How Film Critic Mark Kermode Helped Resurrect Ken Russell’s ‘The Devils’ — NC-17 and All

The film "The Devils," directed by Ken Russell and based on true events, has been a subject of controversy since its release in 1971. The movie, starring Oliver Reed as Urbain Grandier and Vanessa Redgrave as Sister Jeanne des Anges, explores themes of witchcraft and political intrigue in 17th century France. Due to its explicit content, the film has been repeatedly released and censored across different territories, often in abbreviated versions.

In 1995, British film critic Mark Kermode met with Russell to discuss the film's history and censorship issues. Kermode was captivated by Russell's vision of the movie and its central sequence, which depicted the nuns losing their sanity in a cathedral. Russell considered this sequence as the heart of the film and refused to cut it, even when asked to do so by British censors.

Kermode was determined to locate the missing footage and restore the film to its uncut glory. After several years of persistent effort, he finally succeeded and the film was released in North American theaters in an unedited, NC-17 version.