The Devils (1971)

Thursday, October 25, 2018 @ 7:00 PM
Globe Cinema - 617 8th Ave SW Calgary, AB
$12 General | $10 Members/Seniors/Students | $40 5-Pack Punch Pass | $99 Season Pass

Directed by Ken Russell | UK | 107 mins.

In 1971, British cinema’s wild man Ken Russell decided to adapt Aldous Huxley’s The Devils of Loudon, detailing chronicles of religious hypocrisy and political chicanery in 17th century France. In doing so, Russell ended up fashioning his most legendary, fiery and searing excursion into his riveting and confrontational baroque style.

Licentious priest Father Grandier (Oliver Reed), a man of great faith and great sensual appetites, is the only man in France who stands in the way of Cardinal Richelieu’s power-hungry attempts to fully control France. When Richelieu learns of a repressed nun’s (played by Oscar-winner Vanessa Redgrave) unrequited erotic infatuation with the priest, he realizes the horrifyingly perfect opportunity to see the last obstacle in his pursuit of complete domination destroyed. Ken Russell fashioned what he called “my only political film” in this unforgettable and ferocious account of how society can completely crumble under the weight of oppressive ideological power games, and how sometimes, no man can stand in its way.

- Written by Scott Lang

MASTERS: KEN RUSSELL

A true iconoclast among British filmmakers, Ken Russell began his career in television, making films for the BBC that combined elements of the documentary and the biopic to radical effect. Many of Russell’s television films focus on composers, a trend he would continue throughout his career, resulting in baroque theatrical features about the likes of Tchaikovsky, Mahler, and Liszt. Whether making biopics like Mahler, adaptations of canonized literary classics such as Women in Love, or wild phantasmagorias such as Altered States, Russell’s approach was always flamboyant and brash, the resultant films luxuriating in the tawdry or sensational. Often controversial, Russell always maintained the courage of his convictions and a defiant consistency of vision. Never beholden to decorum or conventional standards of good taste, Russell’s films continue to maintain their ability to shock, awe, and delight. His is a decadent cinema suggesting that civilization may not be so civilized after all.

About Calgary Cinematheque

We are a non-profit film society dedicated to presenting significant, challenging, and essential works of cinema art in Calgary. During our season, which runs from October to April, we screen films weekly, in curated programs which situate each film in a thematic and historical context. We do this because we believe cinema is an essential form of artistic, social, and political expression. Audiences should be able to engage with a wide range of cinematic expression, not only with what is commercially viable. We believe in the power of sharing these experiences with other people in a theatrical setting and we strive to cultivate a community around that experience.  

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