Actors - The Exorcist

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The Exorcist is a novel written by William Peter Blatty first published in 1971. It was made into an influential and successful horror film in 1973, the screenplay written by Blatty also.

The film version was directed by William Friedkin and starred Max von Sydow as Father Lankester Merrin, Ellen Burstyn as Chris MacNeil, Jason Miller as Father Damien Karras, Jack MacGowran as Burke Dennings, Lee J. Cobb as Lieutenant William Kinderman and Linda Blair as Regan MacNeil. Regan's voice when possessed was dubbed by Mercedes McCambridge. The theme music is a part of Tubular Bells by Mike Oldfield.

Blatty based his novel on a supposedly genuine exorcism from 1949, which was partially performed in both Cottage City, Maryland and Bel-Nor, Missouri. Several area newspapers reported on a speech a minister gave to an amateur parapsychology society, in which he claimed to have exorcised a demon from a thirteen-year-old boy named Robbie, and that the ordeal lasted a little more than six weeks.

Plot

In the film, Father Merrin, an elderly priest, is in the Middle East studying ancient relics which are evidence of demon worship. His discovery of a bizarre statue seems to release an evil force. Meanwhile, a young girl named Regan, living in Georgetown, Washington, D.C., with her mother (a famous actress), becomes inexplicably ill. She undergoes a series of physical and psychological changes.

After unsuccessful medical tests and treatment, Regan's mother turns to religion. The girl is examined by a priest, Father Damien Karras, who is convinced of the diabolical nature of the case. He turns to the local bishop, who appoints Father Merrin to perform an exorcism with Karras assisting. The lengthy exorcism tests the priests, both physically and spiritually. It is interesing to note that the demon possessing Regan went by the name of Pazuzu who Father Merrin had battled on his own years before. One of the more famous lines from the exorcism itself is the two priests chanting: "The power of Christ compels you!"

The film originally contained several key sequences from the novel, which were cut prior to release by director Friedkin, despite Blatty's protests. These scenes were later restored and — along with a number of new digital effects — inserted into the re-release subtitled "the version you've never seen" in 2000.

Responses

The film was a huge international hit, grossing as of 2004 $402,500,000 worldwide. It was nominated for ten Academy Awards (winning two), including Best Picture, and also won four Golden Globes, including the award for Best Picture. McCambridge's role was originally uncredited; after Blair was nominated for her role, McCambridge initiated a lawsuit seeking redress.

The Exorcist is regarded by some critics as being one of the best and most effective horror films; admirers say the film balances a stellar script, gruesome effects, and outstanding performances. However, the movie has developed some detractors as well, including Kim Newman, Pauline Kael, and Vincent Canby, who have criticised it for what they see as messy plot construction, conventionality, and overblown pretentiousness, among other perceived defects. Writer James Baldwin provides an extended negative critique in his book length essay The Devil Finds Work .

The Exorcist contained a number of special effects, engineered by makeup legend and pioneer Dick Smith. Roger Ebert believed the effects to be so unusually graphic he wrote, "That it received an R rating and not the X is stupefying."

The Exorcist was also accused of, among many other things, manipulation of its audience through the use of subliminal imagery. While a detailed article in the July/August 1991 issue of Video Watchdog provides stills that seem to verify this claim, some fans of the film have noted that the imagery in question should be easily apparent to all viewers and therefore cannot be truly considered subliminal.

The film has been seen by some commentators as evoking contemporary issues of female identity, particularly in how female sexuality is threatening to men.

In the United Kingdom, the movie was included in the 'Video nasty' phenomenon of the early 1980s. Although it had been released uncut for home video in 1981, when resubmitted for classification to the British Board of Film Classification after the implementation of the Video Recording Act 1984 it was refused a release and no video copies were to be sold in the UK. However, following a successful re-release in cinemas in 1998, the film was resubmitted and was passed uncut with an 18 certificate rating in 1999, signifying a relaxation of the censorship rules with relation to home video in the UK. The movie was shown on UK television for the first time in 2001, on Channel 4.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for The Exorcist ]

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Actors - The Exorcist

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