AKA The Devils of Loudun. "Confess you are the Devil's servant! Renounce your master!"
Father Grandier (Oliver Reed) is a priest who gets caught up in the politics of religion, when a local nunnery comes down with a series of possessions. As the hysteria rises and the nunnery's fame threatens to overwhelm the political aspirations of Cardinal Richelieu and various members of the court, Grandier becomes a pawn and eventual scape-goat at a show trial with the mother superior (Vanessa Redgrave), (who is obsessed with the priest), as star witness.
Ken Russell's controversial masterwork, developed from Aldous Huxley's novel The Devils Of Loudun. The film matches the physical decay witnessed by the victims of the plague ravaging the town, mirroring it with the morale decay of the church and royal court. This is a savage attack on the politics of religion and all involved in it. Called a "grand fiesta for sadists and perverts" by one critic, what better recommendation do you need?
One of the greatest movies ever made--and still no decent US DVD release! Sigh....
ReplyDeleteAn under-rated and devalued classic, which is shamefully not available anywhere from what I can find out.
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