The Devils

This movie has serious balls.

The great Ken Russell, who just passed away at age 84, was doubtlessly one of the most uncompromising filmmakers, who enriched cinema with a variety of often controversial and bizarre cult films including Savage Messiah and Altered States. Even though I am not (yet) an expert on the man's filmography (having seen only three of his films), I think it is save to say that The Devils of 1971 is one of his most unique, imposing and unforgettable works. An atmospherically overwhelming cinematic experience, The Devils is Russel's brutal and brilliantly bizarre biographical story of the real-life unorthodox 17th century French priest Urbain Grandier. Due to its criticism of the Catholic church, bizarre sequences of religion paired with violent excess and orgiastic sexuality, the film was heavily censored and only available in mutilated versions after religious moralists had stirred controversy. As always, the controversy stirred by reactionary institutions had opposite effects: The Devils is maybe the most important film for the the rise of Nunsploitation, a sub-genre of mostly European and generally sleazy films about naughty and possessed nuns that engage in all sorts of sexual, violent and blasphemous behavior. In fact, the genre could never surpass the graphic brutal nature of which The Devils is made of. If there was a nunsploitation film I'd recommend it would most certainly be this Ken Russell's flick. However, that could be misleading, since the nunsploitation is rather boring and less shocking than expected.

You die in Jesus name.

Sinful sisters.

Based upon a real story which happened in the 1630s France, the infamous French Cardinal Richilieu orders the destruction of French towns in order to prevent a rise of the Hugenots (French Protestants). The charismatic Urbain Grandier (Oliver Reed) is the priest of the French town Loudoun, and a womanizer whom women generally can't resist. Grandier sleeps with nuns and noblewomen alike, and manages to temporarily prevent the destruction of his town. The crippled, deformed and mad mother superior of the Loundon convent, sister Jeanne (Vanessa Redgrave) has fallen in love with the priest, and when he secretly marries another, hell hath no fury like this nun scorned. The nun's accusations against Grandier are welcomed by his powerful political opponents who send an obsessed Exorcist (Michael Gothard) who is to prove Grandier's association with the devil...

The Devils is a remarkable film in many aspects. It arguably marks Ken Russell's, Oliver Reed's and Vanessa Redgrave's finest hour. Oliver Reed was doubtlessly one of the greatest British actors in the history of the country's cinema, who is far too often remembered for his (cool and highly original) drunken antics instead of his brilliant performances. His charismatic performance as Urbain Grandier here is one of the finest ever given. Vanessa Redgrave is fantastic in her display of a disturbed woman who dabbles between devilishly vengeful intrigue, pure evil and pathetic desperation and insanity. Equally great is Michael Gothard in the his role of the obsessed religious fanatic Father Barre. The film is visually overwhelming, often beautifully disturbing and bizarre. Some sequences, such as the 'Christ' dream sequence are highly surreal to a unique point, comparable maybe only to Alejandro Jodorowsky's films.

Holy Schlock!

Don't worry, its OK doing it in front of the cross.

In The Devils we get: nuns ripping their clothes off and running around naked (pretending to be possessed), people burned at the stake, forced vomiting, nuns copulating with Jesus (just a hallucination though), physical torture of many different varieties. It's very in your face. However, the subject is topical (obviously) and it really deserves to be seen by more people.

Another great reason to see this movie is Vanessa Redgrave, who plays a hunchbacked mother superior. A very conflicted character attracted to Oliver Reed. I've never liked Vanessa Redgrave much, but she is magnificent in this movie. And her performance is one of the creepiest I have ever seen, rivalling Paul Smith's sweating smiling sinister jail-guard in "Midnight Express".

Even after forty three years this film stays in one's memory. The performance by Oliver Reed is so good that I keep hoping to see him doing something besides B-horror movies. He isn't to be found apparently. Based on the book by Aldous Huxley this is a MUST for anyone who enjoys the movies. 

I'm your savior.

Cum hungry nuns.

While it has some lengthier parts, The Devils is generally a film that overwhelms in all regards. It is a bizarre, often brutal and always uncompromising masterpiece that is visually stunning and magnificently acted. Along with Michael Reeves' equally uncompromising Witchfinder General (1968, starring the great Vincent Price) and Michael Armstrong's ultra-gruesome HEXEN BIS AUFS BLUT GEQUÄLT (Mark Of The Devil, 1970), The Devils was one of the films that spawned a trend of (especially European) Exploitation films about Inquisition and (mass-)murder in the name of religion. It is beyond me why decent DVD-copies of this great film are still difficult to purchase as it was mostly released in mutilated versions. A true must-see for every lover of uncompromising cinema, one of the great British films of the 70s.

Here's the movie trailer: