For decades, Ken Russell’s “The Devils” has been treated like a cinematic blasphemy that Warner Bros. would rather keep locked away. A masterpiece of religious hysteria, political rot, sexual repression, and white-hot institutional violence, the 1971 film has been chopped up, buried, bootlegged, debated, and chased by cinephiles who knew its reputation long before they could actually see it properly.
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That may finally change. Warner Bros.’ new Clockwork label, presenting more arthouse and indie films, will present a new 4K restoration of Russell’s director’s cut of “The Devils” as an official selection of Cannes Classics, followed by a select North American theatrical release beginning October 16 for an exclusive one-week engagement. For a film that has been long AWOL from cinemas and official DVD/home-video circulation in any widely accessible form, this is not just a repertory event. It is one of the most significant restoration announcements in years.
The film stars Vanessa Redgrave as Sister Jeanne, Oliver Reed as Father Grandier, and Gemma Jones as Madeleine. Written and directed by Russell, “The Devils” was produced by Robert H. Solo and Russell, with music composed and conducted by Peter Maxwell Davies, cinematography by David Watkin, editing by Michael Bradsell, costumes by Shirley Russell, and sets designed by Derek Jarman.
Set in 17th-century France and drawn from the historical Loudun possessions, the film follows the destruction of Father Grandier after accusations of witchcraft become a weapon of religious, sexual, and political control. Russell viewed the story not as a supernatural tale, but as one of political corruption, public hysteria, and institutional power feeding on fear. He once called it his only political film, and the description has aged with brutal clarity.
The new restoration was assembled from the original camera negative and presents Russell’s definitive vision by referencing the edit he privately constructed in 2004. According to the release, the film’s sound was remastered from original English composite 35mm mag film transferred at 96kHz, with other original film elements used in selected spots as needed. Warner Bros. postproduction Creative Services, Water Tower Color, and Warner Bros. Sound performed picture and sound restoration. The reconstruction of the director’s cut was undertaken by Lucida Productions in London, with Paul Joyce as supervising producer, Bradsell as film editor, Brian King as online editor, and thanks given to UK radio personality and film critic Mark Kermode, one of the film’s most prominent advocates.
The history behind that restoration is part of the story. The film has never been released as Russell intended, in the full director’s cut first unveiled at London’s National Film Theatre in 2004. Its most notorious cuts included a public display of alleged demonic possession that climaxed with nuns tearing down and ravaging a giant crucifix—a sequence Russell considered central to the film’s attack on spectacle, blasphemy, and institutional corruption.
That context is what makes the Cannes premiere feel so momentous. Plenty of classics return to the Croisette in restored form. Few arrive with this much cultural baggage, cinephile frustration, and righteous anticipation. “The Devils” is not simply being polished up for a nostalgia circuit. It is being returned to public view after years in which seeing it correctly required patience, luck, or a tolerance for inferior copies.
For Warner Bros. Clockwork, the release also marks a major statement of intent. The label’s first repertory title is one of the most notorious and sought-after works in the Warner library, and its theatrical rollout will begin in North America on October 16, with international dates to follow. The British Film Institute will partner on the UK release.
For Russell, who died in 2011, the restoration offers something rarer than the usual anniversary victory lap: the chance for audiences to encounter the film as a living, dangerous object rather than a censored legend. “The Devils” has never needed mythology to make its case. It only needed to be seen.
Rodrigo Perez is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Playlist, which he launched in 2008. He has worked in entertainment journalism since 2000, including at MTV, and has written for SPIN, IndieWire, Pitchfork, Complex, Magnet, and various music, film, and entertainment publications over the past two decades.
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