Alternate versions for
The Devils (1971) More at IMDbPro »

• Originally released with a X-rating, later edited down to allow a R-rating.
  
  
• Before release, the British censors required the removal of a four-minute sequence showing a group of demented nuns raping a statue of Christ. This sequence was long thought to be lost until film critic Mark Kermode found the footage in a film-storage warehouse and included it in a documentary on 'Ken Russell' entitled "Hell on Earth", which premiered on UK television in November 2002. When shown, the sequence was two-and a half minutes long.
  
  
• 35mm prints in British distribution have been shortened by approximately 10 minutes for reissue on a double bill. The most common video release is the more heavily censored American version.
  
  
• The version of this film released in 1997 by Warner Home Video (UK) as part of the 'Maverick Directors' series clocks in at 106mins, 30secs on PAL, suggesting the original 111min version of the film was used as the master.
  
  
• The heavily cut R-rated version runs 103 min.
  
  
• 1) Warner Brothers removed the Rape of Christ before submitting the film to the British censors.
  • 2) The British censors removed a further 89 seconds. The resulting 111-minute cut is the longest existing version of The Devils.
  • 3) American censors cut two minutes and re-edited another two minutes to produce the R-rated version.
  • The full 111-minute version was released on video in 1997 in the Maverick Directors series. All other video releases used the heavily cut American version (even UK video releases) in a murky and grainy transfer that was an insult to the film's excellent cinematography and artwork.
  
  
  
• The UK version of the Devils is 111 minutes long. The US version is 109 minutes.
  
  
• A restored version of The Devils was screened at The National Film Theatre in London on 23/11/04. Two scenes had been reinstated - the Rape of Christ which brought the orgy to a climax, and a scene near the end of the film when Jeanne masturbates with the bone that Laubardemont has given her as a souvenir.
  
  

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