Sex-crazed nuns, lustful clergymen, carnal exorcisms, and religious power struggles all combined for one of the most controversial movies ever made: Ken Russell’s The Devils (1971). Set in 17th century France, just after the Huguenots rebellion, the movie dramatizes the real case of priest Urbain Grandier of Loudun (played by Oliver Reed) who was accused of witchcraft and possession. He was burned at the stake after being tortured for a confession that never materialized.
Russell’s film was the subject of scandal, resulting in several bans across different markets. British censors attacked it for its “pornographic nature” while more conservative groups pointed to its “gratuitous” lambasting of religious institutions. In America, Warner Bros. removed what Russell considered to be the movie’s key scene, the aptly called “Rape of Christ” (in which nuns defile a statue of Jesus on the cross).
For years, the director’s preferred version was nowhere to be found. That is, until film critic Mark Kermode rescued key pieces of footage that were kept in the Warner Bros. vaults, restored them, put them back in the movie, and then presented it all together as the definitive cut of The Devils back in 2002.
The movie’s currently on a limited theater run, and a successful one at that. With strong ticket sales and renewed interest in both the movie and its visionary director, additional dates and showtimes have been added to what was originally planned as a week-long run in October 2026.
This is the kind of film that deserves to be seen on the big screen. Russell crafted a visually striking recreation of 1630’s Loudun, based on Aldous Huxley’s 1952 non-fiction book The Devils of Loudun and John Whiting’s 1960 play The Devils. It features lavish sets that reflect the inescapable and oppressively inevitable influences of the Catholic church in all facets of life. They were constructed by famed stage designer Derek Jarman, who injected a strong sense of hubris into the grand physical structures that populate the story.
The Devils also thrived on the transcendental power of its performances. Oliver Reed portrays Grandier as a man that’s intricately aware of the circus act that props up his religion, especially as it pertains to the manipulation of the masses. He’s a silver-tongued devil that uses sex as a means to rebel against the church. It’s a near-mythical display of acting that’s as furious as it comes.
Vanessa Redgrave also gives a powerhouse performance as Sister Jeanne des Anges, the hunchbacked abbess of the local convent. She’s sexually smitten by Grandier, despite never having met him. She grows increasingly obsessed with him, to the point that her mind leads her to believe he does not favor her simply because he’s not returned the sentiment. She starts the possession rumors as a result. The enemies of Grandier take full advantage of this.
Redgrave puts madness on full display, becoming the very embodiment of it. She’s the victim of a system that represses her most intense desires, and she projects that existential frustration with a force. It’s her movie as much as Grandier’s. Redgrave imbues Sister Jeanne des Anges with a fire that bursts through the screen.
There’s no news of a Blu-ray/4K release of The Devils as of the time of this writing (though I suspect it’s coming), so the big screen is the only way to experience this masterwork for the foreseeable future. It truly lives up to its reputation. It shocks and it startles, but it does so in service of putting religious corruption and institutional abuse in a well-earned state of undress for all to see. So, embrace the controversy and watch The Devils.
