The latest restoration of Ken Russell’s The Devils is playing NYFF and all is right with the world.
The film tells a version of the story of what happened in the French city of Loudon when an abbess accused the head priest of vile things. The actual story concerned greed and the need to remove a powerful member of the clergy. Here the film is refashioned as the abbess lusting after the priest, getting spurned and becoming jealous because he had a different lover and then setting in motion events that destroyed a number of people.
Russell’s film was censored, banned, and reviled over the years. It also developed a large fan base, of which I am a member.
Is it the greatest thing since sliced bread? Probably not, not even if Mark Kermode says so. It’s a messy film with a very deliberate look that rattles cages and makes you think. Despite having several editions of the film I rarely watch it because I have to be in the right mood.
If you are a lover of cinema and you haven’t seen it, you must. But be prepared, the whole tone of the film is troubling, never mind the violence. If you are a good Christian be prepared to have your faith rattled.
I love the film, but it is not for everyone.
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