Review Archives

1 | 2 | 3

Today's Date is:

THE EXORCIST

Reviewed by: Joe Comer
Genre: Horror
Video: Widescreen 1.85:1, enchanced for 16x9 screens
Audio: English 5.1EX, English 2.0 (mono compatible
Language: English
Subtitle: English, French
Length: 2 hours and 12 minutes
Rating: R
Release Date: 12-26-00
Studio: Warner Bros
Commentary: Director William Friedkin
Documentaries: None
Featurettes: None
Filmography/Biography: None
Interviews: None
Trailers/TV Spots: Yes
Alternate/Deleted Scenes: Scenes deleted from the original release are integrated within this cut.
Music Video: None
Other: Text sections "Behind the Screams", "Blatty and Friedkin: Vision and Differences", "The Most Famous Scene Not in the Movie", "Fast Facts" and awards.
Cast and Crew: Ellen Burstyn, Max Von Sydow, Lee J.Cobb, Kitty Winn, Jack MacGowran, Jason Miller and Linda Blair
Screenplay by: William Peter Blatty, based on his novel
Produced by: William Peter Blatty
Directed By: William Friedkin
Music: Various Composers
The Review: Nearly twenty-eight years have passed since December of 1973. Since then we have seen (among other things) a president resign in disgrace, a number of American citizens taken hostage in Iran, a movie star become the leader of this land, an attempt at a take over of Kuwait, riots in Los Angeles, an internationally known football player tried for murder, a first family in the middle of a personal scandal, numerous blackouts in California and a national election that was so close the decision as to the clear winner wasn't announced until over a month after. But very few of those historical events has had the lasting inpact on a large amount of people as the original release of THE EXORCIST. Now, after all the years since that December '73 release and two other DVD editions of the film comes THE EXORCIST (The Version You've Never Seen). Opening in theatres during the summer of 2000, this re-release of the original film did a surprising amount of box office. After all, it is nearly thirty years old. One of the reasons certainly must be the added scenes. One of those scenes inparticularly is so infamous that it's easy to see why it wasn't included in the original cut. But more on that later. The original movie is and was an incredibly powerful film. It's combination of psychological and spiritual dilemmas with many of it's characters plus a few downright shocking scenes was considered to be very disturbing. So much so that for many months after theatres first started showing it, it was written and talked about by nearly everyone who was anyone. Discussion groups and classes that revolve around the movie were started that still exsist to this day. It's easy to see why. Who of us, whether agnostic, atheist or believer, whether Protestant, Catholic, Jewish or of other beliefs have not had the doubts and questions of Father Karras? What Mother or Father living today or in 1973-74 would not react much the way the character of Chris MacNeil reacts in the film? And what little child has not been in some situation in their life where they have felt scared or helpless? Even considering the remarkable events that happen in the film, we relate to how the characters handle them. Such is the power of this film. Much has been written about the shock elements in THE EXORCIST. Without going too much into specifics, suffice to say that the scene with the crucifix and the scene where Regan is receiving a spinal are not scenes that leave us easily. But neither is the scene in the mental ward as Karras is walking toward his mother's bed or the slow ascension of Fathers Merrin and Karras to the upstairs bedroom of the little girl to begin the exorcism. These scenes are not shocking, but yet they have the ability to chill, thrill and most important make us think as we watch. They do so because we are forced to ask the question of what would we do if we were in the same situation. These are the scenes that give this film it's dimension and depth and are, to this reviewer the most effective. You feel the chill that the characters do as they enter Regan's room. And you can almost taste the tension in the MacNeil house as the condition of the little girl slowly descends into hell. It's scenes like these that are in the majority. But this is a film that explores aspects of good too. You never once get the impression that Father Merrin isn't the man who should perform the exorcism, even though his bad heart may get the better of him. There is simply no other man for the job. His goodness is felt in every scene he is in. And Regan's mother Chris, comes across as a basically good, though not religious, person who just wants to have her daughter back. If there has been a mother in films written and played more realistically and devoted than Chris MacNeil, it's the world's best kept secret. Ellen Burstyn as Chris turns in what is still one of her best performances. You hang with her on every word and movement. And her chemistry with the rest of the cast is very rewarding. She should have received the Oscar for her performance. Father Merrin is played brilliantly by the great Swedish actor, Max Von Sydow. Perhaps his many excursions with Ingmar Bergman prepared him for the symbolism that THE EXORCIST is filled with. Those symbols found in Iraq at the beginning of the film, serve to let the audience know that Merrin is indeed in for the fight of his life. Von Sydow's playing of those scenes is brilliantly underplayed and incredibly effective as they setup what is to come. And the power of this great performance is felt during the climatic exorcism scene. The two words, "Be silent", spoken to the demon would make even the devil himself sit up and take notice. Lee J. Cobb turns in what may have been his last great performance. A predecessor of Columbo in the subtle way he gets to the facts, his Inspector Kinderman is a brilliant turn. Kitty Winn as secretary/babysitter Sharon has less to do than the other main players, but she makes the most of her scenes. The late great British actor Jack MacGowran, who died shortly after completing his work on the film, plays director Burke Dennings. Dennings is a comic and somewhat tragic figure who can be a little nasty when inebriated. Still, his few and brief scenes add what little comic relief there is and give the film a little more balance. But it's Jason Miller as Father Karras and Linda Blair as Regan who turn in the best performances here. Oddly enough, neither had acted in a feature length film before. Their performances are amazing. Miller, who was already established as a playwright, makes Karras incredibly believable. It's hard to imagine anyone else playing the role. More remarkable than that is then 12 year-old Linda Blair. Although the more physical scenes in the film were done by a stunt person and her dialogue in the later stages of possession voiced by actress Mercedes McCambridge (with the help, at times, of a mouth full of raw eggs), Blair's contributions here are plenty and even more extraordinary when you consider her age. The special effects, make-up and choice of music (including Mike Oldfield's "Tubular Bells") are perfect. Without the use of CGI or other visual techniques, the effects of this film never fail to impress, even after all these years. Their contributions add tremendously to the acting and writing. Blair's make-up is hideous but in it's own way quite realistic. And the music which runs the gamut from Krzysztof Penderecki to David Borden is perfectly picked for every scene it's heard. The cinematography, particularly in the Iraq scenes is stunning. It really helps to pull the audience into the story. The Oscar-winning sound is, as ever, brilliant. The remastering to 5.1 is brilliant and will be talked about in depth later. The only flaw is in one small area where the sound from the previous editions is actually better. That is in the segue from the scene where a psychiatrist tries to hypnotise Regan to the scene at the race track where Kinderman first meets Karras. The sound here from scene to scene is not as smooth as before. But maybe I'm too picky. William Peter Blatty's screenplay from his novel is a faithful and brilliant adaptation. It's hard to believe that his first draft was so different. But if there is one man to whom the success of this film belongs it's director William Friedkin. Much has been said of how Friedkin would at times bully his cast and crew into getting what he wanted. But even they knew that it was for the best. Their work is all the better for it. His involvement in the project from nearly the start assured that it would be very special. And special it is. The added scenes add much to the overall film, although the much ballyhooed "spider-walk" is not a good representation of them. As is the case with the rest of the movie, it is the one new shocking scene in the midst of many that are not. The first scene that is new is the opening shot of the MacNeil house and specifically Regan's bedroom window. It pans to the street and dissolves into a close-up of the face of the statue of Mother Mary. This establishes from the beginning what the film is all about-faith and questions about it and the terrible things that are about to happen to a sweet little girl. Added hospital scenes show a more gradual descension into demonic possesion. And when the doctor repeats a particular expletive of Regan's, we, like Chris, are simultaneously amused and not just a little nervous of what is to come. There is an added scene between Karras and his uncle which tends to explain a little further why the priest's mother has been placed in the mental ward of a hospital. Spooky demonic images flashed at certain times in the MacNeil house are added and lead almost immediately to the infamous spider-walk scene. As said before, this scene is shocking, but as Friedkin has remarked, he removed it from the original cut because he thought it was too much, too soon. Perhaps he is right. A scene showing Karras listening to a tape of Regan as she is trying to send a message to her estranged father is important because it lets the audience know that this young priest is slowly getting involved in the case. A shot of a very tense Sharon and her attempts to try to drown out the sounds (with use of an earphone connected to a portable radio) that now seem to be all encompassing serves to establish even more that it's not just the bedroom that is a target-it's the whole house. The remaining scenes that are additions to this already briliiant film contribute greatly to it's overall realistic feel. There is a lovely scene showing Chris bringing Father Merrin a cup of coffee. She asks him if he would like a little brandy to which he replies, "Well, the doctors say I shouldn't, but thank God my will is weak". This film is loaded with incredibly human and real characters and this added scene definitely shows that Father Merrin is one of them. It gives the character a great deal more substance than before. A brief dialogue exchange between Merrin and Chris where the Priest asks the mother the daughter's name, explains how at the beginning of the exorcism he knew to call her Regan Theresa MacNeil. More importantly Merrin's reply to Chris-"What a lovely name!"-adds even more warmth to his character. A further demonstration of Father Karras' questions of faith occurs in another added scene. When Karras asks why this little girl should be a victim to a demon, Merrin answers: "I think the point is to make us despair. To see ourselves as animal and ugly. To reject the possibility that God could love us" Wow! Anyone who thought that this film was just a typical horror film and not a spiritual one, must, after this, be able to put that theory to rest! A final added scene brings the film full circle and ends it on a more upbeat note than before. After saying goodbye to Chris and Regan, Father Dyer, a friend of Karras who recommends him to Chris, meets Inspector Kinderman. A conversation occurs that echoes a previous one between the Inspector and Karras. Instead of looking like a "beginning of a beautiful friendship" scene like the one that ends CASABLANCA, it re-establishes hope and faith in mankind. And while not completely eliminating evil as a possibility for the future, it shows that if we all stick together we can at least cope. The scene and the movie ends with a shot of Regan's bedroom in the foreground and Kinderman and Dyer walking away in the backround, the brief sounds of "Tubular Bells" are again played and are segued into the chants from Iraq we hear at the beginning.
Image and Sound These features alone are worth the price of the disc. Since this is a restored print of the film it is clearer and more accurate than ever before. The DVD master is more than able to meet with these new standards. And the 5.1 EX Dolby Digital sound is among the best I've heard. It adds greatly to an already terrifying and well-thought out soundtrack. At times, you can close your eyes and feel that you are in the MacNeil house. If only more re-masters of older movies used this new technology with such great brilliance, people would have a whole new opinion about watching older movies.
The Extras Here is where this disc falls short. Outside of the aforementioned scenes that were added within the film in it's new theatrical release, there are not many extras. Besides the theatrical trailers and T.V. spots, the only extras are text sections. They cover everything from the story of how the original novel was written, how it came to be filmed, discussions between Blatty and Friedkin about what should and shouldn't be in the movie, the exorcism which was the basis for the book and an explanation as to why the "spider-walk" was removed from the original cut. Although, these are interesting and quite thorough, one would wish for a documentary with interviews and documentaries to tell these stories. If you are interested in seeing features such as these, you can find them on the 25th anniversary edition of the film, released to DVD in 1998.
Commentary Friedkin and Blatty, both contribute the commentary on that 25th edition disc and it's excellent. It covers the film from a different angle then Friedkin's commentary on this disc. It talks about how scenes were shot, the actors relationships with each other and Friedkin and the special effects. It's very entertaining. However, the commentary on this disc (Friedkin alone this time) makes the mistake of telling the story as it appears on the screen. And although it occasionally gives us the director's opinion about what a character might have been thinking at and fills us in on some ancient history, it's more often then not unnecessary. Still, it covers things from a different angle. It would have been nice if Warner Bros. would have been less greedy and given us BOTH commentaries on this disc.
Final Words: THE EXORCIST is an ageless and timeless film. Only a handful of films (CITIZEN KANE, E.T.-THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL, JFK and others) fall under this category. It's power to keep it's audience in the palm of it's hand is legendary. Now we have this new version. Added scenes, a restored print and re-mastered sound add greatly to an already incredible experience. If you already have the other editions they are the features that are the selling points here. The lack of any other extras is the only major flaw. But seeing and hearing the film like never before, is more than worth the price. And after watching this new version of this beautifully crafted and somewhat misunderstood film, you will never been the same!!


Send all Comments to Teakwood Productions
 May 31, 2001