Fifty-five years after its initial release, the definitive version of The Devils will be unveiled at the 79th Cannes Film Festival as an official selection in Cannes Classics. Fully restored in 4K and cut to Ken Russell’s specific direction, Ken Russell’s The Devils is the first publicly released version of the film as intended by the filmmaker. Following its Cannes Classics debut, Warner Bros. Clockwork will be releasing the film in theaters globally this fall, and in partnership with the British Film Institute (BFI) in the UK. The film opens in select North American theaters on October 16 for an exclusive one-week engagement, with international theatrical release dates to be announced.
Starring Oliver Reed and Vanessa Redgrave, Ken Russell’s The Devils is a prescient epic of obsession and corruption, a defining work of art from seminal filmmaker Ken Russell. Produced by Warner Bros. in 1971, the film received Best Director awards from two of the most prestigious institutions in the world: the 33rd Venice International Film Festival and the U.S. National Board of Review. Its critical reception in the following decades has only become more impassioned, championed by artists and film historians including Guillermo del Toro and Mark Kermode.
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, whose work as production designer marks his feature film debut.
Ken Russell’s The Devils is the definitive cut of The Devils, and no other director’s cut formally exists. This cut was originally reconstructed in 2004 under the supervision of Ken Russell and the film’s editor Michael Bradsell with the collaboration of Mark Kermode and Paul Joyce. The 4K restoration was completed using the original camera negative at WB Water Tower Color, with audio restoration completed using original composite 35mm mag film at WB Sound. Warner Bros. Clockwork’s release of Ken Russell’s The Devils marks the first time Russell’s defining masterpiece will officially be made accessible to the public.
The global theatrical release of Ken Russell’s The Devils will begin in North America on October 16, as an exclusive nationwide one-week engagement in select theaters. Warner Bros. Clockwork will release the film internationally, and in partnership with the BFI in the UK. Ken Russell’s The Devils is the first repertory title from Warner Bros. Clockwork and reflects the label’s commitment to restoring and releasing important films from the studio’s library. The Cannes Film Festival takes place from May 12 to May 23, 2026, with the screening date of Ken Russell’s The Devils to be announced.
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