In 17th-century France, Father Urbain Grandier seeks to protect the city of Loudun from the corrupt establishment of Cardinal Richelieu. Hysteria occurs within the city when he is accused of witchcraft by a sexually repressed nun.
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Title: The Devils (1971)
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4 wins.
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Vanessa Redgrave | ... | ||
| Oliver Reed | ... | ||
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Dudley Sutton | ... |
Baron De Laubardemont
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Max Adrian | ... |
Ibert
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| Gemma Jones | ... |
Madeleine
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| Murray Melvin | ... |
Mignon
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| Michael Gothard | ... |
Father Barre
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Georgina Hale | ... |
Philippe
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Brian Murphy | ... |
Adam
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Christopher Logue | ... | |
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Graham Armitage | ... | |
| John Woodvine | ... |
Trincant
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Andrew Faulds | ... |
Rangier
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| Kenneth Colley | ... |
Legrand
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| Judith Paris | ... |
Sister Judith
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Plot Summary
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Plot Synopsis
Storyline
Cardinal Richelieu and his power-hungry entourage seek to take control of seventeenth-century France, but need to destroy Father Grandier - the priest who runs the fortified town that prevents them from exerting total control. So they seek to destroy him by setting him up as a warlock in control of a devil-possessed nunnery, the mother superior of which is sexually obsessed by him. A mad witch-hunter is brought in to gather evidence against the priest, ready for the big trial. Written by Niz
Taglines:
The Devils is not a film for everyone . . . See more »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
UKRelease Date:
16 July 1971 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
The Devils of Loudun See more »Box Office
Gross:
SEK 1,200,949 (Sweden)Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
| (restored)Sound Mix:
MonoColor:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1
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from Secretum musarum (1615)
Music by Nicolas Vallet.
Played as the king's dance in the opening.
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Ken Russell has said that he had to be gentle with Max Adrian because he was rather frail at the time. See more »Goofs
Judith Paris's character is referred to as Sister Agnes in the film but listed as Sister Judith in the credits. See more »Quotes
Grandier: Call me vain and proud, the greatest sinner ever to walk God's earth, but Satan's boy I could never be. I haven't the humility.See more »
Soundtracks
Bourrée d'Avignonfrom Secretum musarum (1615)
Music by Nicolas Vallet.
Played as the king's dance in the opening.
See more »
A few movies are so controversial that the Movie industry does their best to kill them off (see Terry Gilliams' "Brazil"). Such was the case with "The Devils" First, to clear a few things up...this did NOT come from a play, nor was it a novel. It is based on Aldous Huxley's painstakingly researched religious history of the famous Loudun exorcisms during the time of Richelieu. The book may be out of print, but my wife found a copy published in 1952 by Chatto & Windus. There are some more recent publications, but this one is lovely, with an engraving of Bishop Urban Grandier(the main character) dating back to 1627. Huxley actually includes original letters, which still exist, written by the participants of this travesty. Much of the dialogue of the film is directly from Huxley. The vision however is uniquely Russell's. When this movie was originally released, it was given an X rating, not due to sex, or even violence, although there is some of each. The plain fact is that the film in its original form is simply overpowering. The Movie Review board thought so! I was fortunate enough to see the original uncut version, rated X at the local art-house upon its release. This film is a shortened version. While still worthwhile, this film absolutely SCREAMS for a Criterion Collection restoration to its original (brilliant) form.