 1971, the common response was indignation. Remember, this was an era of taboo-breaking: Pekinpah (the violence of Wild Bunch and Straw Dogs), Roeg and Cammel (the sex, drugs and violence of Performance), and Pasollini (the blasphemies and political allegories of Canterbury Tales) were out there upsetting all kinds of people for all kinds of reasons. With all that to compete against, it's not surprising Russell made the film he did.

And be warned, "The Devils" is packed shoulder-to-shoulder with grotesque characters, graphic and savage violence and cruelty, and some bizarre and frightening religious imagery (hence the Bosch reference. In fact if you study the painting you'll see the smoking ruins of the town, and the Bird-headed Demon enthroned like Cardinal Richelieu/The King, all of which appear in the film -- see also Bruegel's "Triumph Of Death"). Russell pulls no punches, and I've very curious to know what it was the British Censors removed (and apparently destroyed) from this film.

But (unlike Pasollini's "Canterbury Tales", for example) this isn't an inept exercise in breaking the rules for the sake of notoriety. Russell has crafted a brilliant drama and realized it in a beautiful film. The "excesses" are important depiction's, NOT gratuitous sensationalism. While one cannot accuse Russell of being overly subtle, his wit and skill as writer/director cannot be challenged. Ultimately "The Devils" is nail-biting drama: Grandier maneuvers deftly through his enemies' snares as the world around him becomes increasingly more dangerous and corrupt.

And besides, the Cast (at their best), lighting and camera-work, and the costumes and sets are worth the price of admission. This film looks spectacular. Tragically there's no sign of a letter-boxed edition. Perhaps someone (Criterion would be nice) will get off their ass and give this film the presentation it deserves.

Russell described the film as a classic collision between the Individual and the State. Pope John Paul I complained (before he was Pope) about the "excesses never seen before" (ironic, considering his mysterious demise only weeks after assuming the papacy). However, the Catholic church's complaints were not about the film as blasphemy, but about it's *depiction's of blasphemy* (like Martin Scorcese, Russell was raised a Catholic and knew a thing or two about the process); they didn't argue about the events portrayed, but about the honesty with which Russell portrayed them. Was it necessary? Yes it was.

Russell isn't "Catholic bashing", he's criticizing the abuse of power and the corruption that comes with all institutions -- in this instance, organized religion. In fact, the character of Grandier -- a man capable of the highest and lowest excesses -- ultimately realizes his faith and attains the strength to survive his tortures through it.

"The Devils" is a masterpiece. One of the notorious highlights of it's era, it stands the test of time and plays as well now as it did then.


Burn, Warner Home Video! Burn!   March 27, 2005
newmanmonster999 (Berkeley, CA United States)
28 out of 31 found this review helpful

UPDATE: WHV is currently (FINALLY!) preparing a Special Edition DVD of this title, but there is no word yet as to which version - the heavily truncated R-rated US version, the longer, but still incomplete, UK theatrical version, or Russell's recently surfaced (and amazing) full length cut. There is also no information as to whether or not WHV plans to release this in the correct aspect ratio of 2.35:1, or if they are going to crop it to 16x9 and call that "widescreen." I have tried to update this review a number of times and the changes haven't appeared - I don't know why. I am guessing that Amazon takes issue with the contact URL for Warner that I was trying to post here. Go to the message boards for 'The Devils' at imdb.com for that URL.

'The Devils' is an outstanding film that arguably represents the very finest work of both Ken Russell and Oliver Reed. Unfortunately, it is currently in DVD limbo. Warner's VHS is a grainy, heavily cut and very poorly cropped abomination that is at times incomprehensible and gives no indication of the tremendous achievement represented by the film's art direction and cinematography.

Recently a COMPLETELY UNCUT print of this masterpiece surfaced in excellent condition. Warner executives attended the screening. So WHY is there no DVD in the works?

Here's the story, as best as I was able to find out: First of all, there is no way in hell that an uncut version of 'The Devils' could get an R rating from the MPAA. I have seen some of the "lost" footage, and, believe me; it could never, ever happen - even though this stuff was allowed to air on BBC TV as part of their "Forbidden Weekend" film series. So why not release it NC17? Evidently Warner Home Video will not release anything stronger than an R. (They did not have this policy back when they were selling the "uncut international version" of 'Dressed to Kill' on VHS for years and years - complete with crotch shots, throat slashings and explicit verbal references that had to be trimmed for theatrical release in the US.) It also seems that they won't sublicense their titles - which would allow somebody like Criterion to handle the release. My understanding is that they will only consider an outright sale - which I imagine is prohibitively expensive.

The other film that I fear will suffer from these policies is Nicholas Roeg and Donald Cammell's 'Performance' - which I also believe might have been cut for an R, but may have an easier time getting passed if re-submitted. (I do know that it was subject to studio interference.)

If you care, Warner Home Video has been moved in the past by consumer outcry - although that was in the case of a cropped versus letterboxed special edition of 'Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.' 'The Devils,' having virtually no chance of getting into Blockbuster (even in its R rated incarnation), is likely to be a much tougher sell.

If you just can't wait until hell freezes over, there is a reasonably priced bootleg DVD available - FAR more complete than this tape, better looking (not pristine by a longshot, but a big improvement), partially letterboxed, with some excellent supplementary materials (BBC's 'Hell on Earth' documentary, containing most of the censored footage). Obviously not the ideal way to see this movie, but it leaves this tape in the dust. (...)


RUSSELL + HUXLEY = GENIUS AT THE BEST   May 14, 2002
Lupus Terribilis (Coral Gables)
20 out of 22 found this review helpful

Based on the life of Urban Grandier, a priest in France who was accused of demonic possession and evil influence upon the nuns of Loudon, this is a riveting story, told in beautiful colours, that reveals the genius of Russell. To understand the background of the historical trial of Grandier, the book written by Huxley is illuminating. In the period of the elimination of the city-states in France, Grandier stands as one of the last voices for the autonomous government of Loudon and for this he was framed and burned at the stake.....


Have you really seen The Devils?   January 23, 2003
19 out of 20 found this review helpful

Unless I've missed something, all the reviews of this video are based on a heavily cut version of the film, reproduced in an muddy, grainy print. When released in the UK in 1971, The Devils was 111 minutes long. The US version was 109 minutes, but that two-minute difference doesn't account for all of the cuts. As well as simply chopping out chunks of the film, the American censors re-edited scenes, by replacing graphic shots of sexual hysteria and torture with shots of onlookers, or by "cropping" shots (the bottom half, usually, to remove pubic hair from view). The American print was butchered, basically.
For many years, only the American version was available on VHS in the UK. Also, a terrible transfer had been used. The US version is about 103 minutes long, when transferred to VHS. In 1997, Warner Bros released the film in the full UK print (which is about 106 minutes in PAL) in the Maverick Directors series. It was in widescreen, in stereo and in a good transfer that proved how excellent the photography was. Unfortunately, it appears that this VHS has been deleted.
So, we need this film available to everyone on DVD, in the UK cut, in a good transfer... and how about putting back all the recently discovered footage that was censored (even from the UK version)? Check out Mark Kermode's articles on the filmfour website if you want to know more about that. The Devils is a brilliant film that deserves better treatment, in the UK as well as the US.