The Devils

The Devils is a piece of madness by Ken Russell though telling the true story of the persecution of progressive French priest Urbain Grandier by the establishment lead by Cardinal Richelieu, obviously not the only story featuring the Cardinal as a villain. Fitting to Russell's style as a director this is an insane film, though in this case that probably was the approach to the story. What is notable here, and not so much in the other films of his that I have seen, is that he does intelligent maneuver the film's tone despite his rather broad reaching approach. Although overall, particularly in the production design and the performances of the supporting cast, the film is purposefully grotesque in its excesses. Russell seems to thrive in these circumstances. The madness he inflicts is mesmerizing, for the most part, in its own right. As he plays with religious and historical iconography to reveal the full extent of the debauchery of the people. He has enough of a sense here to pull back within the character of Grandier well played by Oliver Reed. He depicts that character with the utmost humanity effectively turning him into a focal point of sanity and decency. This keeps the film's style from becoming too much as keeping the man within it all not only provides the needed anchor, but also provides a real emotional weight within that hysteria. Although the other films of Russell's that I have seen have failed in one way or another, this film succeeds as it uses his excesses towards effectively storytelling while still having that sense to know when to pull back to reveal the true tragedy within this mad story.
5/5