Audiences are starving for cinematic blasphemy. Ken Russell’s The Devils is staying in theaters indefinitely, following a surprisingly strong run for the newly restored 4K version of the controversial 1971 film.
Warner Bros. Clockwork made the announcement on social media, encouraging anyone who doesn’t have a local screening to call their theater and demand one.
That’s quite a turnaround for a movie that was originally scheduled for a one-week theatrical engagement beginning October 16. The film opened in 350 North American theaters and brought in approximately $1.73 million over its first weekend. Its box office total has since climbed past $3.3 million. That’s a remarkable showing for a 55-year-old movie carrying an NC-17 rating, particularly one that spent so much of its life being difficult to see in anything resembling its intended form.
Hiding away at an undisclosed location in the Pacific Northwest, I had to travel over two hours to see Ken Russel’s legendary thriller in a theater up in Portland. And the trip was well worth it. I’d held off watching this for years, simply because I didn’t want to watch a butchered version. Apparently, a lot of you out there felt the same way.
Warner Bros. Clockwork’s latest announcement takes the release beyond the earlier extension. There is no longer a fixed end date. The studio says theaters can continue playing The Devils as long as audiences keep showing up, and it’s putting some of the responsibility in the hands of moviegoers. If your local theater isn’t showing it, Clockwork wants you to make some noise. You can check participating theaters and ticket availability through the official movie website.
You hear that, Albany Regal? Get this one up one your screens, STAT. I will come watch it again.
For anyone unfamiliar with the fuss, The Devils stars Oliver Reed as Urbain Grandier, a priest in 17th-century France whose influence over the town of Loudun makes him a target of Cardinal Richelieu. When a group of nuns are accused of demonic possession, Grandier becomes caught in a vicious campaign involving religious hysteria and political manipulation. Vanessa Redgrave plays Sister Jeanne, whose fixation on Grandier helps fuel the accusations. The cast also includes Gemma Jones and Christopher Logue.
Ken Russell’s film was controversial from the moment it arrived in 1971. Its religious imagery and graphic sexual content led to censorship and cuts in multiple territories. The most infamous missing material involved a sequence known as the “Rape of Christ,” which became a major part of the film’s long and complicated restoration history. The version now playing is the definitive cut reconstructed in 2004 under Russell’s supervision, with editor Michael Bradsell and collaborators Mark Kermode and Paul Joyce. The new 4K restoration was made using the original camera negative, with the sound restored from original 35mm magnetic film elements.
The theatrical release is also the first major outing for Warner Bros. Clockwork, the studio’s specialty label focused on bringing restored classics and other distinctive films back to theaters. Choosing The Devils as its launch title was certainly a statement. Having that title turn into a genuine box office story is an even better one.
I’m glad this is happening. There are plenty of older movies that get called classics, only to receive a brief revival before disappearing from theaters again. The Devils has always had a reputation that makes it feel almost mythical to anyone who hasn’t had the chance to see it properly. Now audiences are buying tickets, giving the studio a reason to keep it around.
If you’ve been waiting for an opportunity to see Ken Russell’s film on a proper big screen, you have more time. And if it isn’t playing near you, apparently the studio would like you to have a word with your local theater. In the immortal words of Roddy Bottum, get the MFers on the phone.
