Les Diables

This film never got the credit it deserved. It's both a savage socio-political critique in the vein of Millers "The Crucible" and a crazed excerise in Grand Guignol. Only Russell could have pulled this one out. Also features Oliver Reed in one his greatest roles. Father Grandier was Reeds Maximus.

I can't believe that someone still hasn't released a definitive version of this film on Blu Ray. I used to work in a video store and the copy we had was cut up so badly that the plot was incomprehensible. I own a DVD that seems to probably be uncut but the picture is faded and the colors aren't very bright. Also, the sound pretty bad. However, as far as I know it's the only uncut version out there. Hell, The Criterion Collection released Salo and that's miles more depraved and offensive (watch it though) than this film. I was raised Catholic and the whole film is blasphemous. When I first read Marquis de Sade's The 120 Days of Sodom (I almost couldn't finish it), the book on which Salo is based, I said to myself alot that I was going to go to Hell for reading this. The Devils gave me the same feeling. I haven't been a practicing Catholic for 45 years but those teachings are still ingrained in your subconscious. Visually, this is an absolutely beautiful film. The stark black and white colors of Loudoun and the Abby have never been duplicated as far as I know. The scene where the hysterical nuns simulate sex with Jesus on a giant cross are a bit much. It brought back the I'm going to hell for watching this. The violence in parts is still shocking even though it's 50 years old. The only flaw is Ken Russell's insistence of putting corny, un funny humor in his films. If there was ever a film that didn't need any humor it's this one. It's here though and it detracts from the flow of the film for no good reason. That's a small quibble though since the film is pretty much a masterpiece. The performances are flawless. It's Oliver Reed's best performance and Vanessa Redgrave is unforgettable as the deranged Sister Jeanne (I hope that's how it's spelled). In fact everyone is absolutely top shelf (except maybe the guy who plays the king and brings the awful humor to the movie). So, Criterion please release a version of this. Everyone else watch it without a doubt unless you hate violence, depravity and general unpleasantness. If you're a practicing Christian (especially Catholic) skip it too unless you want that I'm going to Hell feeling . Ken Russell's best film and one of the best films of all time. Watch it!

Cited by director Alex Cox and critic Mark Kermode as one of the ten greatest achievements in cinema of all time, The Devils is based on a true story set in France in 1634 about the evils of the union of church and state controlled by power hungry, perverse men who prey on faith and fear, and one priest, Father Grandier, who tries to protect the liberties and walls of his city, Loudun.

This film was met with great controversy and opposition due to its contents and depictions of blasphemy. Hardly available today, the current VHS release suffers from trigger happy censors with no desire to leave the plot intact. The video translation is appalling, with only a fraction of the resolution and quality of film, and the fullscreen framing mauls at least 60% of the compositions. If you can attain this on widescreen on DVD, you are a lucky person. Unfortunately, as is reflected by another comment on this board, most people see the crappy version and judge the film based on that.

Ken Russell is one of those filmmakers whose work you can immediately identify. Whether your first was "Altered States" or (like me) "The Devils," you learn early on that if Mr. Russell's name is listed as director and/or writer, you can expect to be at least a little disturbed.

"The Devils" is, in my humble opinion, one of the best films ever made. I wish I hadnt been born so late because I can imagine how truly intense an experience it must've been to view "The Devils" in theater.

This film is the only film I've ever seen, regardless of genre, to take the viewer into the pit of hell and to hold her/him there unrelenting, uncompromising, and to make the viewer feel as s/he has actually experienced hell. I can only imagine how much difficulty Mr. Russell must have had when MPAA members saw this film. It's bleak, horrifying, shocking, disgusting and thoroughly delicious. Aldous Huxley (the author of the book on which this film was based) would have been proud to see that his true story of a Satanic Catholic church translated very well to film.

One last thing: I have never really been able to sit through the entire film since the first time I saw it. That is, odd as it sounds, extreme praise. What kind of hell would it be if I could sit comfortably?

Thank you, Ken Russell!

A few movies are so controversial that the Movie industry does their best to kill them off (see Terry Gilliams' "Brazil"). Such was the case with "The Devils" First, to clear a few things up...this did NOT come from a play, nor was it a novel. It is based on Aldous Huxley's painstakingly researched religious history of the famous Loudun exorcisms during the time of Richelieu. The book may be out of print, but my wife found a copy published in 1952 by Chatto & Windus. There are some more recent publications, but this one is lovely, with an engraving of Bishop Urban Grandier(the main character) dating back to 1627. Huxley actually includes original letters, which still exist, written by the participants of this travesty. Much of the dialogue of the film is directly from Huxley. The vision however is uniquely Russell's. When this movie was originally released, it was given an X rating, not due to sex, or even violence, although there is some of each. The plain fact is that the film in its original form is simply overpowering. The Movie Review board thought so! I was fortunate enough to see the original uncut version, rated X at the local art-house upon its release. This film is a shortened version. While still worthwhile, this film absolutely SCREAMS for a Criterion Collection restoration to its original (brilliant) form.