Ken Russell on DVD

[Lino]

The Devils is Ken Russell's masterpiece, in my opinion, but I wonder if Warner will release it uncut, with restored footage, unrated or NC17?

I believe and hope that it will be the longest possible version of that film yet. In fact, restored prints have been doing the rounds for the past months. Here's what an imdb.com user had to say (SPOILERS AHEAD):

Saw the restored, uncut version of The Devils last night at the NFT in London, with Russell and his editor, Mike Bradsell (who did the restoration as well), in conversation afterwards.

I had previously seen the American version on VHS (twice) so the screening last night was a revelation to me. The British and American versions are very different; Russell claimed before the screening that they had lost little "snippets" throughout the film that had never been found but that two major sections had been restored, "The Rape of Christ" sequence and the final scene with Sister Jeanne where they bring her a bone from Grandier's remains which she then proceeds to...well, you can imagine.

But there was a TON of stuff that I had never seen before, in fact, the version I saw last night made the American version seem like a G-rated film. Some have posted referring to the recent American Cinematheque screening (9/04) stating that the print used there included many scenes and edits they'd not seen before including Sister Agnes stroking the candle, Grandier's legs, etc. I think these must denote differences between the American and British releases of the film because, until last night, I had never seen them before either. While I always admired the film, I must say it seems like a completely different (and extraordinary) film to me. The American version is a real hatchet job.

Also, the "Sister Agnes stroking the candle" scene was quite clearly the "Sister Agnes masturbating herself into a sexual hysteria" scene last night so there's definitely been some major restoration--it's part of the larger "Rape of Christ" sequence; I didn't recall Mignon masturbating himself in the American version either but it was pretty straight forward in the restored version. Russell did describe it as "a major chunk" and I believe the restored sequence amounts to 4 minutes--4 very delirious minutes of film.

Though apparently not part of the restoration, the exorcism scene seemed far more intense and explicit then I remembered as did the death of Madeline's mother at the beginning, and a scene of Sister Jeanne masturbating (on her back with her legs wide apart) among others. I could be confused though. On the whole, the restored cut never seemed to let up at all and the two hours went by like 20 minutes, it was so powerful and engrossing. It does go to show how much WBs butchered it in the States, even beyond what the British distributors felt it was necessary to do. The film was just extraordinary last night. (And seeing it on a proper, wide screen was so stunning--The Devils was clearly Oliver Reed's best work; why the material gripped him so much, I couldn't say, but it was great to see and was very powerful. Before last night, my partner never even knew Oliver Reed could act and now he's thoroughly impressed.)

They also said it was the world premiere of the restored version, which some other posts on the matter suggest was just completed in the last few weeks, so I don't think American Cinematheque would've had this version on their hands (and if they did, they certainly would've been boasting about it). I believe the film was projected from high definition video and it was squeaky clean. It was gorgeous.

Sadly, they couldn't say what will become of the restored version after last night. They apparently had to wrangle with WB for the last two years since the footage had been discovered and I don't know what agreement they had come to, to allow last night's screening. It wasn't clear if WB was supressing the film because they didn't want to be associated with it or they were fully supporting the restoration; both possibilities seemed to be implied at different times and it was suggested that the screening of the restored version had come about because WB finally realised what a classic film they have on their hands. (There was a Warner executive/representative in the audience.) I just can't even imagine the furor if the restored version were released in the US right now--though maybe as more of a curiousity it would escape the attention of the religious right--but, I mean, if they're getting upset about Nicolette Sheridan in a football locker room, they would be apoplectic with rage over this. Or maybe it would be seen as a historical film.

But there was no indication of further showings or a release in the UK so they've obviously got more wrangling to do with WB. I should hope they would allow a DVD release in the UK at least because it is now a monumental British film with extraordinary work from Russell, Derek Jarman, Vanessa Redgrave, Oliver Reed and others, and filmed at Pinewood. It would be a shame if it that didn't happen. It's hard to tell what WB's criteria for release are; I can't imagine they have big plans for it in the States and even if they just allowed for the licensing, I'm sure there are plenty of companies, the BFI and Criterion among them who would jump at financing a DVD release. So if it's not financial does it then become about suppressing the film for other reasons? Anyone care to hazard a guess at what those reason are, because I'm not clear on that.

I did think it interesting last night that in 1971 WBs distributed this (albeit in a bowdlerised version) and then two years later released The Exorcist, two films that for all their controversy I would consider to be the most affirming films I've ever seen of the Catholic faith (and I saw them both long after I stopped considering myself to even be of the Catholic faith! And I still felt affirmed!). It makes me wonder what was going on in the halls of WBs in the early '70's--were these films made purely for commercial reasons as we would believe of today's film industry or was there a more elevated agenda at work, meaning, did film executives actually used to think? And, if so, what happened to them?

I hope all admirerers of Russell's film get a chance to see this version and I will be sure to post back with any information regaring its distribution, if I hear anything.

Also, on Hell on Earth, the Mark Kermode docu about The Devils, Russell says that he would like to see every cut restored back into the film so here's hoping!

[Arcadean]

Thanks for the info Annie! There's hope.

I'm a bit curious to see the full version. I knew the WB VHS was awful, and butchered, but I still was mesmerized. I would rate The Devils as one of my favorite films actually, and Oliver Reed delivers his greatest performance.

[Lino]

Of all the titles I've mentioned above, there's still one I haven't been able to see: The Boy Friend. As far as I know, that title was also plagued to some hideous cuts by Warner at the time, though a restored cut is available on tape for quite some time now.

Could any of you that have seen both cuts (or any for that matter) give me a rundown of what to expect when I finally sit down to watch the upcoming Warner DVD (that is supposed to be OAR anamorphic and with a 5.1 remastering, according to this year's chat)?

Could any of you that have seen both cuts (or any for that matter) give me a rundown of what to expect when I finally sit down to watch the upcoming Warner DVD (that is supposed to be OAR anamorphic and with a 5.1 remastering, according to this year's chat)?

Well, has anyone seen The Boy Friend or not? I bet Matt has...

[yoshimori]

Well, has anyone seen The Boy Friend or not? I bet Matt has...

Well. I have. But having seen it - and remembering it as, like Music Lovers, a bit of a toss off from the time of The Devils - is not the same thing as having seen and meticulously compared supposed different versions of it, which is, I guess, what you're after.

fwiw, I believe I saw this on a widescreen US-release LD.

[oldsheperd]

I'm still hoping for Ken Russell's Gardening Party 1968.

[Lino]

And what might that be, kind sir?

[oldsheperd]

It's just a joke. I should have contextualized it. It's from Monty Pyhton.sFlying Circus. They interrupted a show with Ken Russell's Gardening Party 1968. It shows a group of people run onto a small garden. (Naked women, priests a pantomime goose) They start a big orgy.

[Lino]

It's from Monty Pyhton's Flying Circus. They interrupted a show with Ken Russell's Gardening Party 1968. It shows a group of people run onto a small garden. (Naked women, priests a pantomime goose) They start a big orgy.

That makes sense! And it sounds like a lot of britcom fun too.

Back to Ken/Warner: who knows, maybe Santa will bring us that boxset announcement we've been yearning so.

[zedz]

It's from Monty Pyhton's Flying Circus. They interrupted a show with Ken Russell's Gardening Party 1968. It shows a group of people run onto a small garden. (Naked women, priests a pantomime goose) They start a big orgy.

That makes sense! And it sounds like a lot of britcom fun too.

Not as good as Pier Paolo Pasolini's The First Test Match (or whatever it was called), though.

[ben d banana]

Clearly June 6 will be the release date for The Devils, which, by the way, was the favorite movie of a girl I knew who is a crazy math wizard and ate an entire sheet of acid.

[Lino]

Clearly June 6 will be the release date for The Devils

Hmm...that makes sense. And it reminds me: that is also the rumoured release date for The Omen remake that's on the way. While digging through my old issues of Sight & Sound I found this piece on The Devils from the 2002:

Whether or not Russell's extraordinary vision would be enhanced by the reinstatement of this recovered material is clearly a matter of personal opinion. Having viewed an assembly of this sequence which Bradsell had brilliantly orchestrated with found fragments of Peter Maxwell Davies' electrifying score, Russell declared himself to be "delighted" with the results and enthusiastic about the sequence's imminent restoration. As things currently stand, however, there is little chance that the film's original backers will sanction such an act, though the possibility of sublicensing the material to an independent distributor remains an option. For the moment, though, Russell's beautiful monster must remain where it has always been: caged within the confines of state and studio censorship, cast out of the catholic canon of mainstream cinema.

As most of you know (well, at least the ones that saw Hell on Earth, the documentary about "The Desecration and Resurrection of The Devils"), Mark Kermode - a notorious british critic and personality - is the main responsible for the finding of the assumed lost "Rape of Christ" scene in Russell's (in)famous movie. Just thought it would be interesting to post his all-time top ten movies ever in here since his association with Russell is now firmly established; here they are:

http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/top ... me=Kermode

For those interested in both Russell and Kermode, check out their audio commentary on the UK edition of Tommy - really entertaining and educational.

[Gordon]

Fellow Heathens - rejoice! Lo!

"I leave you with notice that 2006 will also be the year in which Ken Russell' fiery masterpiece The Devils is finally released in its uncut form, a full 35 years after censors and distributors conspired to slash it to ribbons. The forthcoming 'Directors Cut' DVD comes complete with a newly extended version of the Channel 4 documentary 'Hell On Earth' - which is obviously a reason for celebration and delight! Happy New Year."
- Mark Kermode, Channel Four.com

http://www.channel4.com/film/reviews/fe ... 612&page=3 (scroll down to last paragraph)

I assume that he is refering to a UK release, but it is likely that it will be released in the US, also.

Fucking awesome!

[Lino]

Nice job, Gordon! Well, we all knew that this was coming but the fact that it's going to be a director's cut is a big, big plus! And I wonder just how the extended Mark Kermode docu will be. Maybe he will add the premiere footage of the restored version at the NFT back in 2004 or perhaps something else.

Either way, 2006 seems to be shaping up as Ken's year - about time!

edit: so far an audio-commentary by Mark Kermode and Ken Russell as well as the Hell on Earth extended cut have been confirmed as extras for the SE of The Devils. I think it's safe to assume that we will also get trailers and a featurette on the (troubled) restoration of the film. All in all, a great set to look forward to! It would also be great if they'd include the entire vintage featurette on the making of The Devils that we can see glimpses of in Hell on Earth. Let's hope so.

[Gordon]

Warner Home Video (London office) telephone number:

(+44) 0207 984 6400

They are apparently very helpful with enquiries from nerds. I don't like talking on the phone, so I'll leave it up to you guys.

[Lino]

Warner Home Video (London office) telephone number:

(+44) 0207 984 6400

I would rather have Mark Kermode's email! If anyone could supply that, then we'll be talking some serious business! Just imagine the amount of undisclosed info that guy must have...

[Gordon]

I can't find Kermode's email anywhere.

He presents a movie review show on BBC Five Live every Friday at 15:00 GMT:

www.bbc.co.uk/fivelive/entertainment/kermode.shtml

You can email the show: [email protected]

I will ask about The Devils.

Well, my email didn't get read out. Mayo is a staunch Christian, of course - Kermode attends Church on sundays, also; his adoration of The Exorcist and The Devils has nothing to do with diabolism chic, like most people - quite the contrary, in fact.

[Jean-Luc Garbo]

What would the opposite of diabolism chic be? I've never heard this before about Mr. Kermode.

[Gordon]

Well, I suppose that Kermode's interest lies in the search for God or Good conquering Evil - he is in no way reveling in the mocking of Christianity. His love of horror movies is not as superficial as most critics.

Kermode, in his BFI monograph on The Shawshank Redemption, gives a religious reading of the film, that although strained at times, is very interesting and I would never have throught of reading the film that way and I don't know if King wrote his story with that intent, but it adds a new dimension to a film that I feel somewhat indifferent about.

[ben d banana]

Well, I suppose that Kermode's interest lies in the search for God or Good conquering Evil - he is in no way reveling in the mocking of Christianity. His love of horror movies is not as superficial as most critics.

I hope you just mean those who only care about gore and thrills, because I'll take the mocking of christianity and its system of control over the search for god any day of the week.

[Jean-Luc Garbo]

How is it that Kermode and Russell are friends? I've had the impression from various sources that The Devils is loved for being obnoxious and trippy. As a Russell fan I've always been curious to see the film because of its notoriety, but that's all I've ever heard in relation to its merit - the controversy surrounding it. But Kermode approaches it as a serious film? Wouldn't Russell find that beside the point? I mean, once again, sources I've consulted seem to enjoy the film more for its controversy and its place in Russell's cinema.

[Lino]

How is it that Kermode and Russell are friends? I've had the impression from various sources that The Devils is loved for being obnoxious and trippy. As a Russell fan I've always been curious to see the film because of its notoriety, but that's all I've ever heard in relation to its merit - the controversy surrounding it. But Kermode approaches it as a serious film? Wouldn't Russell find that beside the point?

This is a very serious movie. If you think you know what Russell is all about, watch this movie first and then start making assumptions. Kermode has every right to consider The Devils an important movie. And it is anything but obnoxious (a term that could be used to define Lisztomania on a first seating, perhaps) or trippy (please do NOT watch this movie on drugs! An extremely bad trip is guaranteed for all, if The Beatles don't mind me misquoting).

The Devils is based on actual events that took place in Loudon, France and is about a suposed case of nun's possession and the fight of power between Richelieu, the King himself and Father Grandier. It's all been extensively dealt with in many books, the most important being Aldous Huxley's The Devils of Loudon.

So, when you got an extremely prophane story on your hands, where bad and ruthless politics run amock and you mix it with the one of the most outrageous scores ever commited to film, invite Derek Jarman to do your sets designs, shoot it with the grandest vision possible (at times overwhelming) and pull amazing performances from even the most mundane actors, the final result is a killer of a movie and a landmark of british cinema.

The fact that it was chopped to bits at its release, doesn't surprise me in the least. You'll see what I mean after you've watched through the whole business.

Kermode's association with Russell began when his love and admiration for the movie drove him on a quest to find the now no longer lost centerpiece of The Devils: a scene most commonly known as The Rape of Christ. This fantastic sequence was presumed lost, having been cut by Warner at the time of its release. Russell himself had lost faith that anyone could ever hope to find it but luckily Kermode came to the rescue and did just that (and a big round of applause to him, gentlemen!).

The film has now been completely restored by the same studio that chopped it off to bits to its complete director's cut (reinstating even more minor scenes that over the years have also been deleted; talk about a patchwork indeed) and this is the version that we will be getting on a future DVD release that is sure to be announced very soon.

Hmm, make of this what you will - from the imdb.com boards:

Yes, just like "O Lucky Man", "The World, The Flesh and The Devil" (1959), "Performance", etc., "The Devils" won't be out until 2007.
I called them. Their number: London 0207 984 6480, DVD customer service.
All these films were promised by Warner for 2006 & now they are for 2007, so annoying, & they don't even explain why!

I wonder if the guy or girl answering the phone was refering to R1 or R2 releases. That is, assuming this guy called them and they were telling him the truth. That Warner chat cannot come soon enough!

From the Warner chat:

Warner is still discussing The Devils for release.

No comments.

[justeleblanc]

Here's a list of Ken Russell's work in the 70s and who I think owns the rights:

Valentino (SONY)
Lisztomania (WARNER)
Tommy (SONY)
Mahler (???)
Savage Messiah (WARNER)
The Boy Friend (WARNER)
The Devils (WARNER)
The Music Lovers (SONY)

Please correct me if I'm wrong on any of these.

[Ashirg]

Image discontinued release of Mahler has Janus logo on the back...

[justeleblanc]

Image discontinued release of Mahler has Janus logo on the back...

Nice! Does that make it category 3 specualtion worthy?

[Lino]

Gothic review and comparison:

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDReview ... review.htm

Been having lots of fun watching trailers from the TCM website. Here's one for The Boyfriend:

http://tcmdb.com/participant/participan ... ameId=null