{"product_id":"the-devils","title":"The Devils (Poster Graphic\/Ken Russell's The Devils\/Oliver Reed\/Vanessa Redgrave)","description":"\u003ch1 data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Devils — Ken Russell's 1971 Cult Horror Film \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h1\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eReleased in \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJuly 1971\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Devils\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e remains one of the most controversial, visually extraordinary, and gloriously excessive films ever made.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDirected by the wonderfully unhinged \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKen Russell\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, the film starred \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOliver Reed\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e as Father Urbain Grandier, a charismatic 17th-century French priest whose good looks, sexual adventures, and refusal to obey the authorities eventually land him in some very serious trouble.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAnd then there's \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eVanessa Redgrave\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e as Sister Jeanne, a sexually repressed, hunchbacked nun who develops a rather unhealthy obsession with the handsome priest.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWhen Grandier rejects her advances, Sister Jeanne accuses him of witchcraft, setting off a spectacular wave of religious hysteria involving possessed nuns, public exorcisms, political conspiracies, and some of the most outrageous behavior ever committed to film.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBased on \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAldous Huxley's 1952 book \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Devils of Loudun\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e and a play by John Whiting, the film drew inspiration from the real-life Loudun possessions of 1630s France, when a group of Ursuline nuns claimed to have been possessed by demons.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe scandal eventually led to Grandier's trial and execution in \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e1634\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, although the entire affair had as much to do with religious persecution and political power as it did with anything supernatural.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBut Russell wasn't particularly interested in making a polite little costume drama.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWorking with future filmmaker and queer cinema icon \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDerek Jarman\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, who designed the film's extraordinary sets, Russell created a nightmarish world of stark white architecture, elaborate costumes, grotesque religious imagery, and enough sexual repression to make a Catholic boarding school look like a swingers' convention.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNaturally, the censors went absolutely bananas.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBoth the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBritish Board of Film Censors and Warner Bros.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e demanded cuts before the film could be released. Particularly controversial was the notorious \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Rape of Christ\" sequence\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, featuring a convent full of hysterical nuns behaving in ways that would have sent the Vatican into cardiac arrest.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe film received an \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eX rating in Britain\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, while additional cuts were made to secure an American R rating.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eReligious organizations protested, critics argued, and some local authorities refused to allow the film to be shown.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAll of which, of course, made people want to see it even more.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDespite the controversy, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Devils\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e developed a devoted cult following and became one of the defining works of Russell's career. Its combination of religious satire, sexual politics, astonishing imagery, and criticism of authoritarian power made it far more than just another exploitation movie about naughty nuns.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFor decades, the film's censorship history made it notoriously difficult to see in its intended form. In \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e2026\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, a major restoration finally brought back previously suppressed footage, giving audiences a chance to experience a more complete version of Russell's outrageous masterpiece.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMore than half a century after its release, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Devils\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e remains a remarkable achievement in cult cinema, a film that's equal parts historical nightmare, political satire, religious horror, and gloriously over-the-top 1970s filmmaking.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Printify","offers":[{"title":"Natural \/ S","offer_id":67975107248286,"sku":"22627767607017182856","price":29.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"White \/ S","offer_id":67975107281054,"sku":"19393706534818628390","price":29.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Natural \/ M","offer_id":67975107313822,"sku":"76984026088142868727","price":29.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"White \/ M","offer_id":67975107346590,"sku":"12347106992395799464","price":29.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Natural \/ L","offer_id":67975107379358,"sku":"96651882549529094271","price":29.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"White \/ L","offer_id":67975107412126,"sku":"69173136579020344622","price":29.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Natural \/ XL","offer_id":67975107444894,"sku":"30719384757956172673","price":29.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"White \/ XL","offer_id":67975107477662,"sku":"33923794278710356922","price":29.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Natural \/ 2XL","offer_id":67975107510430,"sku":"10334058512993540396","price":29.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"White \/ 2XL","offer_id":67975107543198,"sku":"23255082107106403648","price":29.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Natural \/ 3XL","offer_id":67975107575966,"sku":"88774736923200960353","price":29.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"White \/ 3XL","offer_id":67975107608734,"sku":"27075770561231045432","price":29.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0660\/1893\/4942\/files\/499386804054561305_2048.jpg?v=1794232569","url":"https:\/\/brankobrand.com\/products\/the-devils","provider":"Branko Brand","version":"1.0","type":"link"}