The Devils

Right now you can watch The Devils on streaming — and it holds up to as much attention as you give it. The runtime earns every minute, with nothing here that feels like padding. With 437 viewer ratings on TMDB, this is not a title flying under the radar. Vanessa Redgrave's performance alone is worth the time investment. There is no real reason to keep putting it off.

The Devils arrived without much fanfare and built its audience the hard way — through word of mouth. The Devils trusts its audience to sit with discomfort instead of resolving it too quickly. 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.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ Vanessa Redgrave and Oliver Reed lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 1971. The writing trusts the audience to sit with ambiguity rather than wrapping everything up in a tidy conclusion — it is the approach that separates good drama from great. There is real craft here, even in the moments that do not fully land.

The Devils is what you recommend to people who say they do not really watch much. It does not lean on comparisons to make its case. A contained runtime means every scene is doing real work. Vanessa Redgrave carries the material with a performance that rewards close attention. Worth starting sooner rather than later.