The Exorcist (film)

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The Exorcist
Poster from the 2000 re-release of The Exorcist
Directed by	William Friedkin
Produced by	William Peter Blatty Noel Marshall
Written by	Novel & Screenplay William Peter Blatty
Starring	Linda Blair Ellen Burstyn Max von Sydow Jason Miller Lee J. Cobb Kitty Winn
Music by	Mike Oldfield (from "Tubular Bells") Steve Boeddeker (2000 re-release)
Cinematography	Owen Roizman
Editing by	Norman Gay Evan Lottman Bud Smith
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date(s)	December 26, 1973
Running time	Theatrical Cut: 122 min. Director's Cut 132 min.
Country	United States
Language	English Arabic
Budget	$12,000,000 (estimated)
Preceded by	Exorcist: The Beginning (2004)
Followed by	Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977)
Official website
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

The Exorcist is an Academy Award-winning 1973 film, based on the novel by William Peter Blatty first published in 1971.

The film 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 the composition Tubular Bells by Mike Oldfield.

Taglines:

• "Mother, make it stop!"
• The movie you've been waiting for...Without the Wait.
• Something almost beyond comprehension is happening to a little girl...on this street...in this house...and this man has been sent for as a last resort. This man is The Exorcist.
• "Mother, what's wrong with me?"

Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 3.1 Casting 3.2 Direction 3.3 Music 3.4 Filming Locations 4 Urban Legends and On-Set Incidents 5 Cut Scenes 5.1 The "spider walk" 5.2 Network TV version 6 Track listings 7 Reception 8 Awards and Recognition 8.1 Academy Awards 8.2 Other Awards 9 Sequels 10 Alternate and uncut versions 11 Trivia 12 References 13 External links

[edit] Plot

Based on the 1971 novel by William Peter Blatty, The Exorcist marries three different scenarios into one extraordinary plot. A visiting actress in Washington, D.C., notices dramatic and dangerous changes in the behavior and physical make-up of her 12-year-old daughter Regan. Meanwhile, a young priest at nearby Georgetown University begins to doubt his faith while dealing with his mother's terminal sickness. Regan exhibits strange powers, including levitation and great strength. When all medical possibilities are exhausted, her mother is sent to a priest who is also a psychiatrist. He becomes convinced that Regan is possessed, and he and a second priest experienced in exorcism try to drive the spirit from Regan before she dies.^[1]

[edit] Cast

• Jason Miller as Father Damien Karras
• Ellen Burstyn as Chris MacNeil
• Max Von Sydow as Father Lankester Merrin
• Lee J. Cobb as Detective Lieutenant William F. Kinderman
• Linda Blair as Regan MacNeil
• Kitty Winn as Sharon Spencer
• Jack MacGowran as Burke Dennings
• Mercedes McCambridge as Voice of Pazuzu
• Rev. William O'Malley as Father Joe Dyer

[edit] Production

[edit] Casting

The agency representing Linda Blair overlooked her, recommending at least 30 other clients for the part of Regan. Blair's mother brought her in herself to try out for the role. Pamelyn Ferdin, a veteran of science fiction and supernatural drama, was a candidate, but the producers may have felt she was too well-known. The part went instead to Linda Blair, a relatively unknown actress. Blair's stunt double was Eileen Dietz, an older actress who was uncredited in the film and later sued.^{[citation needed]}

The studio wanted Marlon Brando for the role of Father Merrin. Friedkin immediately vetoed this by stating that with Brando in the film it would become a "Brando movie". Jack Nicholson was originally up for the part of Father Karras before Stacy Keach had been hired by Blatty to play the role. Friedkin then spotted Miller in a Broadway play. Even though Miller had never acted in a movie before, Keach's contract was bought out by Warner Bros and Miller was cast in the role. Other actors considered for the role at the time included Gene Hackman, Jane Fonda and Shirley MacLaine were approached to play the role of Chris MacNeil. Anne Bancroft was another choice, but she happened to be in her first month of pregnancy and was dropped. Ellen Burstyn agreed to doing the movie only if her character didn't have to say the scripted line: "I believe in the devil!" The producers agreed to eliminate this line.^[2]

Vasiliki Maliaros, who played Father Karras' mother, had never acted in a movie before. She was discovered by William Friedkin in a Greek restaurant. Her only acting experience was in Greek stage dramas. Friedkin selected her because she bore an uncanny resemblance to his own mother and William Peter Blatty felt she resembled his mother too.

[edit] Direction

The studio initially wanted Stanley Kubrick to direct the film, but he turned it down. He later directed The Shining (1980). Warner had approached Arthur Penn (who was teaching at Yale), Peter Bogdanovich (who wanted to pursue other projects, subsequently regretting the decision) and Mike Nichols (who didn't want to shoot a film so dependent on a child's performance). John Boorman said he didn't want to direct it because it was "cruel towards children". Following the success of The French Connection (1971) the studio finally agreed to sign William Friedkin for the film.

Friedkin went to some extraordinary lengths, reminiscent of D.W. Griffith's manipulation of the actors, to get the genuine reactions he wanted. Yanked violently around in harnesses, both Blair and Burstyn suffered back injuries and their painful screams went right into the film. After asking Reverend William O'Malley if he trusted him and being told yes, Friedkin slapped him hard across the face before a take to generate a deeply solemn reaction that was used in the film as Father Dyer read last rites to Father Karras. He also fired a gun without warning on the set to elicit shock from Jason Miller for a take. Lastly, he had Regan's bedroom set built inside a freezer so that the actors' breath could be visible on camera.

[edit] Music

Lalo Schifrin's score was rejected (see also 1979's The Amityville Horror). In the liner notes for the soundtrack to his 1977 film Sorcerer, Friedkin said that had he heard the music of Tangerine Dream earlier, he would have had them score The Exorcist.

The original soundtrack LP has only been released once on CD, as an expensive and hard to find Japanese import. It is noteworthy for being the only soundtrack to include the Tubular Bells theme, and the composition Night Of The Electric Insects.

[edit] Filming Locations

The archaeological dig site seen at the beginning of the movie is the actual site of ancient Nineveh in Hatra, Iraq. Friedkin had to take an all-British crew to film in Iraq because the U.S. had no diplomatic relations with Iraq at that time. They were allowed to film on conditions that included teaching Iraqi filmmakers advanced film techniques and special effects.^{[citation needed]}

The scenes showing Father Karras in his room at Georgetown were filmed in Fordham University's freshman residence, Hughes Hall, fourth floor. Each year, Father William O'Malley (who played Father Dyer) talks about his experience with the movie after students watch it on the same floor where it was filmed. The "Exorcist steps", stone steps at the end of M Street in Georgetown, were padded with 1/2"-thick rubber to film the death of Karras. The stuntman tumbled down the stairs twice. Georgetown University students charged people around $5 each to watch the stunt from the rooftops. ^[2]

The bedroom set had to be refrigerated to capture the authentic icy breath of the actors in the exorcizing scenes. The temperature was brought so low that a thin layer of snow fell onto the set one morning. Linda Blair, who was only in a flimsy nightgown, says to this day she cannot stand being cold.^[3]

[edit] Urban Legends and On-Set Incidents

An apocryphal story has Friedkin supposedly asking technical advisor Rev. Thomas Bermingham to exorcise the set. He refused, saying an exorcism might increase anxiety. This probably did not happen. According to Catholic doctrine, an exorcism has to be applied for and approved by Church authorities -- this is part of the story, so Friedkin would have known it. A blessing with holy water is all that is necessary. Rev. Bermingham reportedly visited the set, gave a blessing, and spoke briefly to reassure the cast and crew.^{[citation needed]}

Other tales about ominous events surrounding the year-long shoot, including the deaths of nine people associated with the production and stories about a mysterious fire that destroyed the set one weekend, are probably fakelore and were either deliberately released by the studio for publicity, or concocted by tabloid writers as no evidence exists for any freakish occurrences. These stories are the source of the rumor that the film was cursed. ^[4] Blatty, Schrader and von Sydow have all discounted such tales as nonsense.

[edit] Cut Scenes

The scene wherein Father Merrin asks Chris the child's middle name (Teresa) was cut for the 1973 release, but there is still the scene where Merrin exorcises Regan and uses her first, middle, and last names.

[edit] The "spider walk"

Contortionist Linda R. Hager was hired to perform the famous "spider walk" scene, filmed on April 11, 1973, but deleted by William Friedkin before the film's December release. He felt it was "too much" of an effect because it appeared too early in the film before the possession was fully established by the end of the first hour of the movie. Almost 30 years later, Friedkin changed his mind and restored the scene for the special edition theatrical release. Ms. Hager used a harness and flying wires hung above the staircase used in the set.

There are actually three different versions of the "spider walk" sequence. The one ending with blood pouring from Regan's mouth is the one most frequently shown in clips. The second, actually more faithful to the book, has Regan flicking her tongue like a snake and chasing Chris and Sharon. A third take had Regan biting Sharon on the leg. The sequence has been used in Ruby (1977) and other low-budget films.

[edit] Network TV version

The network TV version was edited by Friedkin. He looped the Demon's more obscene lines himself because he didn't want to work with Mercedes McCambridge again.^{[citation needed]} "Your mother sucks cocks in hell" became "Your mother still rots in hell" and "Shove it up your ass, you faggot" became "Shut your face, you faggot." By and large, this network TV version is not used for TV and cable showings today.

[edit] Track listings

The Warner re-release (included in the 25th Anniversary collector's set) omits the main theme ("Tubular Bells") and "Night of The Electric Insects" for rights reasons, but includes 15 minutes of music that Lalo Schifrin originally composed for the film.

[edit] Reception

The film was a huge international hit in 1973, becoming the highest-grossing film of the year. To date, it has a total gross of $402,500,000 worldwide; if adjusted for inflation, this would be the top-grossing R-rated film of all time.^[5] It was nominated for ten Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and also won four Golden Globes, including the award for Best Picture – Drama for the year 1974.

When released in 1973, some theatre patrons reportedly screamed and fainted while viewing the film, requiring paramedics to be called to theaters.^{[citation needed]} Theaters provided "Exorcist barf bags".^[6] A filmgoer who saw the movie in 1974 during its original release fainted and broke his jaw on the seat in front of him. He then sued Warner Brothers and the filmmakers, claiming that the use of subliminal imagery in the film had caused him to pass out. The studio settled out of court for an undisclosed sum.^[2]

Due to death threats against Linda Blair, Warner Bros. had bodyguards protecting her for six months after the film's release.^[3]

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 criticized 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, while praising the film, believed the effects to be so unusually graphic he wrote, "That it received an R rating and not the X is stupefying."^[7]

The Exorcist was also accused of, among many other things, manipulation of its audience through the use of subliminal imagery. A detailed article in the July / August 1991 issue of Video Watchdog provides stills in support of this claim. The subsequent re-release of the film featured additional "subliminal" images, particularly in the form of Captain Howdy, a white-faced demon that appears on screen at various points during the film for very brief periods of time.

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. This led to "Exorcist Bus Trips" where enterprising travel companies organized buses to take groups to the nearest town where the film was showing.

The British film critic Mark Kermode is famous for claiming The Exorcist is the greatest film ever made on his weekly film review program on Radio 5-Live. During a 2004 interview, filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan said that the scene in the film with Burstyn in the attic with the exploding candle was one of the scariest scenes he had ever seen.

[edit] Awards and Recognition

[edit] Academy Awards

The Exorcist was nominated for a total of 10 Academy Awards in 1973. At the 46th Annual Academy Awards ceremony, it won two statuettes.

Wins:

• Academy Award for Sound
• Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay

Nominations:

• Best Picture
• Best Actress for Ellen Burstyn
• Best Supporting Actor for Jason Miller
• Best Supporting Actress for Linda Blair
• Best Director for William Friedkin
• Best Cinematography
• Best Film Editing
• Best Art Direction

[edit] Other Awards

• Saturn Award Best Horror Film of 1973.
• Entertainment Weekly voted it the scariest film ever made^[8]
• American Film Institute rated the film in #3 out of the most thrilling movies. The film was right behind Jaws and Psycho.
• Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments rated the film #3, right behind Alien and Jaws.

[edit] Sequels

John Boorman's poorly-received Exorcist II: The Heretic was released in 1977.

Blatty directed The Ninth Configuration, a post-Vietnam War drama set in a mental institution. Released in 1980, it was based on Blatty's novel of the same name. Though it contrasts sharply with the tone of The Exorcist, Blatty regards Configuration as its true sequel. The lead character is the astronaut from Chris' party, Lt. Cutshaw.

The more successful The Exorcist III appeared in 1990, written and directed by Blatty himself from his own 1983 novel Legion. Ignoring the events of Exorcist II, this book and film presented an alternative conclusion to the story. Following the precedents set in The Ninth Configuration, Blatty turned a minor character from the first film -- in this case, Det. Kinderman — into the chief protagonist.

A parody entitled Repossessed was released the same year, with Blair lampooning the role she played in the original.

A made-for-television film entitled Possessed was broadcast on Showtime on October 22, 2000. It claimed to follow the true accounts that inspired Blatty to write The Exorcist. It was directed by Steven E. de Souza and written by de Souza and Michael Lazarou, from the book of the same name by Thomas B. Allen. Main characters were played by Timothy Dalton, Henry Czerny and Christopher Plummer.

A prequel, Exorcist: The Beginning (2004) attracted attention and controversy even before its release. It went through a number of directorial and script changes, such that two versions were actually filmed. Paul Schrader was hired as director, but the studio ultimately rejected his version. Renny Harlin was then hired as director, and permitted to reuse Schrader's footage, and shoot new footage as he saw fit, to create a more conventional shocker film. Harlin's film was released, but was not well received, including by Blatty himself. Schrader's version was renamed Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist and subsequently released. It is considered by some critics to be more thought-provoking and perhaps more frightening because of its subtlety.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Alternate and uncut versions

• In both the TV-PG and TV-14 versions of the network version, the image of the obscenely defiled statue of the Virgin Mary stays intact. It stays onscreen several seconds longer for the TV-14 version. On original TV airings, the shot was replaced with one where the statue's face is smashed in but without other defilement.
• The Special Edition released on DVD for the 25th Anniversary includes the original ending, not the new one used in the "Version You've Never Seen". This is much more similar to the book.
• The Special Edition DVD also includes a 75-minutes documentary titled The Fear of God on the making of The Exorcist. The documentary includes screen tests and additional deleted scenes.

[edit] Trivia

• The "Exorcist stairs", 75 (or 74 - one is very small) stone steps at the end of M-Street in Georgetown, were padded with 1/2"-thick rubber to film the death of Father Damien Karras. The stuntman tumbled down the stairs twice. Georgetown University students charged people around $5 each to watch the stunt from the rooftops. Many local crew (rowing) teams including Georgetown University and Walt Whitman High School use them to work out.

• The name "Captain Howdy" is also used as a killer's chat room alias in the film Strangeland (1998). This film was written by Dee Snider, the former lead singer of Twisted Sister. On the album "Stay Hungry" there is a song called "Stay Away from Captain Howdy."

• The sound of the demon leaving Regan's body is actually the sound of pigs being herded for slaughter; a possible reference to the story of Christ driving out demons in Mark 5:13.

• The subliminal shots of a white-faced demon in Regan's subjective "image flicks" were inspired by a demon mask used in Onibaba (1964). The mask was originally used in a teaser trailer, but was considered too frightening.-

• The substance that the possessed Regan vomits really is pea soup. The soup used for the vomit scene was Anderson's brand. The crew tried Campbell's but didn't like the "effect". Linda Blair hated vegetables so much at that time, that the use of the soup actually did make her throw up. In a 1998 TV interview on Access Hollywood, Blair stated "the pea soup sequence was difficult because if the pea soup hadn't shot out in perfect synch, the soup would have choked and killed me".

• Actors Jack MacGowran and Vasiliki Maliaros died before the film was released.

• In the scene where Fr. Karras is saying Mass, the words of consecration he uses reflect an earlier version of the rite, one of a few intermediate stages between the Tridentine Rite and the Mass of Paul VI.

• The Rite of Exorcism as performed in the film is a condensed version of the actual rite.

• Max von Sydow was actually quite young (early forties) at the time of filming, and required several hours of makeup each day to appear as the frail, elderly Father Merrin.

• The film was edited at 666 Fifth Avenue in New York. ^[9]

• The name of the boy who was subject of the "true" exorcism that inspired Blatty's novel was Ronald Hunkeler. After he was "cured" he went on to attend Gonzaga High School in Washington, DC, graduating in 1954. He was later a scientist with NASA. Understandably, he refuses all interviews regarding his exorcism. At last account, he was rumored to be living in Laurel, MD.

• In an interview on the January 12, 2007 broadcast of the Mr. KABC radio program it was revealed that actress/comedianne April Winchell was being seriously considered for the part of Regan MacNeil however she had developed a serious kidney infection which caused her to he hospitalized and ultimately taken out of consideration. ^[10]

• In the video game Conker's Bad Fur Day and the remake Conker Live and Reloaded, the boss of the chapter It's War is a little girl being controlled by a demonic robot.

• Images of Regan while possessed are frequently used as a shocking image in a prank flash animation

• The Exorcist: The Complete Anthology was released in early 2007. This DVD collection includes the original theatrical release version The Exorcist, the extended version; The Exorcist: The Version You've Never Seen, the sequel with Linda Blair; The Exorcist II: The Heretic, the supposed end of the trilogy; Exorcist III and two different prequels; Exorcist: The Beginning & Dominion: A Prequel to The Exorcist.

[edit] References

1. ^ http://imdb.com/title/tt0070047/plotsummary
2. ^ ^{a b c} http://imdb.com/title/tt0070047/trivia
3. ^ ^{a b} http://www.thefleshfarm.com/exorcist/exorcist1.htm
4. ^ http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040819/THINGS010701/408190318/1055/news
5. ^ http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/1973/0XRCS.phphttp://www.the-numbers.com/movies/1973/0XRCS.php
6. ^ http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20061104/ai_n16829894
7. ^ http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19731226/REVIEWS/301010310/1023
8. ^ http://paranormal.about.com/library/weekly/aa111201a.htm.
9. ^ http://www.well-rounded.com/movies/reviews/blatty_intv.html
10. ^ 5 things you don't know about April Winchell, Mr. KABC Radio Show audio archive, accessed February 8, 2007

[edit] External links

• The Beyond: The Exorcist

• The Exorcist (1973) at the Internet Movie Database
• The Haunted Boy of Cottage City: The Cold Hard Facts Behind the Story that Inspired The Exorcist, by Mark Opsasnick
• The Exorcist Fansite
• Rev. J.C. Smith
• Review at Girls, Guns and Ghouls

Preceded by The Godfather

Golden Globe for Best Picture - Drama 1974

Succeeded by Chinatown