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The Devils (1971): How Ken Russell’s Banned Masterpiece Found an Afterlife on the Internet Archive

In the annals of cinema history, few films have endured a purgatory as prolonged and unjust as Ken Russell’s 1971 masterpiece, The Devils. Based on Aldous Huxley’s non-fiction book The Devils of Loudun, the film is a blistering, hallucinatory assault on religious hypocrisy, political corruption, and mass hysteria. For over five decades, it has been treated like a contagion—censored, banned, buried, and chopped into pieces by its own distributor, Warner Bros.

Upon its initial release, The Devils was met with widespread criticism and controversy. The film's graphic content, including scenes of torture, violence, and nudity, shocked audiences and sparked outrage among conservative groups. The film was heavily edited and censored in many countries, with some versions featuring significant cuts and changes. the devils 1971 internet archive

Why the Archive Version Matters Despite its technical limitations, the Internet Archive’s copy is the most democratic version of The Devils ever released. The Devils (1971): How Ken Russell’s Banned Masterpiece

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