The Devils Resurrected: Ken Russell’s Masterpiece Returns to Theaters

Film history is often a story of compromise, but sometimes, the original vision finally wins. This October, audiences will have the rare opportunity to witness one of the most provocative and visually stunning films of the twentieth century exactly as its creator intended. Warner Bros. is releasing the first-ever 4K restoration of Ken Russell’s 1971 classic, The Devils, marking a historic moment for cinema lovers everywhere. For over five decades, this legendary masterpiece has existed primarily in truncated forms, with key sequences excised by censors to the heartbreak of its director. This new restoration, however, is a revelation. Assembled directly from the original camera negative, the 4K version presents Russell's definitive vision by using a private edit he constructed in 2004 as its blueprint. The restoration also extends to the film's sound, which has been meticulously remastered from the original English 35mm magnetic film to ensure Peter Maxwell Davies’ celebrated score is as ravishing as the visuals.

Set in the French city of Loudun in 1634, the film tells the engrossing, real-life story of Father Urbain Grandier, played with magnetic intensity by Oliver Reed. Grandier is a charismatic, womanizing priest whose leadership and political influence put him at odds with Cardinal Richelieu and King Louis XIII. When a local convent of Ursuline nuns, led by the increasingly tormented Sister Jeanne des Anges, played brilliantly by Vanessa Redgrave, claims to have been visited by Grandier's demonic black magic, a horrific witch hunt is unleashed. Ken Russell, who converted to Catholicism years prior, described The Devils as his only political film. He was confident that the events at Loudun had nothing to do with the supernatural, but were instead a parable about political corruption, brainwashing, and weaponized hysteria. The film is deeply grounded in documented historical facts, drawing from Aldous Huxley’s 1952 book The Devils of Loudun as well as John Whiting's stage play.

Beyond its challenging themes, The Devils remains an unparalleled landmark of visual and auditory craft. Shot at Pinewood Studios, the film features awe-inspiring, futuristic sets designed by a fledgling Derek Jarman that recall the scale of Fritz Lang’s Metropolis. These stark environments are beautifully contrasted by the gorgeous costume designs of Shirley Russell and captured in horrifyingly beautiful fashion by cinematographer David Watkin. Although key sequences, such as the infamous crucifix scene, were once deemed too intense and cut for public consumption, this restoration brings them back to the screen. As noted by respected film critic Mark Kermode, these once-contested scenes are not blasphemous in themselves, but rather present an intellectually powerful depiction of how true scriptural values are corrupted for debased earthly ends. In an era of modern polarization, this fearless masterpiece is more relevant than ever, offering audiences the chance to finally experience Ken Russell’s untamed cinematic triumph in its most ravishing form.