Probably is a rights issue.
Not a rights issue at all. Warners simply is determined to bury this film. Period. Expect to buy a snowcone from Satan on the same day you can make a legal purchase of this film.
Personally, I think this is the perfect film for Criterion to pick up. I hope they can get it off Warners’ hands and release it. I think it is a forgotten 70’s classic that more than deserves Criterion treatment.
Totally and completely and thoroughly insane.
I’m sure they’re trying to avoid a trammeling by Christian groups. I agree that Criterion should take it off their hands.
I’m sure Criterion would jump at THE DEVILS if Warners would let them have it.
Supposedly Warner has a policy that they will license a title to another company if they can’t bring it out & if a director requests they do so. I’m told that Russell has told WB again and again he wants the title out there (it’s only his masterwork, imo) but they continue to sit on it. Despite promises to do so, they won’t release it themselves & despite requests from the director they won’t license it.
(I’m also told that WB announced with what was described to me as satisfaction that their archive print of DEVILS was too worn to be rented out anymore and would not be replaced.)
Well, there is an uncut version of the film put out by Euro Cult with an excellent documentary extra on how the expurgated footage was found. I bought the DVD. While the print isn’t the best, it IS the entire movie, and I’m thrilled to have it:
http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=212322266&listingid=52520069
That looks like the same version I bought at a convention a few years back.
Back it up fast, my dear.
My copy no longer plays in a single one of my DVD players.
god what a great film
god what a great film
It appears the US saga for The Devils continues. According to The Playlist today, it was slated to be released in the spring, but Warner Bros. took it off their schedule. Then this past weekend it was released for a very short time on iTunes and then swiftly taken down. Hopefully this means that they are planning a proper release and not deciding to bury the film further. We shall see.
Trevor L. Charles
When is The Devils going to be released? There is an online petition of over 100,000 people for this film. It’s totally insane. One could only think that the studios have something personal against this film.