The Devil's Bride Blu-ray
HomeThe Devil's Bride Blu-ray
Posted September 11, 2025 10:07 PM by Webmaster
Deaf Crocodile has provided a promotional trailer for the new restoration of Arunas Zebriunas' The Devil's Bride (1974), which will be released on Blu-ray on September 16.
Description: Imagine a wildly surreal early 1970s Lithuanian rock opera directed by Ken Russell circa TOMMY that is equal parts JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR (wailing guitar-heavy ballads, religious theme), FIDDLER ON THE ROOF (rural village setting) and THE WICKER MAN / BLOOD ON SATAN'S CLAW (folklore / folk magic), and you have some idea of the elemental strangeness and beauty of director Arūnas Žebriūnas' THE DEVIL'S BRIDE.
The film opens with one of our favorite musical sequences ever: a long-haired flower child God sits on his throne in the truly heavenly mountains, adored by angelic hosts. Suddenly the guitars kick in, the angels throw off their robes revealing orange Mod dresses and bowler hats, and the party descends into a choreographed pansexual orgy like nothing you've ever seen. An incredibly ambitious sung-through musical ala THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG (where the entire story is performed in song without traditional dialogue), the story revolves around a devil named Pinčiukas (Gediminas Girdvainis) who is booted out of Heaven and drops into a frog pond owned by farmer Baltaragis (Vasilijus Simčičius). Quick as you can say "The Devil and Daniel Webster," Pinčiukas promises him the hand of his beautiful blonde love Marcelė (Vaiva Mainelytė) in exchange for their as-yet unborn daughter Jurga (also played by Mainelytė), and wicked complications ensue.
The film is interlaced with Lithuanian folklore and surreal images: legions of female devils riding bareback on horses; a black carriage drawn by a team of devils disappearing into the waters of a lake; rituals of mistletoe roots and rowan berries and straw men. In a wild twist, the devil Pinčiukas winds up being one of the most sympathetic characters, doomed to live on earth while he longs to return to Heaven.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
Description: Imagine a wildly surreal early 1970s Lithuanian rock opera directed by Ken Russell circa TOMMY that is equal parts JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR (wailing guitar-heavy ballads, religious theme), FIDDLER ON THE ROOF (rural village setting) and THE WICKER MAN / BLOOD ON SATAN'S CLAW (folklore / folk magic), and you have some idea of the elemental strangeness and beauty of director Arūnas Žebriūnas' THE DEVIL'S BRIDE.
The film opens with one of our favorite musical sequences ever: a long-haired flower child God sits on his throne in the truly heavenly mountains, adored by angelic hosts. Suddenly the guitars kick in, the angels throw off their robes revealing orange Mod dresses and bowler hats, and the party descends into a choreographed pansexual orgy like nothing you've ever seen. An incredibly ambitious sung-through musical ala THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG (where the entire story is performed in song without traditional dialogue), the story revolves around a devil named Pinčiukas (Gediminas Girdvainis) who is booted out of Heaven and drops into a frog pond owned by farmer Baltaragis (Vasilijus Simčičius). Quick as you can say "The Devil and Daniel Webster," Pinčiukas promises him the hand of his beautiful blonde love Marcelė (Vaiva Mainelytė) in exchange for their as-yet unborn daughter Jurga (also played by Mainelytė), and wicked complications ensue.
The film is interlaced with Lithuanian folklore and surreal images: legions of female devils riding bareback on horses; a black carriage drawn by a team of devils disappearing into the waters of a lake; rituals of mistletoe roots and rowan berries and straw men. In a wild twist, the devil Pinčiukas winds up being one of the most sympathetic characters, doomed to live on earth while he longs to return to Heaven.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
- NEW RESTORATION BY THE LITHUANIAN FILM CENTRE
- NEW video interview with Monika Edgar, director Arūnas Žebriūnas' daughter, about her father's career and the making of THE DEVIL'S BRIDE
- NEW video interview with Lithuanian film critic Ieva Šukytė about the history of Lithuanian cinema and THE DEVIL'S BRIDE
- NEW visual essay by Dr. Will Dodson and Ryan Verrill of Someone's Favorite Productions
