Variety
Reed carries the film with an admirably restrained portrayal of the doomed priest. Redgrave, on screen only sporadically, is stunning as the salacious sister.
Full review
The Devils (1971)
A dramatised historical account of the rise and fall of Urbain Grandier (Oliver Reed), a 17th-century Roman Catholic priest accused of witchcraft.
In 17th-century France, Father Grandier's unorthodox views on sex and religion influence a passionate following of nuns, including the sexually-obsessed Sister Jeanne (Vanessa Redgrave). When the power-hungry Cardinal Richelieu (Christopher Logue) realizes he must eliminate Grandier to gain control of France, Richelieu portrays Grandier as a satanist and spearheads a public outcry to destroy the once-loved priest's reputation.
Winner of Best Foreign Film, 1971 Venice Film Festival.
1971Rating: R18111 minsUK
DramaHistorical
- Director:
- Ken Russell ('Tommy', 'Altered States', 'The Lair of the White Worm')
- Writer:
- Ken Russell
- Cast:
- Vanessa RedgraveOliver ReedDudley SuttonMax AdrianGemma JonesMurray MelvinMichael GothardGeorgina Hale
The Devils (1971) / Reviews
Time Out
No matter how thickly Russell piles on the masturbating nuns, tortured priests and dissolute dauphins, there's no getting round the fact that it's all more redolent of a camp revue than a cathartic vision.
Full reviewThe New York Times
It's a see-through movie composed of a lot of clanking, silly, melodramatic effects that, like rib-tickling, exhaust you without providing particular pleasure, to say nothing of enlightenment.
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Los Angeles Times
Russell is really interested in examining religious hypocrisy and, although his methods are sensationalistic, he makes valid points about man's difficulty reflecting God's image.
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