It could be seen as symbolic that this year’s two major Hollywood studio films at Cannes are featured in the repertory Classics section, not the Official Competition. The first was Universal’s anniversary screening of The Fast and the Furious on Wednesday night in the Grand Lumière. The second, a more distinctive offering, came from Warner Bros.’s new boutique label, Clockwork, which launched its first official event this evening with a new 4K director’s edition of Ken Russell’s notorious 1971 film, The Devils.
Starring Vanessa Redgrave and Oliver Reed, The Devils recounts the true story of Urbain Grandier, a 17th-century Catholic priest executed for witchcraft. Although inspired by historical events and earlier adaptations like John Whiting’s 1960 stage play, Russell’s distinctive cinematic vision was condemned by contemporary critics who deemed it blasphemous.
The Vatican publicly criticized the film, demanding the cancellation of its 1971 debut screenings at the Venice Film Festival. While selected press viewed the film, public screenings were indeed canceled to prevent protests. Despite this, Russell won Best Director at Venice, though The Devils was subsequently banned in Italy and numerous other countries. In the UK and the U.S., the film was released with an X rating only after substantial edits.
In a 2002 interview with his biographer Mark Kermode, Russell reflected on the experience as “heartbreaking,” lamenting that the deleted material represented not only some of his “finest work” but also the “thematic heart of the film.”
Russell himself restored an uncut version of The Devils in 2004, which premiered at the National Film Theatre in London but never saw a public release. For decades, only the censored version was screened at film festivals worldwide, and the British Film Institute, a longtime champion of the film, released an edited DVD in 2011. Warner Bros. finally agreed to release the uncut version earlier this year, coinciding with its Cannes premiere announcement.
Elisabeth Russell, Ken Russell’s widow, and Mark Kermode introduced the evening’s screening, commending Warner Bros. Clockwork for releasing Russell’s complete film and for their meticulous restoration work. The new 4K print, painstakingly assembled from the original camera negative, presents an astonishing picture quality.
Among the notable attendees was honorary Palme d’Or winner Peter Jackson. Thierry Frémaux, head of the Cannes Film Festival, informed the sold-out audience that Jackson was one of many high-profile filmmakers who personally requested tickets for the premiere. Frémaux remarked, “For them, Ken Russell and this movie, in particular, has a special importance in their lives.”
Despite the film’s controversial legacy, the screening was met not with gasps or screams, but with laughter. Fifty-five years after its initial release, The Devils‘ most infamous sequences, including the “rape of Christ” depicting naked nuns assaulting a statue of Jesus Christ, no longer provoke widespread shock. Instead, the film resonated as an intensely affecting satire of power and state corruption—a theme perhaps even more pertinent today than in 1971.
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