Ken Russell’s The Devils (Director’s Cut)

Director’s Cut in 4K

Ken Russell’s film about a show trial during the religious wars caused an uproar in the early 1970s. It was cut, banned and condemned as blasphemous and pornographic. Through graphic scenes of torture, orgies and rituals, Russell brings to life the horrors of a dark chapter in human history.

In 17th-century France, Cardinal Richelieu (Christopher Logue) and his power-hungry followers are determined to seize absolute control of the country and cement their position at the top. As part of their plan, they seek to persuade the reigning King Louis XIII (Graham Armitage) to demolish the fortified walls of French cities, leaving Protestants with nowhere to hide from his Catholic grip on power. To achieve this, they must eliminate the priest Urbain Grandier (Oliver Reed), the newly appointed governor of Loudun, who has no intention of surrendering his city’s defences. Richelieu and his obedient henchmen enlist the services of the deranged inquisitor and witch-hunter Pierre Barre (Michael Gothard), whose task is to expose Grandier’s alleged dark dealings and bring about his downfall. But endless intrigues, dark secrets and sheer lust for power eventually lead to an inferno of destruction.