The 14th Annual Halloween Special and The Devils 4K Re-release
Heat. Heat. [music] Pray for us all, especially me. Welcome back to the 14th annual Halloween special. I'm very excited about tonight's video. We are talking about a 1971 film directed by Ken Russell called The Devils that is currently in 4K re-release in theaters. A brand new restoration of Russell's original director's cut. This was a long justestating project. The film critic Mark Kermode helped bring about and it's being released by the brand new Warner Brothers Clockwork. And here a charismatic 17th century French priest becomes the target of an obsessed nun's witchcraft accusations which corrupt church and state officials are all too happy to exploit. The history of the devils is almost as interesting as the movie itself.
An Uncut Viewing Experience and Rare NC17 Rating
The film is masterful and Chapter 2: Viewing experience and rating. I have never seen it before. I got to see it on the big screen for the very first time in the way it was intended. I did not have to watch any cut down version or some bootleg thing. I got to see it for the very first time. And I'm really glad that I got to see it this way because this movie was incredible. I loved it. It was such a mindblowing film to see on a giant screen with this incredible cinematography. It is one of the best looking movies I can currently think of from the early '70s. And it has an image or two that certainly predated The Exorcisit by a couple years. But this movie has faced a very difficult and long road to not only being received by the public in the way it should, but being released or seen at all. Yes, there was a release, but it was heavily cut down. What's in theaters now is actually rated NC17, which is very rare. Most movies try to avoid that rating, like The Plague. H. And unlike some films where you think to yourself, okay, this is just some kind of marketing stunt. They put in one shot that made it NC17. It wouldn't be like that without it. Now, this movie deserves the rating because not only is this movie filled with quite a bit of stuff, that's what we'll call it. It has religious imagery that would send a hardened Catholic straight to hell. I mean, right down to hell, like hanging out with Satan. In fact, one of the restored sequences involves a statue of Christ and a bunch of nuns. That was a big topic of discussion back in the early '70s and had to be exised from the film and is now seen in all of its glory. I didn't know any of this though before I saw the movie. I was completely ignorant to it. I researched the movie a little bit, but I wanted to stay as blind as possible and just enjoy the film for what it was.
Critical Reception, History, and Roger Ebert's Zero Star Rating
So, I can really offer like a very true interpretation of just how great the movie is because I haven't been tarnished by years of wanting to see it or reading other people's opinions. I found out like two days ago that Roger Eert gave this movie zero stars. he found absolutely no merit in the film. That was quite shocking to me and reading a lot of the reviews from the early 1970s was as well. People were very unkind to this film and it took a long time for people to appreciate it. And it sucks that Ken Russell is dead and not alive to now see this re-release. But I'm sure over the years he was able to see just how much people love the movie before he did pass away. Chapter 4: Plot and thematic analysis. But Eert saw absolutely no merit in the film to give it his lowest grade. That was a grade that he reserved for films that he didn't even think should be made, his most absolutely hated movies. And there have been plenty of times where I've disagreed with him in reviews. And I'm sure there's times where some of you have watched a video or two of mine and disagreed with me, too. It happens all the time. And that's part of the beauty of film. You have different opinions.
The Black Plague, White Brick City, and Plot Analysis
People are dying of the black plague. You have a city that is built entirely out of white brick. You have repressed nuns who are looking at Oliver Reed's grandeier and wanting everything to do with that man. I mean, this guy is like the most manly guy of all time. He might as well be the model for Bronny paper towels. So much so that when Vanessa Redgraves nun realizes she can't have him, she puts on a ruse to suggest that he has done things he shouldn't. And those corrupt state and church officials are very happy to take her accusations at face value. As I already said, this movie is an absolutely gorgeous feat of incredible cinematography, but it is also very, very scary. And not in the ways that The Exorcist makes you feel fear. This is a film that really burrows into your skin, makes you feel very uncomfortable. And if you have any history with religion at all or currently do believe in God or feel very fervently one way or the other, I think the imagery in this movie will impact you deeply, especially if your religion is that of Christianity in some way. It's also very frightening how the film explores church getting involved with state, which is always a great idea and definitely yields great results every single time. these really terrible men who maybe at one point in time in the 1970s felt like larger-than-life caricatures, but not so much anymore. The way they use the Bible to manipulate and corrupt people and justify their crimes is horrifying.
Final Verdict, Legacy, and Top-Tier Performances
Chapter 5: Final verdict and legacy. Vanessa Redgrave is amazing. I can't even imagine what her back felt like at the end of this film, but she did a really great job. She's so great and very memorable. I mean, I always remember her from Mission Impossible and some other films when I saw her as a kid, but this obviously would have been a massive impression on the right audience in the 1970s. The performances are incredible. The writing and the directing, it's just all very top tier. It's amazing this film got made, the staging, the amount of people, the sheer number of things that are constantly in frame. It's astounding. And yet, this is a movie where Oliver Reed throws a [__] crocodile at a guy. I mean, you can just have fun watching the Devils up to a point because it's also like a really [__] up movie. To be real though, the movie gets very, very dark and has some very disturbing sequences. The film will absolutely bother you and I've seen a lot of horror and you can't even necessarily refer to this as just a horror movie because it has a lot on its mind. But if you had to pick a genre, for me, this is a movie that is truly terrifying, very, very scary, has imagery that I will never forget, has incredible performances, and earns its NC17 rating. But better yet, this is the vision of a filmmaker that was unfairly trashed in his day for this film, which is considered a masterpiece now, rightfully so. It's really, really great. And I'm excited that people can see this movie finally, that it will be readily available for them once it eventually is released on physical media. So, thanks Mark Kermode for doing a good thing. Thanks to Warner Brothers Clockwork for getting this movie out there. This is great. And rest in peace Ken Russell. I hope somewhere you're feeling a little more rested tonight. Guys, thank you so much for continuing to watch the 14th annual Halloween special. Look forward to more videos very soon. If you like this, you can click right here and get stuckmanized.
An Unforgettable and Deeply Disturbing Cinematic Experience
And if you have any history with religion at all or currently do believe in God or feel very fervently one way or the other, I think the imagery in this movie will impact you deeply, especially if your religion is that of Christianity in some way. It's also very frightening how the film explores church getting involved with state, which is always a great idea and definitely yields great results every single time. These really terrible men who maybe at one point in time in the 1970s felt like larger-than-life caricatures, but not so much anymore. The way they use the Bible to manipulate and corrupt people and justify their crimes is horrifying.
Top-Tier Performances and the Legacy of a Masterpiece
Chapter 5: Final verdict and legacy. Vanessa Redgrave is amazing. I can't even imagine what her back felt like at the end of this film, but she did a really great job. She's so great and very memorable. I mean, I always remember her from Mission Impossible and some other films when I saw her as a kid, but this obviously would have been a massive impression on the right audience in the 1970s. The performances are incredible. The writing and the directing, it's just all very top tier. It's amazing this film got made, the staging, the amount of people, the sheer number of things that are constantly in frame. It's astounding. And yet, this is a movie where Oliver Reed throws a crocodile at a guy. I mean, you can just have fun watching the Devils up to a point because it's also like a really up movie. To be real though, the movie gets very, very dark and has some very disturbing sequences. The film will absolutely bother you and I've seen a lot of horror and you can't even necessarily refer to this as just a horror movie because it has a lot on its mind.
Final Verdict and Rest in Peace Ken Russell
But if you had to pick a genre, for me, this is a movie that is truly terrifying, very, very scary, has imagery that I will never forget, has incredible performances, and earns its NC17 rating. But better yet, this is the vision of a filmmaker that was unfairly trashed in his day for this film, which is considered a masterpiece now, rightfully so. It's really, really great. And I'm excited that people can see this movie finally, that it will be readily available for them once it eventually is released on physical media. So, thanks Mark Kermode for doing a good thing. Thanks to Warner Brothers Clockwork for getting this movie out there. This is great. And rest in peace Ken Russell. I hope somewhere you're feeling a little more rested tonight. Guys, thank you so much for continuing to watch the 14th annual Halloween special. Look forward to more videos very soon. If you like this, you can click right here and get stuckmanized.
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