Has Ken Russell's THE DEVILS (1971) been released on BD?

[Goremeister100]

Just wondering if this has been released in HD in any country?

[dallywhitty]

Ha! If only.

[Goremeister100]

Web rip in HD on itunes maybe?

[Rockercub]

Probably not gonna happen after Warner Bros. specifically denied blu-ray rights to BFI. The BFI release looks pretty good for a DVD though.

EDIT: Haven't seen any web rips -- was the iTunes version in HD?

[Alister_M]

It's available on Shudder now.. 109-minute unrated cut too. So there's a possibility of a physical HD release in future I guess.

[chip75]

Sky in the UK have had it in HD.

[dissention]

Originally Posted by Alister_M

It's available on Shudder now.. 109-minute unrated cut too. So there's a possibility of a physical HD release in future I guess.

The version on Shudder is the R-rated cut that was released on VHS. It's not the unrated cut from the BFI disc.

[Rockercub]

The 109-minute "unrated" cut is, I believe, just the US R-rated cut. The UK X-rated cut is 111 minutes, and I'm pretty sure bootleg restored cuts are about 113 minutes. I don't know how I'd feel about having the most cut version on blu-ray.

[dissention]

Originally Posted by Rockercub

I don't know how I'd feel about having the most cut version on blu-ray.

Easy pass for me!

[Monroville]

Goremeister: so far, the only HD release is the one over on CG. Until Warners gets new ownership (or someone blackmails the current one), it's never seeing the light of day, despite them doing a restoration back in 2004.

[filmczy]

The Devils has become the "Song of the South" in the Warner Brothers vaults...

[Bates_Motel]

Originally Posted by Rockercub

EDIT: Haven't seen any web rips -- was the iTunes version in HD?

No. I have it from the few days it was available. But was easily able to cut the censored scene in from the doc so now I have a more complete version at least.

Originally Posted by filmczy

The Devils has become the "Song of the South" in the Warner Brothers vaults...

I have a great 720p restoration of Song of the South as well as a raw 1080p scan from private film prints. Maybe someone out there owns The Devils and fans can "restore" it.

[Rockercub]

Originally Posted by Bates_Motel

No. I have it from the few days it was available. But was easily able to cut the censored scene in from the doc so now I have a more complete version at least.

Thanks. Well, at least I don't have to try to track that down. I was able to find a bootleg comparable in quality to the BFI with the censored scenes added back in, so I'm happy for now. At least it's watchable, unlike some of the older bootlegs.

[tylergfoster]

Shudder's is also standard definition.

[Si Parallel Universe]

Originally Posted by Bates_Motel

No. I have it from the few days it was available. But was easily able to cut the censored scene in from the doc so now I have a more complete version at least.



I have a great 720p restoration of Song of the South as well as a raw 1080p scan from private film prints. Maybe someone out there owns The Devils and fans can "restore" it.

I'm sure that could happen but I'm also sure that Warners lawyers would be on it so fast and prevent any official release.

[20th Century Boy]

What's WB's beef with this film?

[Si Parallel Universe]

Originally Posted by 20th Century Boy

What's WB's beef with this film?

Overt scenes of a sexual nature and blasphemy it seems . It seems to be the personal grudge of one particular Warners executive that's holding it back as far as I know.

[dumb_dutchman]

Originally Posted by Si Parallel Universe

Overt scenes of a sexual nature and blasphemy it seems . It seems to be the personal grudge of one particular Warners executive that's holding it back as far as I know.

Specifically the

[Show spoiler]"Rape of Christ" scene with the nuns defiling a statue of Christ, along with the scene of a nun (Vanessa Redgrave) pleasuring herself with a thighbone.

Links to the clips, at one time, were to be found in the thread over at Criterion Forum. They are pretty wild.

[Rockercub]

Originally Posted by dumb_dutchman

Specifically the

[Show spoiler]"Rape of Christ" scene with the nuns defiling a statue of Christ, along with the scene of a nun (Vanessa Redgrave) pleasuring herself with a thighbone.

Links to the clips, at one time, were to be found in the thread over at Criterion Forum. They are pretty wild.

They could release the X-rated cut that doesn't have those scenes though. I think it's more of a general atmosphere of "blasphemy" (in quotes because I think the idea is ridiculous).

[Si Parallel Universe]

Originally Posted by dumb_dutchman

Specifically the

[Show spoiler]"Rape of Christ" scene with the nuns defiling a statue of Christ, along with the scene of a nun (Vanessa Redgrave) pleasuring herself with a thighbone.

Links to the clips, at one time, were to be found in the thread over at Criterion Forum. They are pretty wild.

Ah yes they particularly objected to those but its more general as well.

Originally Posted by Rockercub

They could release the X-rated cut that doesn't have those scenes though. I think it's more of a general atmosphere of "blasphemy" (in quotes because I think the idea is ridiculous).

As ridiculous as the idea would seem to You, there is a sizeable and vocal moralistic creationist population in the USA that would do enough damage to Warners if they felt they wanted to. So much for 'turn the other cheek' , eh ?