Resurrecting The Devils

In 1971, the late Ken Russell released ‘The Devils’ - a film that shattered boundaries and redefined mainstream cinema, but not without punishment. Censored for over half a century, the uncut version in all its debauched, blasphemous glory is finally being freed from the vaults of Warner Bros and restored on the big screen in 4K. For the very first time, the public can view the film just how Russell intended.

Due to cuts necessary to secure release in 1971, certain scenes from ‘The Devils’ have never been seen by public audiences, namely the infamous ‘rape of Christ.’ Described as ‘violently pornographic’, with scenes of raw violence, mass orgies and exorcisms amongst a backdrop of religious imagery, it begs the question – what seems to be the problem, officer???

In celebration of its re-release, let’s explore the journey of ‘one of the great masterpieces of British cinema’ – the repression, resurrection and restoration of Ken Russell’s ‘The Devils’.

‘The Devils’ is based on real life accounts of the ‘Loudun Possessions’ - an alleged case of demonic possession in 17th century France, recounted in Aldous Huxley's non-fiction book ‘The Devils of Loudun’ (1952). John Whiting’s 1960 play ‘The Devils’ brought the book to the London stage, first introducing Russell to the story and inspiring him to take it to the big screen. It explores the story of Father Grandier, an unorthodox priest living in a politically autonomous Loudun, and his political enemies’ battle to eliminate him to secure royal power. Accusations of demonic possession and witchcraft are weaponised by the central monarchy and those that represent it, ultimately leading to public mass exorcisms and Grandier receiving the ultimate punishment for consorting with Satan.

Russell described the film as a ‘conscious political statement.’ It is a critique of power, and the corrupt lengths sought to maintain it. At the time of release, many critics and audiences struggled to see beyond the raw imagery to appreciate the message behind it, which is testament to the film itself and its famously striking visual style. The inspiration came from Huxley's famous metaphor comparing the religious exorcism of Sister Jeanne to "a rape in a public lavatory" - the result, a clinically white-tiled Ursuline convent set against deep-black accents in the church and town, creating a jarring juxtaposition that so defined the film.

However, what some deemed as a ‘fairly realistic’ historical film, others deemed as ‘nonsensical’, not accurately reflecting the politics of the time. Critic Alexander Walker, infamously linked to ‘The Devils’ through a bonk on the head (more to come on that later), deemed it ‘a garish glossary of sadomasochism.’ Rather than seeing it as an exploration of sexual repression, persecution and religious corruption, Walker described it as ‘monstrously indecent’, resembling the ‘masturbatory fantasies of a Roman Catholic schoolboy.’ (but did u like it tho?)

With a confronting mix of sexuality and violence amongst theological themes, this was hardly a surprising reaction – and one Russell anticipated. Prior to submitting for classification, he showed a rough edit to John Trevelyan, Secretary of the Board of the BBFC, who unofficially suggested cuts to material that could potentially lead to the film being banned. Another censor at BBFC stated that had Russell not sought this initial opinion, and instead put the film to the BBFC in its original cut, it would have been subject to the Obscene Publications Act and legal action could have been taken. In their words, it ‘could have led to trouble.’ Masses of naked nuns not family friendly fun then, no?

Russell reluctantly agreed to the suggested cuts, which is what made an X certificate for British distribution possible – by the skin of its teeth. Despite previously having sight of the initial script, censors’ first reactions to the film are described as upset, ashamed and appalled – the holy trinity. On the shift between the lack of reaction to the initial script vs the opposition to the film, Russell hypothesised ‘I guess it just hit them between the eyes – or between the legs.’ Such was the reaction, that it was thought it might be rejected.

Somehow, by the grace of the very God Russell was supposedly blaspheming, ‘The Devils’ was passed by the BBFC – but the battle was not yet won. Anti-permissive group ‘The Festival of Light’ objected to the passing, protested its screening, and organised a successful letter writing campaign to Trevelyan's successor at the BBFC - leading to banned screenings in several local authorities in Britain, despite its approved rating. Mary Whitehouse, head of The Festival of Light, said of the film ‘high quality doesn’t excuse blasphemy. Blasphemy is blasphemy – full stop.' Worse yet were the cuts made by The Motion Picture Association of America for the US release. In particular, they removed any imagery showing pubic hair (the horror), whittling the film down to 108 minutes, making it what Russell described as ‘disjointed and incomprehensible.’

However, it still didn’t catch a break upon release. Our good pal Roger Ebert wasn’t a fan, giving the film 0 stars, and Judith Crist described it as ‘a grand fiesta for sadists and perverts’ (SIGN ME UP). Alexander Walker’s scathing review in the Evening Standard led to an invitation from the BBC for battle between he and Russell, screened on the late-night news. Russell showed up with a rolled-up copy of the Evening Standard in hand and smacked a smug Walker on the head with it before walking off.

As a result of its cut, the ‘rape of Christ’ scene was believed lost for 30 years. Russell himself believed it had been destroyed, with searches of the vaults in the 80's and 90's unsuccessful. Enter Mark Kermode and Paul Joyce, who uncovered a single can of film containing an assortment of never-before-seen censored footage, including the complete uncut ‘rape of Christ’. Under the watchful eye of Russell and editor Michael Bradsell, they reconstructed the original cut, which was premiered in London in 2004 to a standing ovation. Surprisingly, there were also no objections from the BBFC to the restored version, yet Warner Bros still forbid the release in its entirety. Kermode whipped up the fires of objection online, demanding the British masterpiece to be freed, and encouraging audiences to petition high-profile directors to get on board. Guillermo del Toro threw his hat in the ring, ‘trying for decades’ to get the full version released and calling its continued repression ‘a true act of censorship.’

This was a fight Kermode had been battling for years, with Warner Bros citing the ‘distasteful tonality’ of the uncut film as the reason it would remain locked away. So why hold onto a film they deemed too controversial to release? Both the British Film Institute and the Criterion Collection in America requested access to the uncut version for release, and both were refused. The uncut version would remain buried by Warner Bros – UNTIL NOW.

Finally, 55 years since its release, ‘The Devils’ is returning to the big screen – freed from the depths of the vaults, restored and ready to wreak havoc on a 21st century audience. It serves as the inaugural release of Warner Bros new speciality label ‘Clockwork’ – a division focused on speciality, art-house and provocative cinema, a perfect opportunity for their change in tune. So gather all ye sadists and perverts, and don’t miss the momentous opportunity to enjoy the definitive version of a film Kermode describes as ‘one of the ten greatest achievements of cinema history.’ A decades long battle finally won - ‘Ken Russell’s The Devils’ releases in the UK and Ireland on 30th October 2026.