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UnsleepingHorror "If God wants you to suffer, then you should want to suffer. And accept that suffering gladly." – Urbain GrandierLike Braveheart, before Braveheart, Ken Russell's The Devils is a depiction of a historical struggle for liberty against oppression. Except, in this case, beneath the drama is a scathing satire. Highly controversial for its time, and banned in several countries, the film was given the "X" rating in both the United Kingdom and the United States upon its original release. That's even after trimming down some of its most "offensive" content. Nonetheless, the wealth of sexuality, sadism, and heresy present in the theatrical edit is unprecedented for its era.The film is unconcerned with disputing theology, but conveys a harsh reality about the machinations of power hungry officials; bending laws and the word of their creator to benefit their corrupt interests. Subjugating the masses, indebting them to the church through guilt of their own sins. It is based, in part, on the play The Devils by John Whiting, as well as its source material The Devils of Loudon, a novel by Aldous Huxley. Furthermore, each of these are accounts of the 17th Century Roman-Catholic priest Urbain Grandier. who inherits leadership of the town Loudon after the death of its Governor.Grandier is a debaucherous man who seems determined to tear himself apart on his way to meet his God. The kind of man who would yell at a defenseless baby simply for crying. And he does. Yet he is softened upon meeting Madeleine de Brou, whom he marries in secret. This act becomes a rumor spread by two spies under employ of men who seek to destroy their only obstacle in taking over Loudon: the priest himself.Thus, word of this communion reaches Sister Jeanne, a nun obsessed with Grandier, whose fantasies of the man are reprehensible (for a nun). Overcome with jealousy, her reaction is to fabricate a hideous lie. Grandier has snuck into her chamber at night, she claims, then proceeded to ravage her. To attain their goals, the web of antagonists use Sister Jeanne's lie to instigate mass hysteria. An event known in history as the "Loudon Possessions," where an increasing number of nuns made similar claims of night visitations from devils. I'll be honest, I debriefed about the history via the internet. I'm no historian. Shocking, I'm sure.At this time a witch-hunter is brought in to perform an exorcism. A sinister attempt to prove Jeanne possessed, or bewitched by Grandier, in order to indict the man. Through torture they squeeze out the confession they seek. So their mock trial begins.Oliver Reed as the priest in question gives a thoroughly compelling performance. Stoic, genuine, and perhaps the film's most invaluable asset. Don't consider this to be dismissive of the rest of cast, however. Vanessa Redgrave (Jeanne) is pitiable and spiteful, Dudley Sutton is heartless and manipulative, and Michael Gothard as the witch-hunter is maniacal and entirely despicable. With all of these great performances coalescing, the drama is Shakespearean. Or reminiscent of Alexandre Dumas. No coincidence since Dumas wrote a play entitled Urbain Grandier.The scale of the film is immense, often exhibiting huge crowds in a given scene. Including a massive orgy, er... mass exorcism. Know that for the audience it's a farce, and is in fact quite humorous. Alright, not all of us find humor in heresy. But like I said before, The Devils isn't a critique on belief, but on those who manipulate the beliefs of others. A story about repression on a grand, as well as personal, level.You could pinpoint some blemishes (for example: the hump of Sister Jeanne's deformed back isn't quite the same tone as her skin, and despite taking place in France there are no French actors to speak of), but nothing detrimental to the experience. It's rare that a movie is so successfully impactful. Depressing, comedic, and horrific in a way that's real. Had The Devils not been reappraised in recent years I might not have come across it, which would have been a considerable loss.Verdict: High Recommendation

Patrick Nackaert "What am I watching?" Is a question you might ask frequently in this film. The story seems simple: in an attempt to centralise power in France, a cardinal orders the walls of a city to be brought down. To do this, a priest defending the city should be convicted of witchcraft.If one would only see the written dialogues, the film could still be 'normal'. However, it isn't.First of all, it's intense. Heavy-worded dialogues follow up on each other and are brought in an almost vicious way. Action happens quickly. The shots are cut at a very quick pace.Second, the amount of nudity, sexual behaviour and profanity might shock many viewers. Their purpose is to show the corruptness of religion.Third, the music is just... disturbing. It adds to the disorientation in the movie as well as the whole photography.Now, the question is: was it all worth it? My opinion: yes. Although this film is not to be viewed by persons who are easily upset or have an aversion for 'weird' films. The pace and profanity were even a little too much for me. But it fits the purpose: to show the hypocrisy and corruption in the heart of the church, leaving you wondering if it really was like that in that period in time.Another thing that left me wondering: why are Cardinal Richelieu and one of his priests wearing John Lennon glasses that could only have been made in the 20th century?

Jackson Booth-Millard Directed by Ken Russell (Women in Love, Tommy), I had heard about this film a little bit in the past, particularly that it was controversial, and I knew the leading actor, then it appeared in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, so I was definitely going to watch it. Basically set in 17th Century France, priest Cardinal Urbain Grandier (Oliver Reed) and has radical political and religious notions and immoral sex life, these have earned him many enemies, including Cardinal Richelieu (Christopher Logue) and his power-hungry entourage who seek to destroy his regime and take over. A group of nuns appear, Grandier's rivals are feeding on the mass hysteria being caused, as they appear to be "bewitched" by him, they are attempting to set him up as a warlock in control of this devil- possessed nunnery, the mother superior Sister Jeanne (Vanessa Redgrave) is particularly sexually obsessed with him. Mad witch- hunter Father Pierre Barre (Michael Gothard) is brought in to gather evidence against Grandier, ready for the big trial against him, he refuses to confess to being in league with Satan, or to renounce his "heretical" views, he undergoes terrible tortures and is finally defeated, being burned at the stake. Also starring Dudley Sutton as Baron De Laubardemont, Max Adrian as Ibert, Gemma Jones as Madeleine, Murray Melvin as Mignon, Georgina Hale as Philippe, Brian Murphy as Adam and Graham Armitage as Louis XIII. Reed gives a great performance as the French priest with a sexual appetite and trying to keep control from manipulators, and Redgrave is almost as good as the humpbacked nun sexually hungry for him, censorship issues over the years for the release of this film in many countries have caused running times to vary, there are many sexual scenes, but more than anything disturbing moments that are anti-religious, sacrilege and almost heresy, making this film shocking, repulsive, hysterical, compelling and fascinating in all measures, an interesting controversial historical drama horror. Oliver Reed was number 78 on The 100 Greatest Movie Stars, and he was number 26 on The 50 Greatest British Actors. Very good!

jlgAltman Let's get one thing out of the way, I adore Ken Russell. Something about his aesthetic is totally in sync with my world view. From WOMEN IN LOVE to WHORE, Russell always impresses. His rambunctious, over the top, more is more style should be ideal for THE DEVILS. Unfortunately, the film simply grows tiresome. You get what Russell is up to--group think, religious hysteria, sexual repression, etc... It takes about 30 minutes to get the point but the film goes on for another 90 piling on the atrocities and turning up the craziness. THE DEVILS feels like a madcap Hammer Horror which is a huge compliment. THE DEVILS also looks amazing with a white brick set that is totally modern and nothing to do with 17th century France, and yet it never feels as obvious as the film. Bravo Vanessa Redgrave for a no-holds-bar performance. She is spectacular and displays a restraint at moments that you wish the film had.