Review of The Devils (1971) by Familiar S — 30 Jul 2010

In "The Devils," Cardinal Richelieu(Christopher Logue) is working on a cunning plan through King Louis XIII(Graham Armitage) that involves the consolidation of the power of the state by tearing down the fortifications of individual villages. One such is in Loudun where Father Grandier(Oliver Reed) watches over with a kind eye, keeping the religious wars at bay by being tolerant of the local Huguenot population. Even with the plague raging and the mother of Madeleine(Gemma Jones) dying, he maintains his dignified authority. That might explain why all the nuns have the hots for him, especially Sister Jeanne(Vanessa Redgrave).

With an assist from the modernist set design of Derek Jarman, "The Devils" is an engrossing movie based on historical fact that belies its reputation as blasphemy. Director Ken Russell's irreverence is more honest about history than most movies and has actually been quite influential over time.(I can't explain the crocodile, though.) It is quite clear through Oliver Reed's miraculously controlled performance that Grandier is for real(check out Jeanne's visions if you don't believe me). What Ken Russell is really interested in is taking well-deserved shots at hypocrisy in the Church. For example, the hunchback Jeanne mentions that the women entered the order for a variety of reasons, none of them religious, all convenient. The most provocative idea in the entire movie is put forth by Father Grandier that priests should marry(of all the things you can criticize a man for, having a healthy sex drive should be way down on the list). In fact, forced celibacy can also be perverse in its own way.