The 1971 film The Devils' director’s cut is now finally scheduled for a special screening at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, ahead of a global theatrical release.  Ken Russell's film, known for its disturbing religious imagery and subject matter, has recently received renewed interest, moving past that which caused it to be banned or heavily edited in many countries.

The film stars Oliver Reed and Vanessa Redgrave in a blasphemous retelling of Aldous Huxley’s 1952 novel, The Devils of Loudun. The widely banned film had to be heavily modified to play in any theaters at the time. Now, 55 years later, Russell's cut of The Devils is finally going to be released.

According to a widely covered press release from Warner Bros, it is a poetic happenstance. The movie will have its world premiere later in October and a screening at Cannes Classics' strand of the Cannes Film Festival. The film is currently being restored in 4K.

The audiences can look forward to seeing it in cinemas around the world later this year, with the BFI co-releasing the film in the UK. The global run of the once-banned film will start on October 16, 2026, to be exact.

55 years after it was censored and heavily altered, The Devils is finally returning in Ken Russell’s original vision, as it was initially banned due to its story. 

What is Ken Russell’s The Devils about?

The Devils is a controversial dramatization of the fall of Father Urbain Grandier, a 17th-century Roman Catholic priest in Loudun, France. His downfall comes in particularly when one Sister Jeanne accuses him of witchcraft and more.

Russell uses the historical setting of the film as the possessions in Loudun in the 17th century. He then uses the plot to attack religious hysteria, political manipulation, and institutional corruption. This restoration is a milestone in British cinema history.

This is also a huge deal, for both Ken Russell as a filmmaker and for the film itself. This is for its place within the landscape of film history and its influence on cinema as a whole. As Russell hoped, this will be the world premiere screening of the most controversial and censored films of British film history.

Are you excited to finally watch The Devils in its completely restored form? Let us know in the comments. 

Written by

Bias Sinha

Edited by

Adiba Nizami