Everyone has a little bit of history with Ken Russell's magnus opus, The Devils.
Has it really been fourteen years since we caught it at Fantasia, when Russell was honored with a lifetime achievement award? We definitely remember sitting there in Concordia Hall, while our ears were blasted to smithereens by out of control sound levels. We were compensated for our hearing loss when we wished Mr. Russell well as he departed our hotel the following day - it was just ourselves and one of the Fantasia staff.
A handful of years later we were sitting in a hotel dining room in Puebla, Mexico, during Morbido, speaking with the head of a boutique distribution label, and they shared that there was a director's cut, or extended cut, out there. We don't quite remember. Basically, you spend enough time on the festival circuit you were bound to come in contact with The Devils.
So today, we are very excited about the news that Warner Bros. has restored Russell's film, uncut and unfiltered, in 4K. Not only will they premiere the restoration at Cannes, but they will also put The Devils in theaters for a one-week run in October.
So, even you if haven't come in contact with Russell's film, next Fall there are no excuses.
THE FILMAn enduring masterpiece of cinema starring Academy Award® - winner Vanessa Redgrave and Oliver Reed, KEN RUSSELL'S THE DEVILS is a prescient epic of obsession and corruption - and a defining work of art from seminal filmmaker Ken Russell.Assembled from the original camera negative, this new 4K restoration presents Ken Russell's definitive vision of THE DEVILS by referencing the edit he privately constructed in 2004.KEN RUSSELL'S THE DEVILS is the uncut and unfiltered theatrical experience that Russell always envisioned - and the first time the film will be presented restored and in 4K.CAST & CREWVanessa Redgrave as Sister JeanneOliver Reed as Father GrandierGemma Jones as MadeleineScreenplay by Ken RussellDirected by Ken RussellProduced by Robert H. Solo and Ken RussellMusic Composed and Conducted by Peter Maxwell DaviesSets Designed by Derek JarmanCostumes Designed by Shirley RussellEditor ... Michael BradsellDirector of Photography ... David WatkinTHE RESTORATIONThis new 4K restoration of Ken Russell's masterpiece was assembled from the original camera negative. The film's sound has been remastered from original English Composite 35mm Mag Film, transferred at 96kHz, plus other original film elements in selected spots as needed. The Picture and Sound restoration was performed by Warner Bros. Post Production Creative Services, Water Tower Color, and Warner Bros. Sound.This reconstruction of the director's cut of THE DEVILS was undertaken by Lucida Productions, London:Paul Joyce, Supervising ProducerMichael Bradsell, Film EditorBrian King, Online Editorand with thanks to Mark Kermode