Raising Hell Ken Russell and the Unmaking of the Devils

by Crouse, Richard

• ISBN13: 9781770410664
• ISBN10: 177041066X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-10-01
• Publisher: ECW Press

Summary

From exclusive interviews with director Ken Russell and new interviews with cast, crew, and historians, comes this examination of the beautifully blasphemous film The Devils. Based on historical fact, this controversial 1971 film is about an oversexed priest and a group of sexually repressed nuns in 17th-century France and the ensuing trials and exorcisms that followed. Detailing the production and the personalities of two of cinema's great eccentrics, director Ken Russell and star Oliver Reed, Crouse delves deeper to explore the aftermath of the film. Chiefly, the question asked is How can a movie by one of the most famous filmmakers in the world end up banned, edited, and ignored by the company that owns it?

Author Biography

Richard Crouse is a film critic who hosted Reel to Real on the Independent Film Channel, In Short on Bravo, and is a frequent guest on many national Canadian radio and television shows. He is the author of The 100 Best Movies You’ve Never Seen, Reel Winners, and The Son of the 100 Best Movies You’ve Never Seen. He lives in Toronto.

Table of Contents

CONTENTS Prologue Give Me Moody One: My Night with Ken Russell 7 Chapter One Oliver Reed and Ken Russell 13 Chapter Two Inspiration and the Writing 35 Chapter Three Casting The Devils 57 Chapter Four Sights and Sounds of The Devils 69 Chapter Five Directing The Devils 87 Chapter Six The Devils' Context 119 Chapter Seven The Film’s Release 139 Chapter Eight Renaissance of The Devils 163 Appendix Historical Cast of Characters 183 Bibliography 193