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Notices |  |
| Your Favourite British Films Name your favourite British film or make a case for an underrated classic. |
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14-02-2008, 11:10 PM
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Blue Velvet
has no status.
Junior Member
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The Devils (1971)
I originally bumped into this amazing gem at a late-night showing in Sheffield's Anvil Cinema during the mid-1980s. Knowing nothing about the film beforehand it was a quite jaw-dropping experience I can tell you.
This is Ken Russell's masterpiece. Shocking for its time but a poignant essay on the total corruption of the church. A fantastic cast, really on top of their game. Oliver Reed has never been better, a wonderfly demented performance from Vanessa Redgrave along with a great supporting cast including Dudley Sutton, Brian Murphy (yes, George Roper of Man About The House fame), Max Adrian, Murray Melvin, the list goes on. Amazing set design from Derek Jarman making the white tiled interior scenes look like a gigantic public lavatory (in a good way of course). An interesting score from Peter Maxwell-Davies adds a disturbing reverbrance to the at times, surreal proceedings. The film is incredibly entertaining containing some trully outrageous scenes.. It's wonderfully camp one minute and then gripping drama the next. Then we have the notorious censorship problems in post-production with rumours of 'lost footage' containing more 'outrages'. Then amazingly this footage is found and a great documentary is made about the making of the film and its subsequent troubles, Mark Kermode's excellent Channel 4 documentary 'Hell On Earth'. Evidently, a DVD of this film is ready to go. Ken Russell has recorded a commentary for it. However, Warner Bros appear to be really dragging their feet over this release. So when is it going to be appear? It's about time we should see this in its original glory, with the excised footage re-instated and the film presented in its proper 'scope' ratio which can just be barely glimpsed during the opening credit sequence in recent TV screenings. Despite being 37 years old this film still holds up well and has stood the test of time. Hopefully, we won't have to wait to long to see this classic piece of British cinema in a deluxe DVD edition. |
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15-02-2008, 12:41 AM
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dremble wedge
is dreaming
Senior Member
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Absolutely agree. This is one of my top ten favourite films.
The screenplay is superb (although I don't know how much, if any, is from John Whiting's play) and all of the main actors are at the top of their game. I first saw it about twenty years ago at a midnight triple bill along with Witchfinder General and The Wicker Man! I'm not sure I could ever enjoy a triple bill more than that... A full and proper DVD release will be something to celebrate. "What fresh lunacy is this? A crocodile?" |
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15-02-2008, 07:07 AM
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harryfielder
has no status.
Senior Member
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Lots of memories
 1971
THE DEVILS…Director…Ken Russell… Oliver Reed…Vanessa Redgrave…Dudley Sutton… I worked for about sixteen weeks on this film standing/in for Dudley and doing every crowd scene possible.. From the first day on set I could not believe what I was seeing. A bevy of young girls dressed as Nuns walking around the set topless. Reg Prince, who was Oliver Reeds stand/in said to me ‘’Stop looking Aitch, or you’ll go blind’’ I said ‘’I’ll risk one eye’’. After the first couple of days it was back to looking at the Racing Post. I thought this film was Dudley’s finest performance. How he could remember all those very long speeches was beyond me.. (That’s the difference between an actor and a supporting artist) As I said, I got involved in many of the crowd scenes. Some days we had six Crowd Artists and another time six hundred. After a couple of months Ted Morley the 1st A.D. said ‘’Come in at six in the morning Aitch, Ken’s got a little job for you’’ (Be wary of Ken’s little jobs) I’m in the make up room bright and early the next day standing in just my underpants. (Not a pretty sight at six in the morning) I’m painted off/white and grey and have rags tied about certain parts of my body. One of the make up girls pours some rice crispies into a bowl. (I’m thinking it must be breakfast time.) Then glue is applied one side of my face, shoulders and body and the rice is stuck on. After that they’re painted yellow, red and a few other colours and it looks like I’ve got the plague. (That was the plan in the first place) It’s nearly eight o clock now and I’m told I can go over to the Pinewood canteen and have a quick breakfast then go straight onto the set which was on the back lot.. The canteen was packed when I entered but within seconds I had a table to myself. (I wonder why?) Later on at the back lot they’ve dug a huge crater and filled it up with raggedly dressed dummies and I’m going to lay on the top.. This is the plague pit and I’m starring. Murrey Melvin was blessing our poor disfigured bodies. I had a smoke while they were lighting the set and it reminded me of that cigar advert Where the man is all at peace with his lot.. I thought to myself ‘’Is this it Aitch, on the scrap heap at thirty one years old’’ Another of Ken’s little jobs was to dress me up as a giant crow and to get drowned in the Pinewood pond. (Under the supervision of Peter Braham, Stunt Director) Now in theory it’s quite easy to do. You float in the pond then sink into three foot of water whilst holding a plastic bottle of air in one hand and another one of blood in the other hand…(Simple) As you sink you squeeze the bottles and the air and blood rise to the surface. (Now here’s the rub) The giant crows feathers wont let me sink. After about ten minutes the brains on the film come up with plan B. They will drop a huge weight with a steel ring in it to the bottom of the pond, then tie a rope around my waist under the feathers then through the steel ring. Pass the rope To the three prop men standing on the other side of the pond and they will pull me under the water. (It gets worse) By now I’ve been in the water for nearly an hour and I’m getting cold. The fish in the pond have got the hump with me and have started nibbling at the feathers and certain other parts of my anatomy. A couple of large brandies help with the cold and we’re Ready for a take. (Let’s do it) (now here’s the plot.) I’m floating on the top and on a cue the prop men will pull me down to the bottom as I’m releasing air and blood.. (Big thought) What about my own air supply.??? How will the prop men know when I’ve run out of air to breathe so that they can release the rope. Another large brandy and it’s decided that when I pull on the rope they will release it their end. Well to cut an even longer story short the idea worked and after about six takes (And Six more brandies) Ken got what he wanted.  OLIVER REED IN KEN RUSSELL’S…THE DEVILS. The moral of this story is, don’t mix brandy and water. (Oh happy days) The photo was signed to my wife Mary. The Devils was a great film to work on and I’d like to thank all the cast and crew for making it such a fun time. I’d like to say a very special thanks to the wonderful 2nd A.D. Mr. Vincent Winters. Vincent was a child actor and his great claim to fame was the film ‘’THE KIDNAPPERS’’ Made in the fifties. He played the younger of the two brothers who find a baby on the Scottish Moors and want to call it Rover... (A wonderful film) I had a row with him twenty years later and never got to say sorry. Vincent has since died and I’m still sorry. (God bless) Aitch, |
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15-02-2008, 01:22 PM
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stevie boy
is a fulham fanatic
Senior Member
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Quote:
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17-02-2008, 11:45 AM
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Blue Velvet
has no status.
Junior Member
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Quote:
Aitch, thank you so much for sharing those great stories with us. Did you work on any other of Ken's films? |
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17-02-2008, 11:49 AM
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Blue Velvet
has no status.
Junior Member
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Quote:
Wow, that's a triple bill and some. Arguably the three greatest ever British Horror films. |
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17-02-2008, 03:34 PM
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harryfielder
has no status.
Senior Member
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Quote:
The first Russell film I worked on was Billion Dollar Brain again down at Pinewood. 1967....The Music Lovers..1970 ...Savage Messiah..1972...Tommy..1974 ..Lisztomania 1975.. Mahler 1975. Valentino 1977. A lot of people didn't like Russell but I loved his style of directing. (I was a small cog in a big wheel, but I was there )  It's all on my web page in the years it was done... Aitch, |
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17-02-2008, 06:14 PM
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Blue Velvet
has no status.
Junior Member
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Quote:
Well Russell was and still is a maverick and has always spoken his mind. It's shameful how his vast body of work has been chronically neglected. I assume Warner Bros and the other big studios view his films as a nuisance and wish people like me would stop harping on about them. Ironically though, if his films and TV work were more easily available, there would probably be much greater appreciation and the studios would probably be falling over themselves to release more and more Russell DVDs. Oh well, we can live in hope. |
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17-02-2008, 06:19 PM
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penfold
is at Pordenone
Moderator
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I hope you've read Ken's books on film, and British film in particular. Great fun, great insights, and written with all the enthusiam you would expect from a man who really knows his cinema.
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17-02-2008, 06:59 PM
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Client Fan
has no status.
Junior Member
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I truly believe that The Devils is amongst the handful of the "best" films ever made, in terms of both technical credibility and cultural significance. Without wishing to sound too foolishly passionate, I feel it's DVD suppression is a crime against human rights (based on the film's themes and their relevance today more than ever).
It's absolutely disgusting that although Ken is still with us at 81, there is no suggestion of the possibility of a knighthood for this man; and that his canon of work is by and large ignored on DVD by the major studios, who are all too hell-bent on plugging their own nefarious, insidious agendas of dumbing down the world. I don't think there is any other 'major' film in existence that, at 38 years of age, remains 'damaged goods' to such an extent as The Devils. Innumerable lesser offerings have been restored, remastered and given the red carpet treatment on DVD. That fact is in itself as scandalous, shocking, depressing, offensive and dangerous as anything in the film that Warners seems to perceive as such a public 'threat'. |
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17-02-2008, 07:54 PM
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Blue Velvet
has no status.
Junior Member
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Another British film Warner Bros had issues about releasing recently was 'Performance'. This has now been released on DVD and and the 'sky has not fallen on their heads', so to speak. I think a DVD release for 'The Devils' will happen. I think we'll probably just have to be patient.
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17-02-2008, 09:44 PM
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Client Fan
has no status.
Junior Member
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Quote:
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18-02-2008, 03:39 PM
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1stas
has no status.
Senior Member
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As we are talking about The Devils - whatever happened to Georgina Hale?
Wonderful over the top actress with a fabulous sexy gravelly voice. I worked with her on Preaching to the Perverted - Tom Bell and Sue Johnston - to name but a couple. It was a scream. Anybody out there got any gossip on her? Last I heard she was on the dole - poor love. Last edited by 1stas; 18-02-2008 at 03:49 PM. Reason: Added to |
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