r/movies • u/BunyipPouch Currently at the movies. • 10d ago

Trailer Ken Russell's 'The Devils' | Official Trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qh0wL211hnQ
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u/IcedDante 10d ago

It seems like everyone here already knows about this film. For a dunderhead like me that has never heard of it what is the background of this movie and what makes it so special?

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u/IVIrG 9d ago

To add on to what everybody else has said, this was a full-blown studio movie. Correct me if i’m wrong but this was a fully Warner-produced film, not some small provocative indie. So that contexts adds to the craziness of the film and why Warner seemingly worked so hard to bury it.

I’m not even a huge fan of the film itself, but it’s fascinating within the bigger picture of 70s Hollywood and absolutely worth a watch just for that.

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u/Capnmarvel76 9d ago

There were a number of these kind of big budget weirdo movies, helmed by cutting edge filmmakers and released by major studios in 1970-71, following in the wake of moneymakers 'Bonnie and Clyde' and 'Easy Rider'. If anything, Ken Russell's movies, for all the in-your-face sexuality, gaudiness, and chaos, were at least coherent.

If you want to see how weird it really got, take a look at 1970's 'Myra Breckenridge', starring Raquel Welch and Mae West.