

A charismatic 17th-century French priest becomes the target of a sexually obsessed nun’s witchcraft accusations, which corrupt church and state officials are all too happy to exploit.
Direction
Russell's operatic madness—every frame is a middle finger to restraint
Production
Derek Jarman's sets: grotesque beauty that still shocks 50 years later
Acting
Redgrave's hunchback nun: desire, deformity, and delusion fused

Director
Ken Russell
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The 'Rape of Christ' scene—where nuns masturbate with a crucified Jesus statue—was cut by censors for 50 years and only restored in 2021.
Russell adapted Aldous Huxley's 'The Devils of Loudun' after reading it during a depressive episode, calling it 'the most beautiful book about the most horrible things.'