Terrible Beauty Ken Russell's 1971 movie was released in a year that saw the directors of the counter culture movement bringing intense violent imagery to the screen that caused massive controversy. While its' brethren from that year, A CLOCKWORK ORANGE and STRAW DOGS have been re-assessed and come to be adored by film fans, THE DEVILS has remained an embarrassment for the studio that released it, almost impossible to find on DVD in the US and still having only been shown uncut on a handful of occasions. The reason for that is probably not due to any of the often violent images in the movie, or for the copious nudity or masturbatory fantasies, it is mostly because the movie ticked off the wrong entity, the Catholic church.
The movie is the story of Father Grandier, a priest of the people who holds great power in his town of Loudun. He is, also, not your typical priest, as he is more than willing to let loose his lustful cravings. He's, also, not a bad looking guy and that combination of those looks and that lust ends up in his ultimate downfall, as women who want him, or come to despise him end up playing a big part in tearing him down. Seems that a Cardinal is trying to gain power by sitting at the right hand of the king. The cardinal wants to bring an end to local power, but Grandier stands in his way by refusing to allow the walls of Loudun to be torn down. So, like many a leader in history, they use religion to tear those walls down. The accusal of witchcraft and possession from a nun who is clearly crazy sets the wheels in motion and from there bedlam breaks loose. A maniacal witch hunter whips the convent into a frenzy, a convent that just happens to be full of nubile, young women, who gladly unleash their sexual repression to display the work of the devil. Eventually, we get a farce of a trial and a horrifying execution.
Forgetting the obvious subjects for a moment, the movie is beautiful and stylistic. This is the kind of movie that you could watch on mute, knowing nothing of what is being said, and still come away with a profound admiration of the movie because the imagery is that remarkable. Ken Russell said that he wanted to play with the idea of modernity. Though the movie is hundreds of years ago, the people in the movie think they are the height of modern times and the movie feels that way. The sets, such as the stark white nunnery, the striking walls of Loudun itself and the statue garden look of Grandier's home all seem like places from another world and time. The costumes are remarkable as well, from Grandier's flowing priest robes, to the frightening visage of the court judges and executioner and the rock star garb of the witch hunter. To contrast all of that are some of the images that really stick with the viewer, whether they are the horrific images of rotting protestants hanging on wheels or Grandier's burning, bubbled skin in the execution scene, or the sexually explicit images of naked nuns doing obscene things with candles and crucifixes or diabolic douches. People will be drawn to the movie because of the controversy and some will love it for the nature of the images, but it's the artistry of the film that sunk in for me.
The acting is, also, incredible. Oliver Reed leads the show as Grandier. He is charismatic when needed, sensual in other scenes and movingly dramatic. He carries a power in his role that heightens the movie greatly. Vanessa Redgrave is, also, captivating, as a deformed nun who obsesses over Grandier. She teeters on the edge of madness and, perhaps, falls right off the edge. From the beginning, it is evident that she's not quite all there, but as she unravels, Redgrave plays the role as a woman that we never quite feel any sympathy for, yet do not see as a villain either. She is a complex character with a pivotal role. Perhaps my favorite character, though, is Michael Gothard as Father Barre, the witch hunter. He is a rock star of his time. He looks like it, he carries himself like it. He has an almost cartoonish quality, so over the top and animated, yet so intense. He is a maelstrom of wicked belief, so devout in his religion, so in love with his power.
I guess that you can't review this movie without speaking of the controversy to some degree. Frankly, the movie is far more tame than I expected. Maybe that says something about me. Maybe that says something about how much times have changed since this movie's release. The version I have has the "Grandier's Bone" scene and the "Rape of Christ" scene as bonus features, not spliced in. Other than that, it is the full length BFI version that (to my novice knowledge) is the most complete version available for home release. While the movie certainly has its' share of shocking images and pushed the envelope in violence and sexuality, I don't think the movie would carry anything more than an "R" rating in today's world.
I have seen a lot of controversial movies, in my time, that flat out suck. Movies like CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST or I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE would have disappeared into the dustbins of forgotten history a long time ago were it not for the controversy they stirred up. This movie is the polar opposite, in some ways. It is an absolute shame that this movie isn't celebrated. Controversy has allowed this movie to be not lost, but locked up, and it's time that it gets its' proper respect.