Cannes Film Festival 2026: Ken Russell’s ‘The Devils’ Earned Its X-Rating In 1971 — And A New 4K Restoration Shows Off All Of Its Sacrilegious Splendor
The Cannes Film Festival 2026 showcased a new 4K restoration of Ken Russell's controversial film 'The Devils.' Originally released in 1971, the film earned an X-rating and has rarely been screened in its complete form. The restoration highlights its themes of censorship, political control, and the intersection of Church and State, making it a significant cinematic event.
- ▪The 4K restoration of 'The Devils' was overseen by critic Mark Kermode and distributed by Warner Bros' Clockwork imprint.
- ▪The film follows the story of a priest accused of witchcraft in 17th century France, exploring themes of moral policing and political control.
- ▪The notorious trial scene, which includes a controversial orgy, has been rarely seen until this restoration was presented at Cannes.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
var adWrapper = document.querySelector('.gallery-ad__wrapper'); if (typeof googletag !== 'undefined') { googletag.cmd.push(function() { if (window.definedSlots && -1 !== window.definedSlots.indexOf("div-gpt-ad-connatix")) { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-connatix"); } else { console.log('div-gpt-ad-connatix not a defined slot', window.definedSlots || []); } }); } Decider After Dark Share this: Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook Share on X (Opens in new window) X Flipboard Share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email Click to copy URL Copy Cannes Film Festival 2026: Ken Russell’s ‘The Devils’ Earned Its X-Rating In 1971 — And A New 4K Restoration Shows Off All Of Its Sacrilegious Splendor By Siddhant Adlakha Twitter…
Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Decider.
Discussion
0 commentsMore from Decider
