Ken Russell is a director you either hate or love--I'm with the latter, and enjoy irritating the same targets Russell does. The simple-fact that many of Ken Russell's films are hated makes me love them all-the-more. This is arguably his best film, and his only political one. As a period-piece, this film is stylized, but looks very convincing, and the cinematography and set-designs by Derek Jarman (another genius of film) are stellar. Consider why films like this one aren't made often, and you have part of the answer as to why this film is still so shocking. Many people dislike his films because of what he reveals about all of us, but that's too-bad. People didn't like what Auschwitz said about humanity, but there it is. Apparently, Warner Brothers has finally-decided to release this film as a director's-cut in 2006, or 2007. It is being-reported that all footage removed by the BBFC and American- censors (mainly Warners) in 1971 will be reinstated in an "unrated-cut" approved by the director. It may have been taken from the Aldous Huxley book, and the 1960s play by John Whiting, but it is Ken Russell's film.
Also-included will be the BBC-documentary by Mark Kermode ("Hell on Earth"), about the making-of the film, and the firestorm it created. The "renegade" DVD by Angelfire is acceptable, and will have to tide-us-over until then. It has the aforementioned Kermode documentary, and a widescreen-transfer (1.85:1, the wrong aspect-ratio, the film was Panavision at 2.35:1) of the film, with some of the deleted-scenes (like "the Rape of Christ") reinstated. It is a flawed-version, but adequate, and is relatively-cheap. This was a film that Warners hated after the executives saw the final-cut. The Warner press book-ads even state it was a hard-sell, with posters marketing the film as horror--it is, but a political-one. Some of the posters warned potential-audiences that it was a film "most people won't like"! In a film that bombards the viewer with violence, decay, plague, and death, it isn't surprising that people miss some of the film's thematic-points, it has a lot to say: the threats to individual-rights and liberties (and spiritual-liberty) are often played-out in the same ways in different times-and-places. You can see this in the parallels made-between Oliver Reed's character Father Grandier, and that of the accepted-Christology in 1600s-France (represented by the characters of Father Mignon, Sister Jeanne and Cardinal Richelieu--an unholy-trilogy?).
Is there much-difference in why Grandier is degraded similarly to Christ? Russell (a Catholic)goes-further: is there any-difference between the political-scapegoating of Urbain Grandier and Jesus? The answer should be obvious, and Richelieu's theocratic-yearnings for power can only be seen as a threat to liberty, just as they are now in the Middle East, and the United States. Even from that remote-year of 1971, Russell could be saying that these political and spiritual-struggles are one-and-the-same, and that they are eternal. This is not an exploitation-film, but it is as dark and horrific as any classic horror film. What is most-terrible is that it is true. Keep-in-mind not one image is in this film "by-mistake," as Russell places an image in a film for a specific-meaning and purpose. The film is a warning to be vigilant against the aims of power, and sheds-light on why Christ was crucified.
The images of people being-tortured, vomiting, acting-hysterically--they are not there to merely shock, but as a warning about social-hysterics of all-sorts. Repression can lead-to perversion, states Russell, resoundingly. Set specifically in 17th Century France after the eight "Hugenot Wars", "The Devils" should be read as a cautionary-tale of how people can willingly give-up their liberties in uncertain times, not-unlike our own. The religious-wars still rage, and will continue to. With the world finally being able see what director Ken Russell intended, we might see this film being very-influential in years-to-come. Italian-filmmakers were inspired--they created the "nunsploitation-genre" from-it! Good lapsed-Catholics, all. This is what the "Grand Guignol" was based-on. From the 1600s-to-now, the threats are the same. Only technology has changed. Bother Warner Bros. into releasing this classic at:
Also-included will be the BBC-documentary by Mark Kermode ("Hell on Earth"), about the making-of the film, and the firestorm it created. The "renegade" DVD by Angelfire is acceptable, and will have to tide-us-over until then. It has the aforementioned Kermode documentary, and a widescreen-transfer (1.85:1, the wrong aspect-ratio, the film was Panavision at 2.35:1) of the film, with some of the deleted-scenes (like "the Rape of Christ") reinstated. It is a flawed-version, but adequate, and is relatively-cheap. This was a film that Warners hated after the executives saw the final-cut. The Warner press book-ads even state it was a hard-sell, with posters marketing the film as horror--it is, but a political-one. Some of the posters warned potential-audiences that it was a film "most people won't like"! In a film that bombards the viewer with violence, decay, plague, and death, it isn't surprising that people miss some of the film's thematic-points, it has a lot to say: the threats to individual-rights and liberties (and spiritual-liberty) are often played-out in the same ways in different times-and-places. You can see this in the parallels made-between Oliver Reed's character Father Grandier, and that of the accepted-Christology in 1600s-France (represented by the characters of Father Mignon, Sister Jeanne and Cardinal Richelieu--an unholy-trilogy?).
Is there much-difference in why Grandier is degraded similarly to Christ? Russell (a Catholic)goes-further: is there any-difference between the political-scapegoating of Urbain Grandier and Jesus? The answer should be obvious, and Richelieu's theocratic-yearnings for power can only be seen as a threat to liberty, just as they are now in the Middle East, and the United States. Even from that remote-year of 1971, Russell could be saying that these political and spiritual-struggles are one-and-the-same, and that they are eternal. This is not an exploitation-film, but it is as dark and horrific as any classic horror film. What is most-terrible is that it is true. Keep-in-mind not one image is in this film "by-mistake," as Russell places an image in a film for a specific-meaning and purpose. The film is a warning to be vigilant against the aims of power, and sheds-light on why Christ was crucified.
The images of people being-tortured, vomiting, acting-hysterically--they are not there to merely shock, but as a warning about social-hysterics of all-sorts. Repression can lead-to perversion, states Russell, resoundingly. Set specifically in 17th Century France after the eight "Hugenot Wars", "The Devils" should be read as a cautionary-tale of how people can willingly give-up their liberties in uncertain times, not-unlike our own. The religious-wars still rage, and will continue to. With the world finally being able see what director Ken Russell intended, we might see this film being very-influential in years-to-come. Italian-filmmakers were inspired--they created the "nunsploitation-genre" from-it! Good lapsed-Catholics, all. This is what the "Grand Guignol" was based-on. From the 1600s-to-now, the threats are the same. Only technology has changed. Bother Warner Bros. into releasing this classic at: