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ONE NIGHT ONLY1h 51m / NC-17 / Drama, History, Horror
TRAILER:
No guests under 18 will be admitted to this screening.
This screening is held in the Historic Duncan Auditorium.
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Based on the 1952 non-fiction historical study The Devils of Loudon by Aldous Huxley, author of Brave New World, and on the 1960 play The Devils by John Whiting, director Ken Russell (Tommy, Altered States) made a movie that Warner Bros refused to release without cuts, and which then received an X rating even afterwards. The Devils is so profane and shocking, just describing it risks offense. A 17th century abbess, Jeanne, (Vanessa Redgrave with a horrific hunchback prosthetic) is sexually obsessed with a priest (Oliver Reed) in control of a French town under siege by its own king. When an inquisitor arrives, his violent and deplorable tactics force a broad confession out of Jeanne. To avoid execution for treason, her nuns engage in a mass ritual which … gets out of hand. The situation descends from there.
Ken Russell’s The Devils is one of the most controversial, most censored, most frequently banned films in history. It was condemned by the Vatican upon release, and critics largely tore it to shreds. A bloody-mouthed satire of the tendency of corrupt governments to deploy moral panic to alienate cultural groups and scapegoat them, it is intentionally offensive, egregiously distasteful and constructed to be provocative before any other concern. At the same time, its visuals are astonishing in their force, and particularly in this new restoration from the original camera negative, psychologically arresting. It is the masterpiece of one of Britain’s greatest filmmakers. It is a work of singular, grotesque brilliance. It’s a brave, nauseating exploration of the psychosexual dimension of authoritarian power. It’s one of the most important films of the last century and it’s incredibly challenging to either watch or recommend. Consider yourself forewarned.
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Event venue
Tampa Theatre, 711 N Franklin St,Tampa, Florida, United States
Tickets
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