Director's Cut Unleashed
Ken Russell's Controversial 'The Devils' Director's Cut Receives 4K Restoration for Cinema Release
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Key Points
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The 4K restoration was assembled from the original camera negative, with the sound remastered from the original English composite 35mm Mag Film transferred at 96kHz; the restoration work was conducted by Warner Bros. Post Production Creative Services, Water Tower Color, and Warner Bros. Sound, with Lucida Productions in London handling the director's cut reconstruction.
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There was a 2004 uncut version of The Devils restored by Ken Russell that was screened at the National Film Theatre in London, but it never received a public release.
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The restored director's cut includes Russell's notorious 'Rape of Christ' sequence, which was cut from earlier releases and has long been a point of censorship discussion in the film's release history.
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The restoration process was developed in part during a January Berlin meeting with Clockwork team members Christian Parkes and Spencer Collantes, followed by a Cannes preview introduced by Russell’s widow and critic Mark Kermode.
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In the UK, the project is being released in partnership with the British Film Institute (BFI), underscoring a formal institutional backing for the restoration and its theatrical rollout.
After more than 50 years of cuts, bans, and studio suppression, Ken Russell's notorious 1971 film *The Devils* is finally coming to cinemas in its complete, uncut form. Warner Bros. Clockwork has released the first teaser for a new 4K Director's Cut restoration, with a one-week North American theatrical run set to begin October 16, according to Deadline.
The restoration is the first time Russell's complete vision will screen publicly. It includes the infamous 'Rape of Christ' sequence, a scene cut before the film's original release and kept out of every version shown to audiences since. Screen Anarchy reports the audio was remastered at 96kHz from the original composite 35mm Mag Film, with the 4K image scanned directly from the original camera negative.
A 55-Year Battle to Show Russell's Full Vision
*The Devils* starred Vanessa Redgrave and Oliver Reed in a story set in 17th-century France, where a priest is tried for witchcraft amid religious hysteria. On release, it drew Vatican condemnation and was banned in multiple countries. Warner Bros. spent decades blocking any uncut public release, refusing to license the film to boutique labels like Criterion or Arrow, according to World of Reel.
A Director's Cut was assembled back in 2004, when Russell worked with editor Michael Bradsell and critic Mark Kermode for a screening at the National Film Theatre in London. But Warner Bros. blocked any wider release of that version. It remained effectively locked in a vault for another 22 years. Despite its suppression, the film was the fifth highest-grossing movie in the UK in 1971.
How Warner Bros. Clockwork Unlocked the Film
The breakthrough came when Warner Bros. launched a new specialty label, Clockwork, in December 2025. The label is led by former Neon executives Christian Parkes and Spencer Collantes. In January 2026, the two met in Berlin to begin developing the restoration strategy. By April, Clockwork was teased publicly at CinemaCon. The label appears designed partly to release controversial archival titles without risk to the main Warner Bros. brand, according to Deadline.
The 4K restoration was handled by Warner Bros. Post Production Creative Services, Water Tower Color, and Warner Bros. Sound. Lucida Productions in London led the Director's Cut reconstruction. The Cannes premiere in May 2026 was introduced by Russell's widow, Elize Tribble Russell, alongside Kermode. She said the release finally honors Russell's "uncut and unfiltered" vision, according to Yahoo News.
The 'Rape of Christ' Sequence Returns After Decades
The most debated part of this restoration is the reinstatement of the 'Rape of Christ' sequence. In it, nuns in a hallucinatory frenzy desecrate a crucifix. Studio executives removed it before the film even premiered in 1971. The BBFC, the UK film censor, also demanded cuts. The scene has been discussed in censorship debates for over half a century but seen by almost no one in a theater setting.
Some fans remain cautious. Russell's son has speculated on social media that minor trims — including a so-called 'hammer blow' torture scene — may still be absent even from this version. Those questions are unlikely to be answered fully until the film screens in October, according to Head Topics.
October Theatrical Run Backed by BFI in the UK
In North America, the film opens October 16 for a seven-day exclusive run in select theaters. International dates have not yet been confirmed. A home release — likely a 4K UHD disc — is expected to follow the theatrical window, potentially in 2027. The Director's Cut runs 114 minutes, according to Screen Anarchy.
In the UK, the British Film Institute is a formal partner on the release. That institutional backing marks a significant shift: the same country that once banned the film is now lending it official cultural support. Critics at Cannes, writing in outlets including *Variety*, praised the restoration's clarity and called the film's themes of power and manufactured hysteria "startlingly contemporary."
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