The British Film Institute will release Ken Russell’s The Devils on 4K UHD and Blu-ray on April 20, 2027. The uncensored director’s cut runs 114 minutes in 2.35 scope, 11 minutes longer than the pan-and-scan VHS and Beta tapes. Oliver Reed and Vanessa Redgrave star in Russell’s The Devils (1971).
Three cuts of The Devils
The Collector’s Edition of Ken Russell’s The Devils puts all 3 cuts of the film on official Blu-ray for the first time. Each has a newly restored monaural soundtrack. The director’s cut is the uncensored version at 114 minutes, restored and in 4K for the first time. Fidelity In Motion encoded it for the 4K UHD disc, and the Collector’s Edition also has it on its own Blu-ray.
The UK X-rated version runs 111 minutes, 3 minutes shorter than the director’s cut. In the Collector’s Edition it is on the third disc, a Blu-ray.
The US R-rated version is the shortest at 108 minutes. It shares the third disc with the UK version.
How the release differs from the VHS tapes
Ken Russell’s The Devils runs the director’s cut at its full 1:54 in 2.35 scope. Early VHS and Beta tapes ran 1:43 in 1.33 pan-and-scan, which cost the film 11 minutes and the sides of its frame. The release also has the original Kinney Shield logo instead of the Saul Bass logo.
The two editions
Ken Russell’s The Devils comes in 2 editions. The Collector’s Edition is a 3-disc set with all 3 cuts, the full extras list and a 96-page book with essays by Mark Kermode and Linda Ruth Williams. The Director’s Edition has the director’s cut on 4K UHD with 7 extras, among them the 2004 commentary and the Guillermo del Toro interview. It does not include the theatrical cuts, the extended Hell on Earth documentary, the new Kermode interview or the book.
The Collector’s Edition box reads “THE DIRECTOR’S CUT. RESTORED. REMASTERED.” on the front, with “GOD’S ABUNDANCE” on the spine.
About The Devils (1971)
An enduring masterpiece of cinema starring Oliver Reed and Vanessa Redgrave, Ken Russell’s The Devils is a prescient epic of obsession and corruption – and a defining work of art from seminal filmmaker Ken Russell.
Ken Russell’s The Devils 4K UHD and Blu-ray release details
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Label | British Film Institute |
| Release | Ken Russell’s The Devils |
| Format | 4K UHD and Blu-ray |
| Director | Ken Russell |
| Cast | Oliver Reed, Vanessa Redgrave |
| Collector’s Edition | 3 discs: director’s cut on 4K UHD and Blu-ray, UK and US theatrical versions on Blu-ray, 96-page book |
| Director’s Edition | Director’s cut on 4K UHD |
| Video | 4K UHD encoded by Fidelity In Motion |
| Audio | Newly restored monaural soundtrack |
| Aspect ratio | 2.35 scope (director’s cut) |
| Runtime, director’s cut | 114 minutes |
| Runtime, UK X-rated version | 111 minutes |
| Runtime, US R-rated version | 108 minutes |
| Release date | April 20, 2027 |
Ken Russell’s The Devils special features
Ken Russell’s The Devils includes these special features:
- Collector’s Edition:
- The first ever 4K UHD presentation of Ken Russell’s The Devils – the uncensored, definitive director’s cut – encoded by Fidelity In Motion with a newly restored monaural soundtrack
- The first ever official Blu-Ray presentations of Ken Russell’s The Devils, the uncensored, definitive director’s cut (114 mins); the UK X-Rated version (111 mins); and the US R-Rated version (108 mins), with a newly restored monaural soundtrack
- Unedited 2004 audio commentary with Ken Russell, Michael Bradsell, Mark Kermode & Paul Joyce
- Never-before-seen extended scene
- New extended version of the documentary Hell on Earth: The Desecration and Resurrection of The Devils (2002) featuring additional interview footage with Ken Russell
- New 4K remaster of the short film Amelia and the Angel (1958) directed by Ken Russell
- New compilation of camera slates
- New interview with Guillermo del Toro on The Devils and the legacy of Ken Russell
- New introduction by Kleber Mendonça Filho at the first ever screening of Ken Russell’s The Devils in Brazil
- New extended interview with Mark Kermode on The Devils and the reconstruction of the definitive director’s cut
- New behind-the-scenes featurette on the picture and sound restoration of Ken Russell’s The Devils.
- Never-before-seen archival interviews with Vanessa Redgrave and Oliver Reed
- Never-before-heard archival audio interviews with critic Richard Crouse and cast/crew
- Never-before-seen costume sketches by Shirley Russell with audio commentary by Victoria Russell
- Excerpt of Rupert Russell’s documentary Mad Dad, featuring never-before-seen Russell family photos
- 2004 Q&A with Ken Russell and Mark Kermode following the first ever screening of Ken Russell’s The Devils at the BFI Southbank NFT1
- 2010 Film at Lincoln Center Q&A with Ken Russell and Vanessa Redgrave
- Behind-the-scenes footage with commentary by Michael Bradsell
- Director of Devils (1971) featurette with behind-the-scenes footage and a Ken Russell interview
- Archival Trailers
- 2026 Theatrical Trailer
- 96-page book with never-before-seen photography and production materials, excerpts of the original continuity script, new essays by Mark Kermode and Linda Ruth Williams, and newly unearthed archival crew interviews
- and more…
- Director’s Edition:
- The first ever 4K UHD presentation of Ken Russell’s The Devils – the uncensored, definitive director’s cut – encoded by Fidelity In Motion with a newly restored monaural soundtrack.
- Unedited 2004 audio commentary with Ken Russell, Michael Bradsell, Mark Kermode & Paul Joyce
- New interview with Guillermo del Toro on The Devils and the legacy of Ken Russell
- 2004 Q&A with Ken Russell and Mark Kermode following the first ever screening of Ken Russell’s The Devils at the BFI Southbank NFT1
- Behind-the-scenes footage with commentary by Michael Bradsell
- Director of Devils (1971) featurette with behind-the-scenes footage and a Ken Russell interview
- Archival Trailers
- 2026 Theatrical Trailer
The British Film Institute releases Ken Russell’s The Devils on 4K UHD and Blu-ray on April 20, 2027. The 3-disc Collector’s Edition adds both theatrical cuts and the 96-page book, while the Director’s Edition has the director’s cut on 4K UHD.
