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Often (VERY often) imitated, but not yet equaled, THE EXORCIST is simply brilliant. His performance ranks right up there with other greats of that era of the `70s when Method actors like Pacino and deNiro were making their big marks. When it's all done, we can look back and realize that the basic sketch of the horrible things that happen isn't too original. It is dead serious. In many ways, we come to "believe" Regan is possessed just as Father Karras does.
I believe you'll be as pleasantly surprised as me. I've rehashed a lot of the plot, first to remind you of its intricacies (but hopefully not spoiling much) but also to emphasize how much this movie is NOT presented as a horror film. Eventually, mother Burstyn turns to Father Karras for help. Lee J. The clothing is often hilariously tacky. Yes, that scene has been made fun of MANY times over the years.but seeing it proves that the original has lost none of its impact. The script is first-rate, as well. These scenes also have a matter-of-fact, non-exploitative feeling.as though we're watching a "normal" drama about a religious man floundering in his duties.
She's convinced her daughter needs an exorcism. But they are presented as a loving pair. By all means, see THE EXORCIST again. And even though I knew the outcome, I was riveted to the film.stunned that I was still able to be creeped out even on my 4th viewing. There's a reason this film is deemed a classic.and it is not a "stuffy old" film that doesn't hold up today.
Most of the scenes were not needed (a lot more stuff with Father Merrin wandering around the middle east).but there were a few brief moments with Von Sydow and Burstyn near the end that were quite good.plus a VERY brief but unforgettable shot of Regan coming down some stairs in a very unconventional way. I describe this, I admit, in a fairly flippant way. Karras, who not only personally doesn't believe in exorcism but also knows the church is HIGHLY skeptical of them too, agrees reluctantly to visit Regan. ALSO, there has been a mysterious death of a friend of Burstyn's and Detective Kinderman (Lee J. It's always tempting to say, "Those effects were great.for 1973" or "imagine how that affected an audience.three decades ago." You almost feel like you have to make excuses for the film. It is HIS personal journey that most gives this film gravitas.
Then Regan's behavior starts getting worse, and frankly, a bit hard to explain. And no one is despairing more than Burstyn, who has seen her daughter cursing in a deep voice, levitating herself and her bed, thrashing in violent seizures, with cuts developing on her face. Ellen Burstyn occasionally drifts to the hammy side towards the end (as she so often does) but only slightly. Technology is primitive.
He's a doubter who is FORCED to believe, because no other explanation will serve. Soon, though, Regan begins to exhibit strange behavior, including rather vivid tales of her talks with "imaginary" friends she clearly believes are real. Cobb) is investigating, giving the movie the feel of an old-fashioned detective story. Friedkin took, frankly, the exactly correct approach to the material, and it paid off. Meanwhile, some strange things have been doing on in the local Catholic Churches, and priest/psychologist Father Karras (Jason Miller) is trying explain these happenings, while also dealing with guilt over his elderly (soon to be dead) mother AND his loss of faith. Yes, some of the effects (there are actually fewer than you would expect) are not up to the standards of today. Finally, Jason Miller is dead perfect as Father Karras, who to me is the true heart-and-soul of this film. It's played dead straight, and is presented almost like a medical procedural story.
Best of all, we've got a cast of fantastic actors playing their juicy roles completely seriously. The fear and the chill are palpable to the viewer. And if by some chance you have NOT seen it.do yourself a favor. His Det.
They are a well-to-do little family, with a housekeeper, cook & nanny. Regan also, quite disturbingly, abuses herself with a cross. But I am happy to report that in a very recent, pre-Halloween viewing, THE EXORCIST has withstood the test of time nearly unscathed. Linda Blair is fearsome effective.even with the help of makeup and the voice of Mercedes McCambridge, she is a striking figure. It is shown as anything but, frankly, for much of its running time. Something you'd see on a much calmer episode of HOUSE.
Cobb was a fantastic actor (the original Willy Loman) and has been sadly missed for many years. I saw the DVD that comes with some restored scenes. This serves only to make the horror more effective because it seems so incredibly PLAUSIBLE. Miller was a very talented actor and writer. It is a queasy and startling moment. He is horrified by what he sees, but for awhile, he searches for rational explanations too.
Regan's room has become an ice-cold bastion of evil. The film is constructed so well and with no hint of irony. Rational people, trying to come up with reasonable explanations, until, chillingly, they are all forced to throw up their hands in despair. But it does NOT come across as cheesy or ironic or with a wink.
Her mother begins taking her to doctors and specialists, who at first assume it's just adolescence. It's the CONTEXT in which they play out that works so well. Kinderman is a small role, but he brings a touch to it that gives the film a whiff of humor. By the time this stately paced film reaches its final 20 minute or so, we are pretty much wrung out. Yet, eventually, he must turn to "legendary" Father Merrin (Max Von Sydow), a priest who has actually performed such a ritual.
Yet William Friedkin's classically styled direction of William Peter Blatty's effectively unsettling novel still has the uncanny ability to give us the creeps today. It's when she starts talking in strange voices and levitating from her bed that all rational explanations begin to go out the window. Max Von Sydow is an imposing figure.he's done many, many great performances since.but his work here is what he'll be most remembered for (at least by American audiences). I suspect that had he not been so reluctant to do film work, he could have been one of the greats as well. If you don't know the story: young Regan (Linda Blair, before she was the punchline to a lot of cheap jokes) lives in a lovely Washington DC home with her recently divorced movie-actress mother (Ellen Burstyn).
It's difficult to look back on a film "classic" and try to review it through today's eyes.35 years later. The movie is a "horror-procedural" or a "demonic detective story." It is creepy as hell, too.
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A spinal tap is also used to diagnose neurological disorders, and would have been employed in a case like Regan's. So, if you want a really, really scary story about evil in Iraq obsessing someone in Washington, D.C., you need only consider the Bush Administration. The doctors were looking for a lesion in the temporal lobe, and an arteriogram would be the preferred diagnostic technique for this condition. The reality is brought forth from Father Karras himself when he says "it just doesn't happen anymore" and that all the old stories of possession were merely mental illness, most commonly schizophrenia. The doctors refer to "doing another spinal" in a following scene, a thought that is repulsive to Chris and with good reason: spinals are very painful, as is the arteriogram. We can count ourselves lucky we do not live in a era dominated by such error. Maybe Dick Cheney is the devil.
How many innocents were burned at the stake because of the nonsense in books like the Malleus Maleficarum. A suspension of disbelief is required for the rational person to enjoy this movie. However, no spinal tap procedure appears in the movie. Nowadays, a CT scan or MRI would also be performed. Both procedures are usually performed with local anesthesia, but also occasionally light sedation or general anesthesia.
A spinal tap involves inserting a needle into the lower back, and extracting spinal fluid. The problem is that a lot of people actually believe in demonic possession. Lacking modern science, the people from the aptly named Dark Ages came up with their own explanations. It does not involve x-rays.
One of the scariest scenes for most people in this movie is the so-called "spinal tap" scene, however the procedure in which Regan has a needle inserted in her throat, and blood rhythmically pumps out is an arteriogram. This is a well crafted horror flick, and like most horror flicks, its premise is b.s.
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