The Devils

If one year could be pegged down as one filled with controversy, it would easily be 1971. All in the Family hit the airwaves, the Vietnam War was on its last legs, and the world of film was pushing the limits of what could be shown. With the likes of A Clockwork Orange and Straw Dogs being released that year, moral guardians were up in arms from their graphic content.

But those two pale in comparison to what Ken Russell had to offer with The Devils. All these years later, the controversy surrounding it hasn't faded. Beneath all of it, however, Russell provides a thoroughly captivating story.

In a way, The Devils is a more graphic take on The Crucible. (The Devils, by the way, is based on works by Aldous Huxley and John Whiting.) After all, it involves a supposedly upstanding citizen being accused of witchcraft. (Though Arthur Miller probably wouldn't have such details in as lurid a perspective as Russell displayed.)

Speaking of details, the production design of The Devils is a dazzling one. (Being designed by Derek Jarman certainly helps.) With this being a film as bleak as it is, what Jarman puts in adds something of a breather.

Despite the controversy that overshadows it, The Devils is a complex work to say the least. Had Russell made this film in a more flattering light, it probably would've escaped controversy. But had he cleaned up its content, it more than likely would've been tossed aside as another religious picture. (Apparently controversy's a good thing if you're Ken Russell.)

My Rating: ****1/2

Tommy

There must have been a few naysayers when it was first announced that the Who's rick opera Tommy was going to be made into a film. "How could anyone turn an album into a movie?" one might be asking, especially if it's an album as wild as Tommy. Simple: get someone who's more than capable of depicting such insanity.

And who better for the job than Ken Russell? After all, this is someone where "low-key" and "self-control" don't exist among his personal vocabulary. (Just watch any of his films, and you'll see how true that is.) Quite frankly, no one but Russell could have made Tommy into a film.

Speaking of which, there is a lot going on in Tommy that could make the viewer believe that the production of it couldn't have been anything less than a nightmare. Knowing some of the people behind the film, it's a miracle that production didn't go over-budget (or past schedule) or result in someone vowing never to work with a certain person ever again. (This is what happens with most infamous film productions.)

And though the main focus of Tommy is easily the soundtrack (come on, it's the Who), the set design is equally stunning. There's just so much going from both a visual and auditory standpoint. (Not to mention the many cues that just scream "this was made in the 1970s".)

Tommy is just one hell of an electric film. (Like we needed more proof that 1975 was a really good year for movies.) The soundtrack and set design pretty much prove that you need to see this on a big screen with a top notch sound system. (Fairly certain "Eyesight to the Blind" is the closest thing to an actual religious experience.)

My Rating: *****