Little Devils

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Out of the blue, Ken Russell's controversial The Devils (1971), which Warner Home Video has remastered but refuses to issue on DVD for reasons no one can quite figure, has suddenly turned up on iTunes. This isn't the full-boat, naked-nun, 111-minute version that played at the IFC Center on 1.25.10, and not the truncated 103-minute version either -- it runs 108 minutes and 11 seconds.

And it looks awfully nice -- crisp and painterly with that fresh-from-the-lab sheen. It hasn't looked this spotless and vibrant since it first opened 39 years ago. And in 2.35 to 1, of course. It's really quite amazing. It's sitting on my iPhone as we speak. Not quite the format that I would have chosen -- you can't really savor some of the wide-angle compositions, which are quite detailed and contain information that is just too granular and microscopic when seen on such a small screen -- but it's better than nothing. Maybe a DVD will happen down the road.

It was probably remastered for that Warner Home Video DVD that was announced in early 2008 but reversed soon after. The Devils has always been a bit of a hot potato because of its blending of religious symbolism and iconography with scenes of sexual hysteria. It's a highly intelligent, superbly acted, exquisitely designed historical drama but also one of the most vivid and super-creepy depictions of political evil and religious perversity ever released by a major studio.

So some WHV executive probably suggested in a meeting, "Hey, I know...let's send it to iTunes! That way we don't have to deal with packaging and duplication costs and...you know, we can sort of keep it under the counter so to speak as far as reactions from the religious right might be concerned."

Here's a 3.29.10 article I wrote about the confusing (or perplexing) Warner Home Video Devils DVD situation. And here's a 5.26.10 article on the same subject by Adam Balz on Not Coming To A Theatre Near You.

An honorable guy named Sergio wrote about this today on his blog Shadow and Act.

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on June 20, 2010 at 3:37 PM

comment #1

The Hoyk says ...

Is there anybody here who made it to that IFC screening. This is the first I've heard of the full 111 minute version getting a U.S. screening. According to Wikipedia, the NFT was able to show The Devils in the fullest possible state in 2004. This uncut version premiered at the Brussels International Festival of Fantasy Film in March 2006. On April 25, 2007, The Devils was shown for a second time in its fullest possible state to a group of students and staff at the University of Southampton, followed by a question and answer session with the director, moderated by Mark Kermode. These are the only screenings I know of for that edit, and I'm almost positive those were digital presentations. AFAIK in America, all WB has to offer from their archive is the 108 minute print, which technically was the original X-rated cut; it was quietly rerated R in the '80's.

Posted by The Hoyk at June 20, 2010 5:50 PM

comment #2

Quantrell Bishop says ...

Have you tried running it through your TV? Just curious how the picture holds up if you used an adaptor. Or, did you know you can do that?

Posted by Quantrell Bishop at June 20, 2010 5:57 PM

comment #3

Quantrell Bishop says ...

I must also add: I'm downloading this tonight before the Christian nutbags catch wind of it and get it banned from iTunes. Thanks for the heads-up, Wells.

Posted by Quantrell Bishop at June 20, 2010 5:59 PM

comment #4

Jeffrey Wells says ...

No -- didn't know I could do that, and don't know how as we speak.

Posted by Jeffrey Wells at June 20, 2010 6:00 PM

comment #5

The Hoyk says ...

Posts at the Home Theater Forum state that the file is DRM-encrypted, so that would have to be circumvented in order to burn it to DVD.

Posted by The Hoyk at June 20, 2010 6:00 PM

comment #6

Quantrell Bishop says ...

I'll try to find you a link to one. I have a dock for an older gen iPod that could play video... it is basically what looks like a charger dock with an output cable that splits into the old school yellow/red/black cables you'd plug into the back of your TV. I just recently found it again, but haven't tried it to see if my iPod touch will fit into the dock.

Anyone out there know what I'm talking about?

Posted by Quantrell Bishop at June 20, 2010 6:02 PM

comment #7

Quantrell Bishop says ...

Here's a link to a Monster version, but the one I have is an official Apple product. Just put out a text to a friend who works at Apple to see if they still market anything like what I'm talking about.

http://salestores.com/monste36.html

Posted by Quantrell Bishop at June 20, 2010 6:05 PM

comment #8

Quantrell Bishop says ...

Bam:

http://store.apple.com/fi-edu/product/MA045G/B

I bet this isn't compatible with the iPhone though. Looks like the first gen Touch (which I believe is what I have) is the last version listed that is compatible with this... I'll let you know.

Posted by Quantrell Bishop at June 20, 2010 6:09 PM

comment #9

Quantrell Bishop says ...

Now I'm getting closer:

http://store.apple.com/us/product/MB125G/C?fnode=MTY1NDA0OQ&mco=MTA4MjUwNjc

I feel like an Alternate Reality version of DeeZee, where I keep puking up spam links but they're actually relevant.

Posted by Quantrell Bishop at June 20, 2010 6:14 PM

comment #10

Monument says ...

Why not just hookup your laptop to your flatscreen? Just need an HDMI adapter, pretty cheap.

Posted by Monument at June 20, 2010 6:43 PM

comment #11

Eloi Wrath says ...

Yeah, the laptop-to-TV connection is aces. Get on Netflix instant play and you're laughing.

Posted by Eloi Wrath at June 20, 2010 7:14 PM

comment #12

DeeZee says ...

"out of some concern that no one can quite figure, "

It doesn't have the broad appeal of Jonah Hex.

Posted by DeeZee at June 20, 2010 7:25 PM

comment #13

SergioM says ...

Just watched the entire film the entire film on iTunes. It looks great. And it's truly a powerfull intellgent inttense movie. Russell's masterpiece. And if that final shot of Gemma Jones walking down that desolate road doesn't grab you then there's no hope for you.

BUT IT DOES NOT contain the infamous "rape of Christ" orgy sequence. However there a lousy bootleg DVD of The Devils that does contains the scene.

Posted by SergioM at June 20, 2010 7:41 PM

comment #14

C is for cookie says ...

Who would've thought that El Topo and Scorpio Rising would have been released on dvd before The Devils (which was on Fangoria's list of dvds coming soon for so long it started to become comical). They must really be afraid of some serious fire and brimstone.

Posted by C is for cookie at June 20, 2010 9:10 PM

comment #15

Quantrell Bishop says ...

They still make Fangoria?

I remember when I was a kid, I would have rather been caught with an issue of Hustler than Fangoria. I loved flipping through it at the local comic book shop, but even there I had to hide from the clerk, hoping he wouldn't kick me out.

Posted by Quantrell Bishop at June 20, 2010 9:53 PM

comment #16

C is for cookie says ...

Quantrell, I'm not sure about the magazine (though I'm pretty sure I've seen it in Borders recently), but Fangoria does still exist online.

Posted by C is for cookie at June 20, 2010 9:58 PM

comment #17

DeafEars says ...

Well, it's a start. Maybe Warners is testing the waters with this, although I'd probably be naive to think we're any closer to seeing a release with the Rape O'Christ sequence restored.

I downloaded and watched it, and even though I've seen it many times before - I have the not-great-but-better-than-nothing VHS, and I've seen it a few times at revival houses - it struck me again what a shocking film this really is. Like A CLOCKWORK ORANGE, the scary thing about it is not so much the explicit violence as such - although that is pretty awful - as the sense that the director will pretty much go anywhere to serve the story and make his point. As is the idea that the PTB can and will do pretty much anything to preserve their power - the way that's observed here is deeply upsetting.

Posted by DeafEars at June 21, 2010 8:18 AM

comment #18

Willieboy says ...

I'm told by the folks who program the IFC Center that, unfortunately, the print they showed was the full U.S. version, not the version shown by the NFT. It seems they were led to believe they would get the latter, but did not...

Posted by Willieboy at June 21, 2010 2:29 PM

comment #19

The Hoyk says ...

Thanks for checking Willieboy. It sounded too good to be true.

Posted by The Hoyk at June 21, 2010 2:41 PM

comment #20

Robert Cashill says ...

iTunes giveth, iTunes taketh away: THE DEVILS has been exorcised from the site. Bound perhaps for DVD?

Posted by Robert Cashill at June 21, 2010 3:59 PM

comment #21

The Hoyk says ...

A friend of a friend of a friend told me that on some occasions, the digital distribution department at WB takes a master and releases it to iTunes without informing any other studio departments. Betcha this is what happened and the high brass saw all the press and demanded it removed. WB really has a hate-on for this movie.

Posted by The Hoyk at June 21, 2010 4:11 PM

comment #22

maxfm says ...

Yep, it's gone.

Posted by maxfm at June 22, 2010 6:11 AM

comment #23

Robert Cashill says ...

Not sure this is still a film blog or not given the ongoing rumpus, but...Film Society of Lincoln Center says it's screening the 111m. THE DEVILS 7/30-8/1, plus eight other Russells. And he'll be at all evening screenings...can't find a link but tix go on sale this Thu.

Posted by Robert Cashill at June 22, 2010 10:10 AM

comment #24

Huxley Russell says ...

The IFC Center screening was a private collector's print made in the early '90s. I was able to show this print in November and the print has now been 'retired.'

In August of 2009 and March of 2010 the film played the American Cinematheque and then the AFI in LA with a print with an unidentified owner.

The so-called 'director's cut' was assembled by Ken Russell, editor Mike Bradsell, and Mark Kermode along with two Warner techies in the UK. They had full permission to go through the vaults and locate the materials. They had two versions of the R___ of Christ, ten seconds of the 'mother's play,' and Vanessa masturbating with the bone. Ken doesn't feel the stuff is necessary to the film and it really isn't, but it is fun to watch. The only reason I bleeped is because that word is what's freaking everybody out. They feel there's an actual scene of r___ in there and there's not. There is a penis shot, then two quick shots of nuns masturbating the wooden statue. It's fun stuff but the movie is so over-the-top fine as is.

This elongated version only exists as a digibeta. It was screened once at the BFI on Nov. 23, 2004, with Ken, Mike, Mark and the techies present, and again at the Brussells International Festival of Fantastic Film in March 2006. That's it. The tape was sent to Warner US who said, No. That's it.

The longest print has only an additional four seconds over any other print I've seen. I've seen the film projected 11 times since the early '80s in various states of distress and I know every cut by heart at this point. The Angel bootleg is the Channel 4 broadcast of the film (can you imagine this playing on TV in the US?) and is cropped.

The film just plain deserves to be released. If WB can release The Exorcist with a little girl jabbing a metal crucifix into her crotch repeatedly while screaming, Let Jesus fuck you! Let Him fuck you! then they sure can release The Devils. And should we talk about weird mutant sex in Splice? Odd.

Posted by Huxley Russell at June 22, 2010 8:28 PM

comment #25

Danny Lang says ...

Posted by Danny Lang at August 11, 2010 10:25 AM

comment #26

HerzbergTheory says ...

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