Ken Russell's The Devils (4K Restoration)

"bold, individual and a landmark in British cinema, with outstanding performances" - The Guardian

Censored for over half a century, Ken Russell’s visionary masterpiece THE DEVILS will be back on the big screen in its definitive version on 30 October 2026, released in cinemas in the UK and Ireland by BFI Distribution in partnership with Warner Bros. Clockwork. Fully restored in 4K and cut to Ken Russell’s specific direction, KEN RUSSELL’S THE DEVILS is the first publicly released version of the film as intended by the filmmaker. Fifty-five years after its initial release, the definitive version of THE DEVILS was unveiled at the 79th Cannes Film Festival as an official selection in Cannes Classics. Warner Bros. Clockwork will be releasing the film in all other territories, beginning with the US on 16 October for an exclusive one-week engagement.    

An enduring masterpiece of cinema starring Oliver Reed and Vanessa Redgrave, KEN RUSSELL’S THE DEVILS is a prescient epic of obsession and corruption – and a defining work of art from seminal filmmaker Ken Russell. Inspired by the true story of 17th-century priest Urbain Grandier, accused of bewitching a convent of nuns, the film lays bare the collusion of church and state through a searing vision of religious persecution, collective hysteria and institutional corruption. In addition to powerhouse performances from Reed and Redgrave, KEN RUSSELL’S THE DEVILS showcases the stunning work of artists at the peak of their craft: Academy Award®-winning cinematographer David Watkin (Out of Africa, Chariots of Fire); editor Michael Bradsell (Local Hero, Jabberwocky); and visual artist Derek Jarman (Jubilee, Caravaggio), whose work as production designer marks his feature film debut.  

Produced by Warner Bros. in 1971, the film received Best Director awards from two of the most prestigious institutions in the world: the 33rd Venice International Film Festival and the U.S. National Board of Review. Its critical reception in the following decades has only become more impassioned, championed by artists and film historians including Guillermo del Toro and Mark Kermode.