Ken Russell's The Devils, a film banned by 17 UK local councils and several countries worldwide upon its 1971 release, is finally being shown uncut in 4K in select UK and Ireland cinemas on 30 October. The restoration, by BFI Distribution in partnership with Warner Bros. Clockwork, presents the film as Russell originally intended, following more than 50 years of censorship.
The film follows Father Urbain Grandier (Oliver Reed) in 17th-century France, who clashes with Cardinal Richelieu (Christopher Logue) over the autonomy of the city of Loudun. Richelieu manipulates a repressed nun, Sister Jeanne (Vanessa Redgrave), to accuse Grandier of witchcraft and possessions among the church.
A film about politics and manufactured hysteria
At its core, the film is about politics and the weaponisation of faith and ideology. The demonic possessions are entirely manufactured by Richelieu to crush Loudun's independence, and it works, with the city's walls torn down around Grandier's charred corpse in the final act.
Before hitting cinemas in 1971, The Devils was forced to undergo several significant cuts by Warner Bros and the BBFC in the UK due to its graphic scenes of sex and violence. Where it was screened, there were mass walkouts, protests, and the film was condemned by the Vatican.
Relevance today and a warning against censorship
The film shows the dangers of manufactured mass hysteria and how easily the public can succumb to collective panic. Sister Jeanne's private, repressed sexual obsessions balloon into a town-wide frenzy, with every sister in the church suddenly falling to the same depraved behaviour.
In a time when modern 'witch hunts', internet echo chambers, and algorithmically driven outrage are common, the film's depiction of how rational thought can be dissolved by fear and mass hysteria remains sobering. The now-restored 'Rape of Christ' scene stems from severe sexual and psychological repression at the hands of the church.
The film serves as a timeless warning that censorship and forcibly legislating, controlling, and attempting to erase fundamental human instincts do not make them cease to exist; rather, they cause them to morph into something far more destructive and dangerous.
Release details and verdict
The uncut 4K restoration of The Devils is scheduled for release in UK and Ireland cinemas on October 30 by BFI Distribution in partnership with Warner Bros. Clockwork. The runtime is 114 minutes (1 hour and 54 minutes).
As painfully relevant today as it was in 1971, Ken Russell's The Devils is finally being released as the iconic director always intended and remains a must-see piece of cinematic brilliance.
