Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Censorship Is The Devil

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Years and years of crowing about not being able to see the infamous "Rape of Christ" sequence from Ken Russell's 1971 film The Devils - it's been censored ever since the film went in front of the censorship board, and never been properly exhibited with the film to the public; indeed it was thought lost for a very long time - and here we are and it is totally right there on YouTube. The footage aired in a 2002 documentary called Hell On Earth that aired in the UK about the film and its storied censorship. And here below, is that entire doc. It is exceedingly NSFW. Exceedingly. I recommend watching the entire thing, it's a little less than an hour long, but if you just want to see "The Rape of Christ" sequence it starts around the 39 minute mark or so. Again - this is so not safe for work, people. You have been warned.
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After so many years of so much build up, it can only induce a bit of a shrug - so that's what's had Warner Brothers knickers tied in knots for forty years then? If you ask me the stuff you see happen with the crucifix in The Exorcist is worse, and The Exorcist gets revivals out the yin-yang. I just rewatched The Devils a few weeks ago and seeing this footage now only makes it clear what a gaping hole there is at the center of the film without it - this is where the nuns boil right over, and in the edited version we're denied the highest point of their hysteria in a film about hysteria. I can't believe we're even still talking about this, frankly - that in 2012 it's still being censored like this. Shame on you, Warner Brothers.
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2 comments:

tsuyoikuma said...

Thanks for finding this. After your last post on TD (which I'd never heard of up to that point) I immediately went online and found a streaming video of what I thought was the entire movie, but of course there was a gaping hole where this scene should have been. Thank you for now closing that up (oh god totally unintentional imagery here, sorry).

Ross said...

I actually miss the bone masturbation scene more.