The Devils (Special Uncut Restored Edition 1971)
by Ken Russell
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Dudley Sutton, Michael Gothard, Oliver Reed, Vanessa RedgraveDirector: Ken Russell
DVD: Region Code 0
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled)
Format: Color, Import, NTSC
Running Time: 111 minutes
Studio: Film Media
Product features:
- Language: English. Subtitles: NON
Movie Reviews of The Devils (Special Uncut Restored Edition 1971)
Movie Review: One of Ken Russell's Most Important Movies
Summary: 5 Stars
For Russellphiles out there -- this is the most uncut version of the film available in America, and includes the infamous "Rape of Christ" sequence in full, along with a nice assortment of extras in the form of period documentaries. For non-Russellphles -- get this movie and watch it. Even nearly forty years after its release, it is still utterly relevant in its depiction of corruption, religious malfeasance, deceit, and the like. In fact, in the few weeks since I bought it, the Catholic Church Altar Boy Rape of the Day saga has made this film incredibly more relevant to 2010.
The film itself is amazing, based on a play based on a non-fiction work by Aldous Huxley called "The Devils of Loudon", with set design by Derek Jarman very early in his career, and with an incredible cast of stars (Oliver Reed, Vanessa Redgrave) and incredible character actors (Murray Melvin, Michael Barré.)
Regarding the DVD transfer itself, other comments here complain about the quality. However, I was lucky enough to have seen this film several times in art house re-release, and what you get here is pretty much what's been available on film. For example, one sequence in the film is presented in grainy black and white, and this was Russell's original intent, parodying Biblical Epic silent films to make his point. Otherwise, the transfer, both color and sound, is immaculate throughout, pun intended.
Unfortunately, so few of Russell's films from this era are available on DVD, and the few that are have gone out of print and have achieved collector status, and so demand ridiculous prices. Here is a reasonably priced piece of Russell that both elucidates his genius and illuminates our own age. If you're a film fan or historian, then you owe it to yourself to own this movie.
Summary of The Devils (Special Uncut Restored Edition 1971)
Based on ¼. Bulgakov's play "Ivan Vasilievich". The time machine of inventor Timofeev links his flat to the remote XVI century, to the halls of Ivan Vasilievich the Terrible. Two our contemporaries who found themselves in the flat by a chance will, get to the remote past. The sovereign "moves" to their place in the present. All of a sudden there emerged a wall between the past and the present. While the engineer was trying to adjust the machine, a lot of unexpected events happened.Similar DVD Movies
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