Ken Russell’s The Devils (1971), based on Aldous Huxley’s The Devil’s of Loudun (1953) and John Whiting’s 1961 play, The Devils was recently shown in its rarely seen fully uncut form at the BFI on Friday with an introduction from critic Mark Kermode. Kermode is a champion of the film. He sought out the cut footage and has organised many of the recent UK screenings in the hope that they will provoke Warner Bros. into finally releasing the film uncut on DVD. His view: the BBFC have no problem with it now and so it should be made widely available.
Whilst the BBFC are fine with it now in 2011, that wasn’t always the case as the chequered past of the film’s release reveals. The film was cut by both the censors and Warner Bros, with key scenes including the infamous ‘Rape of Christ’ sequence removed and not restored until the recent uncut screenings. Even in a cut form, the film was butchered by almost every critic of the time. Roger Ebert gave it zero stars, Judith Christ deemed it ‘a grand fiesta for sadists and perverts’, Derek Malcolm felt it was ‘a very bad film indeed’ and Vincent Canby claimed ‘It just may be that there's still enough mystery in an X rating to make The Devils more popular than it has any right to be.’
Some critics weren’t given the chance to air their views as the film was banned in various countries, including Italy where despite the film winning best foreign film at Venice Film Festival, it was banned and the films stars even threatened with jail time if they ever set foot on Italian soil.
But, anyway, is it any good?
The film deals with a number of ideas and themes regarding the relationship between the state and the church, with the basic plot consisting of unconventional priest/lothario Urbain Grandier (Oliver Reed) being accused of witchcraft after sexually obsessed Sister Jeanne (Vanessa Redgrave) masks her bubbling sexual desires as demonic possession. This ‘possession’ is soon manipulated by Father Barre (Michael Gothard), Baron De Laubardemont (Dudley Sutton) and Mignon (Murray Melvin) into curse that soon grips the entire nunnery in a sexual frenzy.
Almost every performance in The Devils is something special. Oliver Reed is outstanding as the powerful priest and manages to make his final appearance in the film something truly and unforgettably powerful. Vanessa Redgrave puts in a hysterical turn as the nun wrestling with her sexual fantasies and credit has to go to the numerous nuns in the film who go beyond the call of duty when dropping their habits in the incredible ‘Rape of Christ’ sequence.
The film deals with issues surrounding faith and its use as a weapon of control and this is really where the controversial elements enter. Whilst there is a lot of graphic violence in the film, none really retains the ability to shock aside from a very grim burning at the stake scene complete with bubbling flesh and peeling skin that manages to both induce serious wincing but also rival anything seen in recent gore filled genre pieces. I’m looking at you torture-porn. Yes, the only real elements that still managed to make me smirk in a how-did-they-get-away-with-that way were the moments that would have been enough to make a nun swear. Whether it be a dream sequence in which a Christ-like Oliver Reed hops down from the cross to get his open wounds licked by a nun (who seems to enjoy it if you know what I mean) or a mother superior masturbating with a crispy tibia, its difficult to see any devout Christians swallowing this kind of material without screaming ‘blasphemy’ and deeming Russell the devil incarnate. In fact, while we’re on the subjects of horny nuns, the most shocking scene in the film does come in the ‘Rape of Christ’ sequence. To go into it would surely spoil the shock but suffice to say, Sister Act II: Back in the Habit it ain’t.
Derek Jarman’s set design has rightly received critical acclaim and helps to make the films final image mesmeric and the film isn’t without darkly hilarious moments, one such sees Oliver Reed fight off a swordsman with a crocodile. The Devils is an entertaining, thought provoking piece with sequences that are still shocking, even today. The film clearly deserves to be seen by the majority of Ken Russell fans and cinema lovers in general, a circumstance that its current situation is unfortunately not allowing. If you get a chance, see it.
Mark Kermode said before the screening at the BFI that it is vital that as many people who want to see the film, do so, with sold out events like Fridays hopefully showing Warner Bros that there is a demand for the uncut DVD release to become a reality. Here is a link to blog post by Mark Kermode filmed during the screening I went to on how these kinds of screenings can help push for a DVD release. http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/markkermode/2011/08/the_devil_is_in_the_detail.html
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