Ken Russell Film The Devils Receives 4K Restoration and NC-17 Rating

Fifty-five years after its original release, director Ken Russell’s historical psychological horror-drama film The Devils is coming to theaters this October in an uncensored and uncut 4K restoration. The new version carries an NC-17 rating due to its graphic portrayal of violence and sex.

This release marks the first time Warner Bros. has distributed an NC-17-rated film. The company is doing so under its relatively young Clockwork imprint. A new trailer reveals what viewers can expect from the director’s cut, though the presentation is extremely intense.

Due to the strobing nature of the trailer, viewers who are prone to seizures should watch with caution.

The trailer includes never-before-seen footage of the 4K restoration. It represents a major discovery for film lovers, including writer-director Guillermo del Toro.

“The restoration of the material is like cleaning the Sistine Chapel with saliva,” del Toro said. “It is insane, the epic size of the film. I mean, I’ve seen it on the big screen in Telluride at a theater – but I’ve never seen the movie until I saw this restoration.”

Ken Russell’s The Devils dramatizes the account of 17th-century Roman Catholic priest Urbain Grandier, who is accused of witchcraft after the Loudun possessions. The film stars Oliver Reed as Grandier and Vanessa Redgrave as Sister Jeanne des Anges, a sexually repressed nun who incites the accusations. The movie is based on Aldous Huxley’s non-fiction book The Devils of Loudun and John Whiting’s play The Devils. Originally released in 1971, the film received an X rating and was banned in several countries.

Warner Bros. previously managed to include one of the nuns from Ken Russell’s The Devils in 2021’s Space Jam: A New Legacy, where she appears in a background shot next to Mr. Freeze from Batman & Robin, Pennywise from It, and a flying monkey from The Wizard of Oz.

Warner Bros. Clockwork will screen Ken Russell’s The Devils in North American theaters on Oct. 16 for an exclusive one-week engagement with select 35mm screenings, followed by a U.K. release on Oct. 30.

Source: Polygon