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| Ellen
Burstyn, Jason Miller, Max Von Sydow, Linda Blair, Lee J. Cobb |
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Anamorphic
widescreen |
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Dolby Digital
5.1 |
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DTS |
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Trailer(s) |
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Featurette(s) |
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Documentary |
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Audio commentary
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Deleted scenes
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Concept art
/ storyboards |
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Multi-angle
feature |
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Regan/Pazuzu:
"What an excellent day for an exorcism."
Father Karras: "You would like that?"
Regan/Pazuzu: "Intensely."
Father Karras: "But wouldn't that drive you out of Regan?"
Regan/Pazuzu: "It would bring us together."
Father Karras: "You and Regan?"
Regan/Pazuzu: "You and us."
A
little girl becomes possessed by a demonic force and an exorcism by
a Catholic priest is the only possible cure.
 The
original story by William Peter Blatty may have started out as his personal
exercise in writing straight drama based on the real-life events of
a demonic possession and subsequent exorcism, but since the release
(and re-release) of the movie it has become a cultural reference point
unto itself. The enormous influence The Exorcist has had on cinema
and horror in general cannot be overestimated, and countless attempts
have been made to dissect the building blocks of this milestone. But
although Blatty's work may have provided the basis, director William
Friedkin is clearly the one responsible for its cinematic power by using
a very intricate mix of the mundane and the supernatural. Friedkin uses
tension and relief for maximum impact: even the fact that the story
takes place in the most natural of surroundings proves to be no obstacle
in allowing evil to permeate every shot. By adhering to the principle
of less is more, he has succeeded in getting the ominous shadows and
well-placed details under your skin. Shocks come at the right moments
and effective cuts and fades keep you in your seat (and in some cases
scared out of it) for two hours easily.
The slow buildup proves less problematic with each viewing, mainly because
so many details have been put into the script and the characters get
enough screen time and terrific dialogue to develop themselves in detail.
All the actors give utterly believable performances, with Jason Miller
deserving special mention in portraying the haunted character of Father
Karras as a man in crisis about his faith and profession. The movie
works on several levels, but at heart it's a story of how people confront
the reality of human suffering. You can back away from it, dismiss it
as laughable or make peace with it through faith and sacrifice as Father
Karras ultimately does. Whatever your own beliefs are, like all succesful
products of popular culture it leaves an unforgettable impression.
The version of The Exorcist marketed as 'The Version You've Never
Seen' reinstates ten minutes of previously deleted scenes and some rather
silly CGI embellishments, which end up neither adding to the film nor
substantially detracting from it in the end. For most added scenes,
one could come up with as many arguments for their inclusion as there
are against them, and the main thrust of the film is left intact, as
powerful as ever. The new version is certainly not unlike anything
you've ever seen, and especially considering the fact that the 25th
Anniversary DVD release already carried the extra sequences in a
great documentary, cynics might consider the hyped-up re-release to
be nothing more than a rather obvious marketing-driven decision. |
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Identical
releases of the 25th Anniversary Edition featuring the original cut
of the film are available for Region 1 and Region 2 [see separate
review] with one difference: the BBC documentary The Fear Of
God runs 20 minutes longer on the Region 1 DVD. The main difference
with the shorter version is the dissappearance of bits featuring the
presenter of the documentary and the interview with Mercedes McCambridge.
A second DVD sub-titled The Version You've Never Seen was later
released for both Region 1 and Region 2, with additional restoration
work performed on the visuals and sound desing, and containing an additional
ten minutes of footage and a newly recorded commentary from Friedkin.
However, it doesn't have any of the extras from the 25th Anniversary
Edition.
The
video transfer, which has undergone another round of restoration efforts
since the already formidable earlier DVD presentation, now packs even
more detail into the shots, with the most noticeable improvements during
the opening sequence in Iraq.
A new Dolby Digital 5.1 EX mix seems determined to lay down an even
more powerful surround mix than the previous 5.1 mix, and it succeeds
admirably in layering details and creating an immersive mix with almost
constant rear channel activity.
William
Friedkin went the distance a second time on The Exorcist, and
recorded a second audio commentary track for his new revamped
cut of the film. He gets off to a decent start in the Iraq section,
but quickly dwindles into detailed descriptions of what is happening
on-screen, making this a rather useless commentary track in the end.
We really don't need the director to explain to us why Ellen Burstyn's
character is worried about her daughter, or what kind of movie she is
acting in. The other extras are limited to the promotional material
created for this re-release, including theatrical trailers, radio
promos and TV spots.The
static menus are nicely designed around the well-known poster art image,
accompanied by ominous tunes from the score.
Gerard
Castelein & Dan Hassler-Forest
Reviewed: 2001
Click
here for IMDB info on The
Exorcist .
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