The Devils (1971)

[dallywhitty]

Originally Posted by BobSimms

We need to get to the bottom of this. ABaglivi, please play the scene as it appears on your DVD and record your TV with your phone’s video camera and upload to YouTube and post it here.

There's no need, it's not on the DVD. Either he's trolling or, like Cremildo suggested, he's mistaken it for another scene.

[BobSimms]

Don’t spoil my fun!

[Streetlight]

Originally Posted by ABaglivi

Is it the two DVD set? Mine has the scene in the film. Your DVD must be defective. Amen. You can have the last word.

Originally Posted by dallywhitty

There's no need, it's not on the DVD. Either he's trolling or, like Cremildo suggested, he's mistaken it for another scene.

Or ABaglivi unwittingly received a bootleg copy that looks like the BFI DVD set with the exception of disc 1 having ROC restored to the film.

[fatboyslim142]

Originally Posted by Streetlight

BFI was only allowed to include the UK Cut and the ROC scene & the femur scene was removed from the documentary.

They also filled in the gaps in the documentary by including more talking heads. The commentary is also an edited from the recording for the Director's Cut.

[ABaglivi]

Originally Posted by Cremildo

ABaglivi is clearly confusing the cut "rape of Christ" sequence with some other moment still in the film. Even the booklet says the missing footage is "the primary stumbling block preventing Warners from authorising the release of Russell's 2004 director's cut".

It is not on the BFI DVD.

Christ comes down from the cross and turns into Oliver Reed. He has sex with the woman on the floor. Then Vanessa Redgrave digs the cross into her hand. I am not confused. This is not "some other moment" from the film.

[BobSimms]

We will never truly know if the BFI DVD has the ROC.

[dallywhitty]

Originally Posted by ABaglivi

Christ comes down from the cross and turns into Oliver Reed. He has sex with the woman on the floor. Then Vanessa Redgrave digs the cross into her hand. I am not confused. This is not "some other moment" from the film.

Yeah, that's not the Rape of Christ scene, lmaoooooo.

[Rockercub]

[lateralspin]

The Japanese release is an even worse version, because of the use of mosaic blur (Japanese law censors naughty bits)

[BobSimms]

Originally Posted by lateralspin

The Japanese release is an even worse version, because of the use of mosaic blur (Japanese law censors naughty bits)

Oh no. Why didn’t that Amazon reviewer mention this?

[dallywhitty]

Originally Posted by lateralspin

The Japanese release is an even worse version, because of the use of mosaic blur (Japanese law censors naughty bits)

[jtarvainen]

I find it hard to believe that Warners would have suddenly sanctioned a release with the ROC footage…

[dallywhitty]

Originally Posted by jtarvainen

I find it hard to believe that Warners would have suddenly sanctioned a release with the ROC footage…

I don't think anyone here was expecting this to be WB-sanctioned, I think this was always gonna be a grey area legally. I was considering picking it up, but my interest has evaporated now I know it's censored.

[lesco]

I've got a Japanese blu-ray of Ken Russell's Mahler and I don't remember any censoring in it. Is this mosaic thing proven or just speculation.

[dallywhitty]

Originally Posted by lesco

I've got a Japanese blu-ray of Ken Russell's Mahler and I don't remember any censoring in it. Is this mosaic thing proven or just speculation.

From Reddit:

[Kyle15]

I can say it IS officially licensed. They don't put out bootleg releases in Japan like that one company does in Spain. The censorship is within their right too a-la the cockfight and horse fall trims in UK films. The thing is this is not done with every Japanese home video release; some skirt by and others don't. The Devils unfortunately did not escape it!

A quick and dirty fan-edit and fix this however. Not ideal but still.

[BobSimms]

The Criterion stream of this always looks like ass, so if that’s the level of image quality we’re talking about, forget it.

[Kyle15]

Originally Posted by BobSimms

The Criterion stream of this always looks like ass, so if that’s the level of image quality we’re talking about, forget it.

The fact it's got those two scenes reinstated is pretty significant all things considered!

[Cat III]

A proper 4k restoration of the theatrical cut >>>>>>>>>>>> director's cut with crummy PQ.

Of course, the ideal would be a 4k restoration of the director's cut, but I am sick of every discussion of the movie revolving around a few minutes of cut footage. The version they got past the BBFC is director-approved and is a masterpiece (I'm not talking about the even more truncated 103 minute R-rated version, though even that isn't as butchered as you'd expect).

If Criterion or BFI finally release a proper HD (or hopefully UHD) edition, I don't look forward to the endless moaning about femurs and rapes of Christ as if those scenes are the totality of Ken Russel's vision.

[dallywhitty]

Originally Posted by Cat III

A proper 4k restoration of the theatrical cut >>>>>>>>>>>> director's cut with crummy PQ.

Of course, the ideal would be a 4k restoration of the director's cut, but I am sick of every discussion of the movie revolving around a few minutes of cut footage. The version they got past the BBFC is director-approved and is a masterpiece (I'm not talking about the even more truncated 103 minute R-rated version, though even that isn't as butchered as you'd expect).

If Criterion or BFI finally release a proper HD (or hopefully UHD) edition, I don't look forward to the endless moaning about femurs and rapes of Christ as if those scenes are the totality of Ken Russel's vision.

The Rape of Christ sequence is maybe the best scene in the film, though. It feels incomplete without it. You get all this build up as the nuns become increasingly frenzied, and then... nothing. Plus I love the visuals of Grandier's ceremony juxtaposed with the nuns committing acts of blasphemy.

If WB announced tomorrow that they were doing a 4K restoration but only of the UK theatrical version, I'd be pissed.