"The Devils" (1971) Ken Russell 2/23
The 2nd 5 minute segment.
005. Ken's warning not to mix politics with religion.
006. And while it expresses a number of things not complimentary to the Catholic Church, it is not entirely anti-Catholic.
007. The most anti-Catholic of his films, indeed, probably his most anti-Christian film is "Lair of the White Worm," which condemns all forms of Christianity.
008. What he could do with money. It is unfortunate that his later films did not have a larger budget.
009. He goes from strength to strength. Not only does he get good performances out of his actors, this film being one example, he is a master of foreshadowing. The end of 1/23 will foreshadow what happens toward the end of the film.
010. Unfortunately, not only did his style of filmmaking become passe, but if you look at his theatrical films, over half were set totally or partially in the past, and those films too became passe, as audiences came to prefer films set in the present.
011. And as always, his fondness of contrasting white with black can be seen in this segment.
To be continued . . .