'Ken Russell's The Devils' Review
Release Date: 10/16/26 [Cinemas]
Genre: Biography. Drama. History.
MPAA: Rated NC17.
Distributor: Clockwork.
The Verdict: A Must-See
Ken Russell's The Devils is a film whose prestige is synonymous with its controversy. After fifty years of criticism, censorship, and scarce home-media availability, The Devils has been restored to its original director's cut as the inaugural release from Warner Bros. ' new Clockwork division of specialty films.
Fans will immediately appreciate the glorious 4K restoration. The original film elements have been lovingly assembled into director Ken Russell’s X-rated cut. It looks pristine. The cinematography shines. Deep hues of red flames saturate the frame. The striking monochromatic production design, with its deep contrast, emphasizes the contradictory nature of the film’s characters. Except for a few hallmarks of 70s filmmaking techniques, everything in The Devils feels intentional and modern. This restoration proves cinema's timelessness and the impact media can have across generations.
Based on the historical takedown of a 17th-century French Catholic Priest named Urbain Grandier (Oliver Reed), the film depicts his guardianship of the French town of Loudon. The mother superior of the Order of Saint Ursula, Sister Jeanne des Agnes (Venessa Redgrave), is a sexually suppressed nun who is in full limerence with Grandier. The sisters accuse Grandier of witchcraft and possession. This leads to his trial and eventual execution at the hands of a catholic witch hunter, which relinquishes power to the French monarchy, who then tear down the walls of the city.
Although film buffs have regarded it as a white whale for five decades, the lingering question remains: why now? When The Devils was released in 1971, my grandparents were around the same age that I am now. We exist in a world today that the filmmakers couldn’t have even fathomed fifty years ago. Likewise, as a viewer, I have no understanding of what it was like to live in the early 70s. Generations have passed. The global culture has shifted so significantly. The lens through which one views this historical account has changed drastically. And yet, The Devils feels so poignantly relevant in 2026. A film about the dangers of integrating church and state leaves me no choice but to apply my understanding to the current political landscape. Even as a historical narrative, it must have meant something to the filmmakers to tell this story in 1971, and it means something to me to receive their message 55 years later.
Seeing the full weight of Ken Russell’s controversial sequences ultimately lends the film more humanity. There are few things in this world as primal and universal as sexual desire. It was the same in 1634 as it was in 1971, as it is in 2026. How we react to it may look different to each person in each era, but the danger of those differences in views always stays the same.
You must check your local theaters for a screening and see it while you can, the way God - I mean Ken Russell - intended.
Where to Watch:
