In the 17th century, sexual obsession within the Catholic Church leads to accusations of witchcraft and possession.
British director Ken Russell was a photographer turned filmmaker, with a fascination for documentaries and biopics of influential dancers and classical composers. His feature film career gained notoriety through his 1969 adaptation of D.H. Lawrence's Women In Love, and he soon became known for his treatment of sexuality on film, his works becoming increasingly flamboyant.
The Devils draws its material from supposed historical record, via a book by Aldous Huxley, and a recent play based on that text. Russell made no attempt to downplay the controversial material, capturing every blasphemous or depraved event mentioned by the source.
Heading the cast is Oliver Reed (Women In Love, Oliver!) and Vanessa Redgrave, a future legend with two Oscar nominations already to her credit. The production design is by Derek Jarman, who would eventually move on to an acclaimed directing career. The cinematographer is David Watkin (The Beatles' Help!, Catch-22, Out of Africa).
The film caused great controversy because of its subject matter and explicit depiction, and cuts were required for the film to even get an "X" rating in Britain and the United States, including one full scene cut and never restored internationally. It was banned outright in several countries, and in Italy the film's main actors had arrest warrants waiting for them if they ever entered the country.
Despite (or perhaps because of) the scandal, the film did good business in the U.K. Many critics attacked it savagely, and Russell himself was forced onto television to defend his work, where he entered into an physical altercation with a particularly vocal critic.
The last decade has seen many efforts to restore many of the censored shots and scenes from the film, with various home video releases appearing from different sources. It has screened occasionally in these new cuts, with Russell at times in attendance. While a restored DVD was released in the U.K., Warner Bros. to this day refuses to release it in the United States.
Running time is approx. 2 hrs.
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