KEN RUSSELL’S THE DEVILS
4K Restoration of the definitive version
BFI Distribution in partnership with Warner Bros. Clockwork have released a new trailer unveiling never-before-seen footage of the 4K restoration
Opening in cinemas in the UK & Ireland on 30 October 2026
BFI Distribution and Warner Bros. Clockwork have released the trailer for KEN RUSSELL’S THE DEVILS. Censored for over half a century, Ken Russell’s visionary masterpiece has been fully restored in 4K and cut to Russell’s direction, back on the big screen in its definitive version on 30 October 2026, released in cinemas in the UK and Ireland by BFI Distribution in partnership with Warner Bros. Clockwork. This trailer unveils never-before-seen footage from the 4K restoration.
The release of this definitive cut marks a historic event 55 years in the making – this restoration is the only version of the film that Ken Russell wanted audiences to see. “a holy grail” for film lovers the world over, this version has never been released theatrically or available on home video/streaming.
On the scale of the restoration award-winning filmmaker and BFI Fellow Guillermo del Toro said, “The restoration of the material is like cleaning the Sistine Chapel with saliva. It is insane, the epic size of the film – I mean, I’ve seen it on the big screen in Telluride at a theater – I’ve never seen the movie until I saw this restoration.”
An enduring masterpiece of cinema starring Oliver Reed and Vanessa Redgrave, KEN RUSSELL’S THE DEVILS is a prescient epic of obsession and corruption – and a defining work of art from seminal filmmaker Ken Russell. Inspired by the true story of 17th-century priest Urbain Grandier, accused of bewitching a convent of nuns, the film lays bare the collusion of church and state through a searing vision of religious persecution, collective hysteria and institutional corruption. In addition to powerhouse performances from Reed and Redgrave, KEN RUSSELL’S THE DEVILS showcases the stunning work of artists at the peak of their craft: Academy Award®-winning cinematographer David Watkin (Out of Africa, Chariots of Fire); editor Michael Bradsell (Local Hero, Jabberwocky); and visual artist Derek Jarman (Jubilee, Caravaggio), whose work as production designer marks his feature film debut.
The definitive version of KEN RUSSELL’S THE DEVILS received its restoration world premiere at the 79th Cannes Film Festival as an official selection in Cannes Classics to overwhelming critical acclaim, before being screened at Il Cinema Ritrovato, Bologna. Warner Bros. Clockwork will present the restoration’s North American premiere at Toronto International Film Festival before releasing the film in US cinemas on 16 October for an exclusive one-week engagement.
KEN RUSSELL’S THE DEVILS will be released in cinemas in the UK & Ireland on 30 October 2026.
UK / 1971 / 114 mins / 18