TV and Movie Talk

The most controversial banned film ever is finally coming to UK cinemas​

The Devils (1971) is based on true events from 17th-century France and the book called The Devils of Loudun by Aldous Huxley.

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In the film, Oliver Reed portrays Father Urbain Grandier, a priest who is accused of witchcraft after the nuns allege that he was possessed by the demon. Vanessa Redgrave plays the hunchbacked Sister Jeanne, whose single-minded obsession causes the chaos that ensues.

Director Ken Russell was already notorious for pushing boundaries when he made The Devils. He combined a dramatic style with provocative imagery in his operas. After United Artists backed out of the script, Warner Bros picked it up. Russell made a determined effort to preserve his vision and made one of the most radical films of its time.

Intimate mistreatment, severe interrogation, and religious irreverence are all shown for extended periods of time in the film. Nuns run amok in a convent, in a state of emotional frenzy. The sequences represented the decay of power and the threat of religious extremism, but a large number of viewers could not stomach watching them.

The Vatican declared the film to be irreverent. Protests and walkouts by Christian groups. The mistreatment of religious symbols, particularly the "Christ sequence," sparked anger. Because of his use of deliberate provocation instead of serious historical comment, critics charged that he was doing a disservice.

The film was originally released as an X-rated movie, and was then banned by 17 local councils in Britain. There were some countries that followed in that manner. Even the cut version proved too extreme for many local authorities and led to The Devils being one of the most banned films in UK cinema history.

Substantial portions of the film have been edited out by the British and American censors prior to release. The Christ sequence and a picture of Sister Jeanne using a charred bone were both fully cut out for decades. Despite extensive editing, the remaining film was still stamped with an X certificate.

Many critics praised The Devils for being a masterpiece of cinema, regardless of the bans. They commended the way Russell directed, the ferocity of Oliver Reed, and the assault on institutional power of the film. Its reputation spread over the years among movie buffs who were eager for rare prints of the cut edition.

The eliminated sequences were not shown to the public for over 50 years. Their restoration was advocated by campaigners and film historians. The full cut of the film debuted at Cannes earlier this year, giving audiences a glimpse of Russell's original, unabridged vision.

The film has been remastered from original elements to 4K by Warner Bros and the BFI. The new version is rated NC-17 in the U.S., Warner Bros' first NC-17 rating in more than a century. The image and audio have been shot in a way that is remastered for modern screens.

The uncut version will be released in UK and Irish cinemas on 30 October 2026 via BFI Distribution. Throughout the years, British audiences have seen almost all of Ken Russell's most extreme films, just as the creator intended.
 
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