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The Exorcist (William Friedkin, 1973)
*
*I'm not a big fan of the "version you've never seen".
1. Opening scenes in Iraq are a mini-movie introducing Father Merrin and his confrontation with Evil, represented by the demon Pazuzu. The pacing is slow, but the visuals and meaning are spectacular. Merrin fades away for about an hour then...
2. Transition from Iraq to Georgetown, Washington, D.C., is masterful. The "rats" in the attic are scary as hell, but meanwhile, the film is still pretty much presented as a documentary. We're introduced to actress Chris MacNeil (the incredible Ellen Burstyn, who was robbed of a Best Actress Oscar only to be "repaid" the next year). We also meet her daughter Regan (Linda Blair), her director (Jack MacGowran) and a pseudo-stalker who turns out to be a Jesuit psychologist priest, Father Karras (the wonderful Jason Miller).
3. The Exorcist has many creepy, disturbing scenes near the beginning: the bed thumping, the "hypnosis" scene, the medical tests, etc. They are very realistic, powerful and all add to a sense of dread which cannot seem to be resolved.
4. You don't have to believe in God, a "spirit world", or a Battle Between Good and Evil to know that The Exorcist is one of the most powerful films ever made about the fight to recover a girl from a world of darkness and try to return her to the land of the light. Whether you have strong religious or spiritual beliefs or not, a character such as Father Karras is a true heroic figure because he is torn by his own self-doubt and lack of faith yet still feels that he needs to help Regan return to some semblance of normal life.
5. Father Karras, himself, is one of he most-complex characters in film history. Karras is concerned with the weakening health of his mother, and the "Devil" or Karras's own inner demons realize that that's the easiest way to get through to him and try to get him to let his guard down in spiritual matters, which he has pretty much given up on when he becomes familiar with Regan MacNeil's case.
6. The "crucifix" scene still ranks to me as one of the most shocking scenes ever depicted in film. Much stronger than an R-rating, it pushes the envelope of what's allowed in an X-rated (non-porn, barely... ) scene, but wow! What a piece of cinema!
7. Lee J. Cobb is really excellent in his scenes with both Jason Miller and Ellen Burstyn. These scenes are very low-key and well-directed and both play out as the "calm before the storm". I especially enjoy Cobb's dialogue involving John Garfield and Sal Mineo, and then he goes into his "I could have you deported... " schtick. Terrific character and performance.
8. Max von Sydow's return in the taxi cab is one of the greatest scenes ever (again... ) Besides having one of the most believable makeup jobs in film history, von Sydow (who was 44 when he made the film) brings a level of an incomparable dignity and depth to his performance as Merrin. When he walks into the MacNeil's home, and the demon shouts out, "MERRIN!!!!", it always brings chills. Yet, this is where you actually realize how spectacular the acting is in The Exorcist, especially from Burstyn, Miller and von Sydow.
9. The Exorcism itself is one Hell of a scene. It's intense, profane, disturbing, funny, scary, surprising, and open to multiple interpretations.
10. Sacrifice, Love, and Faith are not the themes of most films, and when they are, they're often embarrassing. Now, I realize that some people will have problems with The Exorcist because they believe that it's phony, a violation of the laws of physics and biology and a dangerous way for allegedly rational people to look at the world around them. But let me ask you this then. Director William Friedkin just got done making a "realistic" cop flick (The French Connection) and won a Best Director Oscar to boot, and what did he do? He took on this film and made it as honest and realistic as he possibly could. I wouldn't sweat the 360 degree head swivelling too much since The Exorcist, at least to me, is one of the most honest films ever made.
**I'm not a big fan of the "version you've never seen".
1. Opening scenes in Iraq are a mini-movie introducing Father Merrin and his confrontation with Evil, represented by the demon Pazuzu. The pacing is slow, but the visuals and meaning are spectacular. Merrin fades away for about an hour then...
2. Transition from Iraq to Georgetown, Washington, D.C., is masterful. The "rats" in the attic are scary as hell, but meanwhile, the film is still pretty much presented as a documentary. We're introduced to actress Chris MacNeil (the incredible Ellen Burstyn, who was robbed of a Best Actress Oscar only to be "repaid" the next year). We also meet her daughter Regan (Linda Blair), her director (Jack MacGowran) and a pseudo-stalker who turns out to be a Jesuit psychologist priest, Father Karras (the wonderful Jason Miller).
3. The Exorcist has many creepy, disturbing scenes near the beginning: the bed thumping, the "hypnosis" scene, the medical tests, etc. They are very realistic, powerful and all add to a sense of dread which cannot seem to be resolved.
4. You don't have to believe in God, a "spirit world", or a Battle Between Good and Evil to know that The Exorcist is one of the most powerful films ever made about the fight to recover a girl from a world of darkness and try to return her to the land of the light. Whether you have strong religious or spiritual beliefs or not, a character such as Father Karras is a true heroic figure because he is torn by his own self-doubt and lack of faith yet still feels that he needs to help Regan return to some semblance of normal life.
5. Father Karras, himself, is one of he most-complex characters in film history. Karras is concerned with the weakening health of his mother, and the "Devil" or Karras's own inner demons realize that that's the easiest way to get through to him and try to get him to let his guard down in spiritual matters, which he has pretty much given up on when he becomes familiar with Regan MacNeil's case.
6. The "crucifix" scene still ranks to me as one of the most shocking scenes ever depicted in film. Much stronger than an R-rating, it pushes the envelope of what's allowed in an X-rated (non-porn, barely... ) scene, but wow! What a piece of cinema!
7. Lee J. Cobb is really excellent in his scenes with both Jason Miller and Ellen Burstyn. These scenes are very low-key and well-directed and both play out as the "calm before the storm". I especially enjoy Cobb's dialogue involving John Garfield and Sal Mineo, and then he goes into his "I could have you deported... " schtick. Terrific character and performance.
8. Max von Sydow's return in the taxi cab is one of the greatest scenes ever (again... ) Besides having one of the most believable makeup jobs in film history, von Sydow (who was 44 when he made the film) brings a level of an incomparable dignity and depth to his performance as Merrin. When he walks into the MacNeil's home, and the demon shouts out, "MERRIN!!!!", it always brings chills. Yet, this is where you actually realize how spectacular the acting is in The Exorcist, especially from Burstyn, Miller and von Sydow.
9. The Exorcism itself is one Hell of a scene. It's intense, profane, disturbing, funny, scary, surprising, and open to multiple interpretations.
10. Sacrifice, Love, and Faith are not the themes of most films, and when they are, they're often embarrassing. Now, I realize that some people will have problems with The Exorcist because they believe that it's phony, a violation of the laws of physics and biology and a dangerous way for allegedly rational people to look at the world around them. But let me ask you this then. Director William Friedkin just got done making a "realistic" cop flick (The French Connection) and won a Best Director Oscar to boot, and what did he do? He took on this film and made it as honest and realistic as he possibly could. I wouldn't sweat the 360 degree head swivelling too much since The Exorcist, at least to me, is one of the most honest films ever made.