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The Devils (1971)
Rate:
7
Viewed:
2/22
2/22:
Among the most controversial movies of all time, I had a hard time obtaining the uncut version of The Devils
which is mostly based on The Devils of Loudun by Aldous Huxley about what happened to Father Urbain Grandier.
After seeing the film, I understand now why it has a notorious history of futile releases. It can't be the nudity but the
excessive display of sacrileges against religion. The church must have played a big role in preventing the film from seeing the
light of the day. Also, The Devils has been labeled a horror film when it's really a drama.
I don't know what happened, but the second half is when things started to click in my head. The dialogue
from the outset must have created a lingering disconnect. Yet the writing is very good throughout. Madman Ken
Russell may have gone overboard sooner than expected, but it's been apropos during the second half, especially the orgiastic
frenzy.
Oliver Reed is another highlight. Many have said it's the best of his career, and the actor himself called it his favorite.
However, I'm going to disagree and say he was better in
Paranoiac, The Hunting Party, and
Burnt Offerings. Yep, Oliver Reed had his head and mustache shaved off for the movie; a lesser actor
would have donned a skullcap or a wig. Now, he'll never be accused of having faked anything.
As for everybody else, there are a couple of standouts: Dudley Sutton and Michael Gothard as Laubardemont and the witch-hunter,
respectively. It's interesting to see Vanessa Redgrave whose role was meant for Glenda Jackson. She must've had a lot of
fun with her character.
A lot of what's going on reminds me of The Crucible. The themes are similar. As a matter of fact, the
events as shown occurred sixty years before the Salem Witch Trials. If Oscar nominations are to be handed out, one should have
gone to Best Costume Design. The cinematography is timeless considering the year it was made in. The white-tiled city
was designed by Caravaggio's Derek Jarman which took three months to complete.
All in all, Ken Russell made a lot of terrible, absurd films, but The Devils is by far the best of his career.