Ken Russell's The Devils (1971) was based on the true story of the trial of Urbain Grandier, a Catholic priest who was executed in 1634 on charges of witchcraft. Russell adapted the film from John Whiting’s 1960 play and Aldous Huxley’s 1952 novel, The Devils of Loudun. Russell deviates from the source material, by taking a contemporary approach to the by filling it with markers of the sexual liberation in 1970. The film mixes religious iconography with sexual imagery in outrageous ways, as a result the film drew ire from religious groups at the time, causing Warner Bros. to release it with little fanfare. Roger Ebert wrote a sarcastic review and awarded it 0 stars. Over Reed plays Grandier and Vanessa Redgrave plays the pivotal role of the sexually repressed nun with a humpback who accuses Grandier of possession by the devil. he film opens with an audacious, camp drag performance by King Louis XIII (Graham Armitage), who enters dressed like the Venus de Milo. The set direction was impressively designed by the then unknown Derek Jarman and was aided by an atonal score. It is a challenging film that cannot help but leave an impression on the viewer good or bad.
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