The Devils (Special Edition) [DVD] [1971]

The film is 40 years old - but it will last forever.'The Devils' is considered by many a masterpiece and it is inthe book: "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die".The story itself is timeless and the visuals doesn't feel old.I hope that enough people will buy this DVD so it'll showthat there's an audience for this film - and that will perhapsgive it an uncut blu ray release in the future.Read on for a more detailed review (no spoilers).The film's message about the marriage between church and stateis delivered so clear - no masks and symbolism to hide it -that it makes you understand how Christianity could take overso big parts of the world. This film is in no way an anti Christian(the director himself, who died last year, was a Christian), butit is anti marriage between church and state. With powerful scenes andnothing to hide its message, the American investors felt uncomfortablewith this film and that's how this film didn't get released until now.And even now Warner Brothers didn't let BFI release this film uncut andgive it a blu ray release (which is a shame for us).Still, after 40 years, they are uncomfortable with this film.Although this is not the uncut version, the missing parts does notruin the story. I've showed this films to many friends of mine now,and none of them reacted about it. What is so delightful about this film,is that it makes you and your friends talk about it and the film's message.You know when you want to show a film to a friend - this is a good choice as well.There are some scenes with such energy, so much foreground and background action,that I am amazed with the dramatic structure and staging.I would say it's even terrific for film students (they even say it on the audio commentary).The film doesn't feel slow and it builds up tension really well.The image and sound quality is really good - BFI has done a terrific job.And we're so lucky that we are given great bonus material to fully understandthis film's history, the controversy it created and the amount of hard work thatwas done creating this film.What the missing part is showing (the missing parts are available on the internet),is a climax in one scene, fleshing out some characters and tells the ending of a story arc of one character. The director's storytelling therefore isn't complete, so I hope for a future uncut Blu ray release. Blu ray because it is closer to the quality that the film was shot in.You see, a 4k resolution is the proper resolution to show 35mm films. The Devils was shot with 35mm. Blu ray has about 50% smaller resolution than 4k. The resolution of a DVD is about three times less than Blu ray. So now you see how much detail we actually miss and it is far from what the filmmakers want to show us. So a Blu ray release with the intended story that the director wanted to tell us would be optimal.I hope that people that buys this dvd will write a review about it and tell their friends about it. It deserves attention.- Toni Nordli

If you have never seen this film but have heard the rumors and the word-of-mouth - it's all true! One of the greatest and best- looking historically fact-based films produced, directed, acted in the 1970s (YES, the events really happened, google the "Loudon possessions, 1634"). A Biting social commentary on politics, religious paranoia/hysteria, torture and sex; as relevant today as it was then (likely, as it has always been). Not a "Horror movie" really in the traditional sense, but it does unsettle and disturb and cause much thought even long after viewing. Some scenes are simply unforgettable.This is the restored X-rated U.K. version. Although some finicky film fanatics may balk that a few minutes of "explicit" footage remains missing from the completed film, this 'Region 2' BFI (British Film Institute ?) 2-disc edition is the best quality package treatment you're likely to see of THE DEVILS anytime soon. As an American I grew up seeing (as most people have) the widely available R rated U.S. versions, which alone were enough to make me a lifelong fan of this film. In seeing this version, the original U.K. 'X' certificate version (states 107 mins on the package), I'm sure I saw a bit more than I have seen before in other U.S. vhs and dvd editions (esp. of the "Nuns gone wild" scenes). The acting by Vanessa Redgrave (Oscar level) and Oliver Reed (heck, the whole cast!) is top rate!Disc 2 contains a great documentary 'Hell on Earth' (2002, 48 mins) which gives us some actual clips, substantial glimpses, I'd say, of the suppressed footage (i.e. "Rape of Christ" and "Charred Bone", plus some others, like of the vulgar mummer's play being acted as Grandier burns). It would be really marvelous if all these scenes were one day restored into the body of the film itself as it really all is leading up to and adding to the story, it is NOT simply vulgarity for vulgarity's sake. Ken Russell was one of those rare masters of film and THE DEVILS is arguably his crowning achievement. Also, this depicts the world these 15th century people lived in.Interviews with actors and crew and the director. The bonus material is substantial: 40 page color booklet is nice and completely dissects just what was censored and why, a brief intro before the film by Mark Kermode, a tireless advocate for this film, is good for the uninitiated, audio commentary w/ Ken Russell, Mark Kermode, Michael Bradsell & Paul Joyce is available but I've yet to view with it, also includes some 26 min early film by Russell called 'Amelia and the Angel' - "a delightful mix of religious allegory and magical fantasy". I've yet to view it.All in all, THIS IS THE VERSION TO GET! I think it will not play on U.S. dvd players but I live in Japan so it plays fine on region 2. If you live in the U.S. and *NEED* this film you can probably find a region-free dvd player somewhere on Amazon or Amazon U.K. enabling you to view it (*?*).