The Devils: Reed and Redgrave's banned masterpiece on power — SkimNews
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- Oliver Reed and Vanessa Redgrave deliver career-defining performances in Ken Russell’s 1971 film The Devils, portraying a priest accused of witchcraft and a possessed nun in 17th-century France
- The Devils was originally banned for obscenity due to its graphic content and controversial religious themes, reflecting societal tensions over censorship and artistic expression
- Ken Russell frames the film as a frenzied confrontation between spiritual authority and political power, using hysteria to critique the abuse of institutional control
- Father Urbain Grandier, the central figure in the film, is depicted quoting 'I could never be Satan’s boy. I haven’t the humility,' underscoring his defiance amid witchcraft accusations
- The film highlights the violence of power through its depiction of church and state collusion in orchestrating a moral panic to eliminate a dissident priest
Why it matters: The reappraisal of *The Devils* underscores how censorship often targets art that exposes systemic abuse — in this case, the weaponization of religious hysteria by authorities. Its continued relevance lies in its unflinching portrayal of how institutions manipulate morality to crush dissent, making it a landmark in politically charged cinema.
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