8. The Devils (1971)
Ken Russell's infamous anti-clerical indictment of the age of witch hunting, The Devils tells the tale of a libertine Priest called Father Grandier who has a penchant for getting jiggy with the women in his pastoral care. He falls in love with a woman and he 'marries' her in a mock wedding ritual. Unfortunately, Grandier has an admirer in the shape of Sister Jeanne, a hunch backed nun who is obsessed with him. When she finds out about the marriage, she goes crazy and accuses Grandier of witchcraft. A number of witch hunting priests come to Loudon and stoke up mass psychosis in the nuns and subject Sister Jeanne to painful exorcism rituals. Things are becoming a show for spectators to laugh at. The King comes to visit Loudon and is not impressed by the naked nuns running round. He thinks it is all a load of old cobblers. Therefore the embarrassed authorities who want to save face go after Grandier. They torture him horribly - breaking his legs in agonising scenes and then they drag him through the street and tie him up at a stake. Even though he is burning to death, Grandier maintains his innocence. Father Mignon realises that the burning of Grandier was a huge mistake and he goes insane. Sister Jeanne is given one of Grandier's charred bones as a sex toy, The Devils makes an impact on everyone who watches it. It simply looks beautiful, with sets by Derek Jarman and some terrific cinematography. Oliver Reed is always an interesting actor to watch - no matter what quality of material he is in. As Father Grandier, he is absolutely brilliant - portraying details of a complicated man with much finesse. Reed commands the screen every time he is on it. And acting honours must also go to Vanessa Redgrave for her turn as Sister Jeanne, the bitter hunchbacked nun, suffering extreme sexual repression which erupts into an unhealthy obsession with Father Grandier. Some bits of the film are quite silly - such as the extent to which the nuns all go wild, disrobe, and get down to business with each other. They just look stupid. However, the film deals with important topics such as the Plague, the persecution of the Huguenots and Cardinal Richelieu's desire to merge state with religion. Part of this includes knocking down city/town walls which Grandier disapproves of. He really is a man ahead of his time but for this he is punished and burned as a witch. A terrible tragedy for a flawed but great man.