Entertainment · Film · 3 hrs ago
Restored 1971 film The Devils returns to cinemas
Ken Russell’s 1971 film The Devils has returned in a 4K restoration, shown in its complete form after years of censorship.
It is set in Loudun, a town in western France, in 1634, amid political and religious conflict.
Oliver Reed plays Urbain Grandier, a priest accused of witchcraft and executed after stories of demonic possession among the town’s Ursuline nuns.
The film is based on a real historical scandal and on works by Aldous Huxley and John Whiting.
Russell presents the persecution as an abuse of state and church power, rather than treating the sexualised scenes as the story’s central obscenity.
The film’s return has renewed attention to its confrontational depiction of authority and its designer, artist Derek Jarman.
It is screening at cinemas in New York in the coming weeks.
Ken Russell’s 1971 film The Devils has been restored and is returning to cinemas in its complete form after decades of censorship.
The film stars Oliver Reed as French priest Urbain Grandier and Vanessa Redgrave as an abbess in 17th-century Loudun.
It depicts Grandier’s persecution amid political and religious conflict, with authorities accusing him of witchcraft.
The restoration was made possible through the work of film critic Mark Kermode and Ken Russell’s widow, Elize Tribble.
The restored film is screening at New York cinemas, including IFC Center, Brooklyn Academy of Music and Nitehawk.
- Who
- The film was directed by Ken Russell and stars Oliver Reed and Vanessa Redgrave.
- What
- The Devils has been restored and rereleased in its complete form after years of censorship.
- When
- The film was originally released in 1971; the restored version is returning to cinemas in 2026.
- Where
- The story is set in Loudun, France. The restoration is screening at cinemas including venues in New York.
- Why
- The restoration returns two scenes that were cut after censors objected to the film.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Ken Russell’s The Devils was released and prompted controversy.
The film returned to cinemas in its complete restored form after decades of censorship.
- Original release
- 1971
- Director
- Ken Russell
- Lead actors
- Oliver Reed and Vanessa Redgrave
- Setting
- Loudun, France, in 1634
- Restoration contributors
- Mark Kermode and Elize Tribble
- New York screenings
- IFC Center, Brooklyn Academy of Music and Nitehawk
3 sources
Hell Takes the Form of State Repression in 1971’s “The Devils”
The Devils review – Ken Russell’s 1971 possessed-nuns tale is a frenzied aria of confrontation and hysteria
Noté 4,1 sur 5, ce film culte mais censuré depuis 55 ans ressort enfin dans sa version complète ! C'est quoi Les Diables de Ken Russell ?
What people are saying
For myself, although I am not a political creature, I always viewed The Devils as my one political film. To me, it was about brainwashing, about the state taking over.
C'était incroyable ! Une vague d'enthousiasme assez étrange montait avant même le festival.