The Devils (Unofficial Special Uncut Restored Edition) [DVD]- New For Sale

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There is no official, studio-sanctioned "SpecialUncut Restored Edition" DVD that contains Ken Russell's fully unedited1971 masterpiece, The Devils. While physical copies bearing this exacttitle circulate widely on online marketplaces, they are unauthorized,bootleg releases stitched together from different media sources.

The status of this film on home video is a complex tale ofstudio suppression, censorship, and unofficial grey-market alternatives.

The Truth About the "Special Uncut RestoredEdition" DVDs

If you see a DVD online titled "The Devils (SpecialUncut Restored Edition)" or "Uncut and Unrated" (often listing a111-minute runtime), it is an unofficial bootleg.

• The Source Material: These discs are typically created by fans or grey-market labels. They usually take the standard, lower-quality U.S. video transfer and manually splice in deleted footage.
• The Spliced Footage: The re-inserted scenes usually include the infamous "Rape of Christ" sequence and Sister Jeanne's final scene with the bone. Because these scenes were sourced from old VHS tapes or a 2002 TV documentary (Hell on Earth), the visual quality noticeably drops whenever the uncut footage plays.
• Viewer Consensus: Reviewers on platforms like note that while these bootlegs offer a glimpse of the full movie, the overall video transfer is often very dark, muddy, and low-quality.

The Only Official DVD Releases

Warner Bros. has historically suppressed the director's cutdue to its highly controversial religious and sexual themes. Only two officialversions have ever made it to DVD:

1. The BFI Special Edition (UK Import - Region 2): In 2012, the British Film Institute (BFI) allowed to release the original 1971 UK X-rated cut on DVD. This is a high-quality, authorized transfer approved by Ken Russell, but it excludes the "R$ape of Christ" scene from the main feature (keeping it only as a separate bonus feature or documentary excerpt). It requires a region-free DVD player to watch in the U.S.
2. The U.S. R-Rated Cut: This version has occasionally been made available via standard Warner Home Video distribution or limited streaming. However, it is heavily censored, missing significant amounts of narrative and thematic context.

Massive News for Cinephiles (Summer 2026)

If you are looking for a true, definitive high-qualityrelease, you will not have to rely on shoddy DVDs much longer. Warner Bros.recently unveiled a stunning, brand-new 4K uncut restoration of TheDevils at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival.

Assembled directly from the original camera negative, thisversion restores all censored sequences in flawless quality. Warner Bros.' newspecialty arm, Clockwork, will debut the film in select theaters starting October16, 2026, with an official, pristine home media disc release (4K/Blu-ray)expected shortly thereafter.