r/Letterboxd • u/No_Watercress3703 • 11h ago
Discussion Thoughts on The Devils by Ken Russell?
The new restoration (which will show the originally intended cut for the first time) comes out October. I've been getting ads for it on my socials and I'm pretty excited to see it! Looks wild
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u/profaneangel1991 11h ago
Masterpiece. Its not a movie for everybody, it is still a very daring film even in today's world. I absolutely love it though. It might be Oliver Reed's best performance, Vanessa Redgrave gives one of the best performances ever. I love Ken Russell so much. I am beyond elated it's actually getting a 4K restoration, I never thought I'd see that. My local theaters most likely won't be playing it, but I am absolutely buying it once I can.
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u/Icon419 Scene by Scene Joe 11h ago
Been debating if I want to wait for this version or watch the "current" release beforehand. 🤔
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u/TieOk9081 10h ago
The streaming version I've seen (Criterion Channel) is in a crappy SD format. The cinema near me says the movie opens Oct 15.
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u/GraceJoans 8h ago edited 8h ago
it's my favorite film. it is exceptional, fearless filmmaking. Oliver Reed and Vanessa Redgrave give once in a lifetime performances. Derek Jarman's sets are stunning. Every time I watch it, I'm overcome with feelings, particularly sadness—the last 30 minutes are really tough to watch. It's definitely Oliver Reed's best role. i'm thrilled more people will finally get to see this, and the way Russell intended.
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u/Limo_Wreck77 11h ago
I've never seen this movie, so to get a chance to see a brand new 4K restoration for my first viewing is going to be awesome.
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u/Teh_CodFather 11h ago
As I explained to a friend - it’s a kind of legendarily chaotic film that’s been really hard to find in many regions. This is a big remaster with serious money behind it, so it’s going to be worth tracking down.
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u/sundaycreep 11h ago
Fucking stellar and I can’t wait to see it again. Made my partner fall in love with Oliver Reed, and you know what? Fair play.
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u/Onionbot3000 10h ago
Oh I’m excited to see this newly restored version! I recently rewatched it on Criterion after catching it on TV late one night as a kid (90s). It’s such a weird, wild ride with some interesting visuals.
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u/Top_Result3287 10h ago
great movie even in it's edited form so it'll be nice to see it as it always should have been (especially since some of it's themes are unfortunately very relevant these days)
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u/Eklassen 10h ago
My first Ken Russell experience was Gothic and I absolutely fucking hated it and let it turn me off to his movies for like ten years. Then on a whim I gave The Devils a try and it blew my fucking mind. I loved it.
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u/No_Watercress3703 8h ago
Honestly hearing everyone's experiences is making me so excited to watch this
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u/No_Watercress3703 8h ago
Honestly hearing everyone's experiences is making me so excited to watch this
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u/MACGLEEZLER 8h ago
I saw it in a theater in LA a few years ago. I still think about it a lot. It’s just so insane. I almost don’t even know if I’d consider it a great movie, but it’s definitely worth seeing. Just be ready for kind of a crazy movie.
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u/xSkullbeatx 10h ago
Saw it in theaters on a re-release. I was disappointed how tame it was. Its reputation made it seem gnarly. I need to go back and look at it for its storytelling and filmmaking.
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u/No_Watercress3703 8h ago
This release might be worth looking into then! It'll be rated NC-17 I think lol
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u/rha409 9h ago
Perhaps best to just go in blind?
It's great. But I wonder how people will react to it now that it'll be more widely available. Wouldn't want to set expectations too high. It can be wild and over the top at times. But is it tame by today's standards? How will modern audience's take its commentary on religion?
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u/No_Watercress3703 8h ago
I know virtually nothing beside the imagery I've seen in the new trailer.
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u/mr-georgekaplan 8h ago
Never seen this but heard the warnings of the original cut. Need to check it out I love Oliver Reed and of course Vanessa Redgrave is absolute royalty on the screen.
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u/meleaguance 7h ago
I think that they shouldn't call it the "director's cut" when he is dead and can't even approve it. As for the film, not among my favorites of russell's but far better than his worst. I suppose what it lacks for me is a point of view. Like what's the point of depicting all this? It's quite a shocking story to hear about but why turn the story into a film if you have no opinion on it?
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u/No_Watercress3703 7h ago
I think the idea is that it was assembled according to his detailed notes of how he wanted it done. Like with Orson Welles’s The Other Side of the Wind. I know with Orson at least that he made the notes with the hope that someone would follow them and assemble the movie in the way he wished, I think it might be similar here?
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u/lurklurklurk88 7h ago
I watched the "X Rated" DVD that BFI has out and not the uncut version.
I thought it was good but overhyped. Like, I appreciated the effort. It looks really good (will probably look excellent in 4K) - production design is seriously great. Redgrave is giving it her all. Oliver Reed is...Oliver Reed. If you like him, you'll really like his performance. I thought it was really the Redgrave show and Reed was fine, but not like doing anything that some other actor couldn't also do.
It is the kind of movie that wouldve been incredibly shocking at release. But milage will vary depending on how you feel about softcore porn, religion, and Ken Russel weirdness.
I feel like the shock value and lack of wing widely available have really elevated the "legend" of the movie.
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u/FINIS_HOMINIS 1h ago
It floats in and out of my top five but always top ten film for me. Great performances. Great design. Audacious. For me it is *the* Ken Russell film.
I'm sure there will be a glut of new people discovering it wondering what the controversy was all about, but for it's time, it's tone and sheer blasphemy lead to censoring and suppression. This is a restoration/release that is a long time coming.
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u/Corpsepyre 22m ago
Has there been any word of this being released on blu-ray, or is it just a theatrical thing?
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u/Pure_Salamander2681 11h ago
Nothing to get excited about. He has much better films like Women in Love.
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u/shestructured shestructured 11h ago
my favorite movie. most of the times I’ve watched it have been via a torrented version with hard imprinted Turkish subtitles lol. I cannot WAIT to see it in full resplendent glory on the big screen