WB's retail and press site apparently has a listing for Ken Russell's THE DEVILS for release on May 20. No extras listed, but a running time of 111 min. and the low-res art seems to read "Unrated." This may make up for WB recent habit of boneheaded corporate decisions.

Really?! This is the greatest DVD news I've heard in years.

I hope they have a Ken Russell commentary and the Mark Kermode documentary.

I'm going to poke around see if there's more info available. If anyone finds out anything, please post!

If they were afraid of controversy all these years, you think they'd use a different cover graphic! That's just asking for trouble!

I hope this is true, but the cover design and the lack of attribution for this news (just somebody's post on DVD Talk's forum, right?) give me pause.

It doesn't smell right to me, either.

FWIW, the release date was confirmed by Mao, the DVDTalk moderator who's in the business, so to speak.

A welcome, coincidental announcement in the wake of DP David Watkin's death.

Hoping for the best, here.

I'd love to be wrong.

I Hope you are! :angry:



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I'm sorry, Darren. :(

Well, hey - howsabout that?! Lookin' like we got a release here

Not at all misleading artwork and tagline (ehh, whatcha gonna do?).

I can't help being doubtful. Were this an authentic release, the last thing Warner would do is deliberately draw attention to the original X rating. I've never seen a Warner release that plastered the word "Unrated" so obviously on the cover art. And, if it is an authentic release, the lack of supplementary material is an outrage.

The absence of Ken Russell's name on the front also seems a bit off. The order of the billing of the actors is correct, but Russell's name above the title in the original ads is a pretty solid indication that it would have to be so on the cover art.

If anything, giving Warners typical model, it would say something about being a 'directors cut' or 'extended edition' and leave the unrated info for tiny print on the back. The desription also would not make a big point of it being rated X, previously. They'd want to minimize that in order to get greater store shelve saturation.

Good points, guys. Hey, if it's not legit, maybe the resulting uproar can shame 'em into releasing it! ;)

Damn. I hate being right, sometimes.

http://hollywood-elsewhere.com/archives/20...et_the_devi.php

I wish you wasn't, Garsh Danish! :angry:




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I'm sorry, Darren. :(

It would seem that all that was denied was the release date - not the release outright. Hey, 5/20 was already a crowded release date anyway. Let's hope if there is some follow-through to this tease that it won't be a bare bones release.

!@#%$!!@%$!

This brings to fore the question: why are the films of Ken Russell so underrepresented in DVD racks?

Among his major works, only WOMEN IN LOVE, ALTERED STATES, and TOMMY are available.

I can't understand why there is not even a rumor of bringing out Region 1 DVDs of THE BOYFRIEND, THE MUSIC LOVERS, and THE RAINBOW.

The need is particularly urgent since Russell is elderly but still sharp and more than willing to participate in commentaries for his films.

Shame on Warners for dragging its feet on THE DEVILS when a NTSC-format full version has been previously released.

My #1 most-wanted film on DVD. Come on, MGM!!!!!

I have no answer as to why most of his most important films are still languishing in the vaults. It's ridiculous.

I think the bulk of his work (which I love, as should be needless to say) offers too much outrage for those who might be attracted to its classical aspects, and too much artistic pretension for those who might enjoy its garish bad taste elements. Russell himself seems to have burned a lot of bridges in Hollywood, too, which probably doesn't help.

The renaissance will probably come when he dies, sad to say. Those who are close to him should be recording those commentaries for future use, if we ever want to hear them. Then again, would he sit them out?

Sadly Jeff, the answer is all too despressing and one you already must know: restoring films from the 70s which probably won't appeal to a modern DVD buyers is financially risky.

Bad taste took over years ago when Forest Gump won the oscar for best film.

Re: The Devils

Unrated does not necessarily mean uncut - it could mean the UK theatrical version which was cut but was a lot more complete that the old US "R" rated version which was cut further. The UK theatrical version was released on UK VHS and has played on UK TV.

Most but not all of the cut footage (ie the footage cut by the UK censors, the BBFC) turned up in a UK TV documentary when the film was last screened on UK TV several years ago having been unearthed by Mark Kermode. However, the screening of the film that accompanied the documentary it did not have this footage included.

There has been no legitimate release to date of the uncut version.

Didn't Warners spend quite a deal of money restoring THE DEVILS a few years back? That's what I've heard. If that's the case, then why the procrastination?