Ken Russell's The Devils (1971)

[BladeRunner2007]

What is wrong with Warner? Why won't they give us the damn Blu-ray already? Also we need the full uncut version.

[heavycrash]

I'm starting to feel that it MIGHT happen?... Hope Criterion gets the rights & does a proper release someday.

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-D...Blu-ray/73335/

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by heavycrash

I'm starting to feel that it MIGHT happen?... Hope Criterion gets the rights & does a proper release someday.

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-D...Blu-ray/73335/

That would be nice. It definitely sounds like an amazing film.

[Musicguy]

My guess is someone at Warner doesn't want this out (for whatever reasons which also may have nothing to do with the actual film) and until that person leaves the company it will not come out - but I could also be totally wrong

[dand]

Any new news about thus being released on Blu-ray ?

[Oscar Rothman]

Originally Posted by dand

Any new news about thus being released on Blu-ray ?

nope

[GasmaskAvenger]

If my petition from ten years ago (complete with a signature from Ken Russel himself) couldn't get this released on DVD, then I don't know what the hell will.

[jimqk]

Sometime during the 80s or early 90s, I caught the end of this movie on USA Network. At the time, I had no idea there was so much controversy surrounding it. After reading about this movie over the past few years, I'm surprised USA televised it at all. I'm certain it must have been a heavily edited version.

Anyway, I'd really like to see this movie. At some point you'd think Warner would allow somebody to release this film. The only thing preventing this release must be pressure from the church. If Warner is so embarrassed by this picture, why not absolve itself completely from it? Warner obviously doesn't want to license it out to anybody. (It's hard to believe they allowed the BFI to release this on DVD.) Why not sell the copyright then?

Nothing Warner had done over the years regarding this picture makes sense. Why only provide DVD-only worthy elements to BFI? Why put it on iTunes and pull it a few days later? Why allow bootleggers to make money on it? Why allow Amazon UK to offer a streaming version of it, but not Amazon's U.S. streaming service?

There is certainly a market for this in the U.S. and abroad. Why not capitalize on that? There are many film nuts who would buy a restored version of this movie on Blu-ray. A Criterion Blu-ray version would be awesome. A Warner version would be awesome, too, but apparently Warner is embarrassed still by this. Is Warner being paid to suppress it? Maybe? None of it makes sense to me.

[nothingtofearmusic]

..."Nothing Warner had done over the years regarding this picture makes sense. Why only provide DVD-only worthy elements to BFI? Why put it on iTunes and pull it a few days later? Why allow bootleggers to make money on it? Why allow Amazon UK to offer a streaming version of it, but not Amazon's U.S. streaming service?

There is certainly a market for this in the U.S. and abroad. Why not capitalize on that? There are many film nuts who would buy a restored version of this movie on Blu-ray. A Criterion Blu-ray version would be awesome. A Warner version would be awesome, too, but apparently Warner is embarrassed still by this. Is Warner being paid to suppress it? Maybe? None of it makes sense to me."

Agreed. Unfortunately, Warner Bros, like China, is not a democracy. The people that work there don't have to answer to anybody.

[Bates_Motel]

Originally Posted by nothingtofearmusic

..."Nothing Warner had done over the years regarding this picture makes sense. Why only provide DVD-only worthy elements to BFI? Why put it on iTunes and pull it a few days later? Why allow bootleggers to make money on it? Why allow Amazon UK to offer a streaming version of it, but not Amazon's U.S. streaming service?

There is certainly a market for this in the U.S. and abroad. Why not capitalize on that? There are many film nuts who would buy a restored version of this movie on Blu-ray. A Criterion Blu-ray version would be awesome. A Warner version would be awesome, too, but apparently Warner is embarrassed still by this. Is Warner being paid to suppress it? Maybe? None of it makes sense to me."

Agreed. Unfortunately, Warner Bros, like China, is not a democracy. The people that work there don't have to answer to anybody.

They own the film. It's not anyone's "right" to have access to it if the company thinks its offensive. And the iTunes version and streaming version are not the uncut version anyway. I had to splice together the BFI DVD with the 3-minute orgy sequence taken from the behind-the-scenes, because it wasn't included in any of those versions.

Disney also refuses to release Song of the South. But again, it's their right. Not much you can do about it.

Originally Posted by jimqk

Anyway, I'd really like to see this movie. At some point you'd think Warner would allow somebody to release this film.

Why allow Amazon UK to offer a streaming version of it, but not Amazon's U.S. streaming service?

You could've watched it. It was streaming on Shudder, but even though they advertised it as the uncut version, it was not. You can also get the BFI DVD if you want to see it. It's not like it's impossible to find.

[CinemaScope]

I have the UK BFI DVD & it does look very nice. It'll always going to be too hot for Warner, but it's right up Criterion's alley, a case of, wait & see.

[EricYuillMovieFan]

Dead Thread I know, but I noticed when the film was made available for streaming twice it disappeared. Both ITunes and Shudder stopped carrying it. It is WB and someone does not want to see it released. Could it be with Columbia because they teamed up for international distribution? Anything is pure conjecture but it has to be fact that its one or two people. Too many people want it and its now known as one of the greatest of its time. Someone has it, but thinks the world should not see it. Could be that the Catholic Church is paying WB to keep it away and stop it from "tainting" our minds

[dallywhitty]

Originally Posted by EricYuillMovieFan

Dead Thread I know, but I noticed when the film was made available for streaming twice it disappeared. Both ITunes and Shudder stopped carrying it. It is WB and someone does not want to see it released. Could it be with Columbia because they teamed up for international distribution? Anything is pure conjecture but it has to be fact that its one or two people. Too many people want it and its now known as one of the greatest of its time. Someone has it, but thinks the world should not see it. Could be that the Catholic Church is paying WB to keep it away and stop it from "tainting" our minds

The problem is that different people within Warner Bros have differing opinions of the film. Someone approves of it being made available for streaming, someone higher-up realises and pulls it, etc. It's like a never-ending cycle.

[EricYuillMovieFan]

Originally Posted by dallywhitty

The problem is that different people within Warner Bros have differing opinions of the film. Someone approves of it being made available for streaming, someone higher-up realises and pulls it, etc. It's like a never-ending cycle.

Never ending cycle of horse shit

[jimqk]

Been a while since I visited this thread. Anyway, before Shudder started streaming it, I had purchased the BFI DVD, and then converted my laptop to a Region B player and watched it through my projector. (I've since bought a Region-Free Blu-ray player.)

It's a good movie and, although the BFI version is good, it's not Blu-ray good. Plus, I don't like PAL speedup. Still hoping Criterion releases The Devils someday. There are a lot of other movies in the market that gives the Catholic Church a black eye, but I haven't heard any complaints about those. Mark of the Devil, for instance, is just as bad if not worse than The Devils in showing how the church at one time used religious nonsense to torture and destroy innocent lives for political and/or sadistic reasons.

[captainsolo]

I waited years to see this unjustly maligned work and finally saw a print in an arthouse theater last year which was done in their random midnight movies selection. I had long researched the complete version and the edits made so I had no idea what version would be screened here in the US.

It was a vintage uncut and unfaded scope print that had both of the censored scenes fully intact! So there is a perfectly preserved element available and the full directors cut was restored years ago in the UK. It is absolutely ridiculous, ludicrous and criminal of WB to treat this film in this way when it exists and has been restored and is far less controversial when compared to the levels of content today.

This is a bold and striking film that raises important questions about real historical events and pulls no punches. While I do think the narrative could be stronger as with most Russell films-that was never his objective and this remains one of the few truly great films about the human releationship with religion.

WAC should do this immediately!

[BagheeraMcGee]

Originally Posted by dallywhitty

The problem is that different people within Warner Bros have differing opinions of the film. Someone approves of it being made available for streaming, someone higher-up realises and pulls it, etc. It's like a never-ending cycle.

Given that Warner Bros. can't even come to a consensus on bringing a second volume of Tom & Jerry cartoons to Blu-ray, I certainly can't see them agreeing on this.

[jimdigriz.]

Originally Posted by captainsolo

I waited years to see this unjustly maligned work and finally saw a print in an arthouse theater last year which was done in their random midnight movies selection. I had long researched the complete version and the edits made so I had no idea what version would be screened here in the US.

It was a vintage uncut and unfaded scope print that had both of the censored scenes fully intact! So there is a perfectly preserved element available and the full directors cut was restored years ago in the UK. It is absolutely ridiculous, ludicrous and criminal of WB to treat this film in this way when it exists and has been restored and is far less controversial when compared to the levels of content today.

This is a bold and striking film that raises important questions about real historical events and pulls no punches. While I do think the narrative could be stronger as with most Russell films-that was never his objective and this remains one of the few truly great films about the human releationship with religion.

WAC should do this immediately!

As Warner would only allow the BBFC cut version to be released in the UK - and on dvd only they do seem to have some issues with it.
PC is definitely an entrenched problem with current Warner hierarchy at the moment so maybe this is another victim

[drush9999]

Originally Posted by jimdigriz.

As Warner would only allow the BBFC cut version to be released in the UK - and on dvd only they do seem to have some issues with it.
PC is definitely an entrenched problem with current Warner hierarchy at the moment so maybe this is another victim

The BBFC wouldn't cut it nowadays since the blasphemy laws were repealed. The current DVD version is the 70s BBFC approved version. It wouldn't cause much of a stir these days either. Especially being shown in a small number of arty screenings and an obscure title release on home video.

[Maikeru64]

Of all the controversial films that have been release in their uncut form in the U.S. and anywhere else, and The Devils has still not been approved of it’s fullest uncut form? It’s a sin, in my book, of censorship. And as someone with a Catholic background, I wouldn’t really be offended at all with the most controversial stuff in the film. There’s a lot of worse shit they can put in a movie about the Catholic Church, this is just tame, and just a ****ing movie. I hope Criterion can try to get the license to release the full uncut version. I don’t understand to why even hold it, lots of curious people or movie buffs would buy it.
Anyways, sorry for my rambling, but yeah, I’m hoping Warner can get their heads out of their asses at some point. XP