Product Details

• Actors: Stellan Skarsgĺrd, Gabriel Mann, Clara Bellar, Billy Crawford, Ralph Brown
• Directors: Paul Schrader
• Writers: Caleb Carr, William Peter Blatty, William Wisher Jr.
• Producers: Art Schaeffer, David C. Robinson, Guy McElwaine, James G. Robinson
• Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• DVD Release Date: October 25, 2005
• Run Time: 117 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 2.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (63 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000AYEL4W
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #36,305 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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• For more information about "Dominion - Prequel to the Exorcist" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Horror buffs will surely be compelled to compare and contrast Dominion with Exorcist: The Beginning, two films weirdly linked by film history. Director Paul Schrader shot Dominion only to find studio bosses underwhelmed by its horror aspects, at which point Renny Harlin was hired to direct another take on the subject with the same lead actor, setting, and similar storyline. That became the 2004 theatrical release Exorcist: The Beginning.

As expected, the Schrader version has more tortured religiosity and visual poetry than Harlin's cheesier (but admittedly gripping) re-do. Father Merrin (Stellan Skarsgard) carries his guilt from the Nazi occupation to a remote African archaeological dig, where a mysteriously buried church has been uncovered. Strange stuff happens nearby, and a fervent young priest (good performance by Gabriel Mann) parries spiritual points with the now-doubting Merrin. Some of the ideas are strong and the sun-and-sand cinematography by the great Vittorio Storaro is often stunning. As beautiful as the film is to look at, it must be admitted that the climax is disappointingly flat, the leading lady (Clara Bellar) is a washout, and one begins to yearn for the occasional genre shock of the kind Schrader was able to conjure up in his remake of Cat People. If you're an Exorcist fan, watch it for its serious treatment of Merrin's crisis, which ties in to his character in the 1973 original. --Robert Horton

Product Description

Historic filmmaking! 2 filmmakers take on the same film. The original prequel to The Exorcist by Paul Shrader. The film traces the story of Father Lankester Merrin (Stellan Skarsgard) back to his first encounter with the Devil in post-WW II Africa.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "I Am Perfection!" ~ The War Begins, October 23, 2005

By	Brian E. Erland "Rainbow Sphinx" (Brea, CA - USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)    (VINE VOICE)

Finally director Paul Schrader's version has been removed from its purgatorial storage and released on DVD! Now the fans can judge for themselves which adaptation they prefer, Schrader's or Harlin's. After seeing them both I will say without hesitation, Paul Schrader's orginal treatment is definitely the superior of the two.

Having two different versions of the prequel to 'The Exorcist' availabe on DVD is indeed a rare and wonderful treat. Viewing the two and comparing the merits of both is much like comparing the Reginald Owen's version of 'A Christmas Carol' with the Alastair Sim's adaptation. Each contains material left out of the other and only by viewing both do you seem to get the truly complete, unedited version. To fully appreciate the depth and soul of 'The Exorcist' legacy you simply have to watch them both.

For me the deciding factor in choosing the Schrader version over the Harlin production came around the last half hour of the film when Cheche, now fully possessed by the spirit of Lucifer floats above his demonic throne in the subteranean cavern below the recently unearthed Church of Saint Michael the Archangel. Truly a moment meant to give credence to the most famous and revered occult saying, "As Above, So Below."

The ensuing dialogue between the fallen angel and the priest adds a much deeper, personal dimension to the confrontation of Good and Evil that is missing in Harlin's film. This one-on-one exchange made the difference in my opinion. As always the subjective nature of reviewing comes down to personal choice. I invite you to view both and decide for yourself.

Stellan Skarsgard is brilliant as Father Merrin, the disillusioned priest who must overcome his deep seated doubts about the existence of God and supernatural evil. He is fast becoming one of my favorite actors. Gabriel Mann also gives a fine performance as the young, devote Father Francis, as does Clara Bellar as Dr. Rachel Lesno. Of course lets not forget the performance of Billy Crawford as Cheche, the crippled young man possessed by the "Powers of Darkness."

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars 3 stars for Schrader's flawed vision, October 30, 2005

By	Wayne Klein "If at first the idea is not absu... (My Little Blue Window, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)

The central premise and the basic plot of "Dominion" and "The Beginning" are the same what's different is the stylized look of the film and the direction by someone who came into directing from a writer's point of view and a director who came into film direction strictly based on the visual angle. It's a pity that the original director John Frankenheimer ("Seconds", "The Manchurian Candidate", "The French Connection II", "Seven Days in May" "Ronion") had to step down for health reasons (he withdrew from the project and died in 2002)as his visual sense would have complimented the film's screenplay by novelist Calbe Carr (The Alienist) and screenwriter William Wisher ("Terminator 2" and "The 13th Warrior").

The two films, if they were combined (some of Harlin's startling visuals, the script from Schrader's version and the languid style of that film as well)would be an exceptional film in this underperforming series (only "The Exorcist" is a five star classic, "Legion" deserves 3 1/2 stars only because of how Blatty's film was butchered during the re-editing process. It went through much the same rethink process as "Dominion" although the same director stayed throughout).

Many of the visual effects look a bit cheesy with the Aurora Boralis effect at the conclusion looking like it was done on a computer from the early 90'ss. The hyenas just aren't convincing looking for much of the film and it does rob the film of some suspense. "Dominion" is a suspense thriller dealing with the issues of faith and the power of evil to squash humanity. The film also feels a bit choppy at times particularly as it rushes towards its conclusion as if Schrader ran out of time and dropped scenes from the script to meet his shooting schedule (I don't recall him mentioning that in the commentary but do know that things were tight). The startling scares are in Harlin's film while the sense of dread that dominates Schrader's film creates a moody suspense thriller. Some of the performances are truly outstanding while others such as Gabriel Mann as Father Francis are a bit stiff (he's replaced by James D'Arcy who gives a much better performance in Harlin's film). While Clara Bellar does a solid job in the role of Rachel, I preferred Izabella Scorupco in her similar role as Sarah).

Both versions have their merits but I felt the screenplay was better written and less gimmicky for Schrader's film. It also tied in better with "The Exorcist". Stellan Skarsgĺrd was exceptional in both as Father Merrin. The major change has to do when Merrin becomes involved with the dig, what happened at the site before (which is graphically illustrated by Harlin's version in a startling CGI sequence involving a major battle) and the way the story unfolds. Despite it's flaws, Schrader's film is the better of the two but it's not a horror movie like "The Exorcist" or even "The Texas Chainsaw Masacre".

The transfer of "Dominion" doesn't look quite as sharp as that of "The Beginning" and there's quite a few specks (which really surprised me in this day and age of top notch digital transfers of recent films)but otherwise the color looks extremely good and the overall sharpness and audio is very good as well. Schrader's ruminates in his commentary track on everything from the low budget and the cheesy CGI effects he had to settle for to the working conditions during shooting.

Neither one is as scary as "The Exorcist" and if Harlin's film is a slicker bit of entertainment, it also lacks some of the substance of this film. I'd suggest a rental for "Dominion". "Dominion" works better as a suspense thriller than "The Exorcist: The Beginning" worked as a horror film.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cover me, Teilhard. I'm goin' in., February 9, 2007

By	Patrick Mccray (Knoxville, TN United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    (VINE VOICE)

Looks like I have to strap on my armor and enter the combat.

This is a superb piece of filmmaking, especially considering that the film it morphed into (EXORCIST: THE BEGINNING) is one of the worst films I saw that year. The executives at WB were insulting your intelligence by having this film mutilated by Renny Harlin. This original film is a smart, creepy, atmospheric work. I won't say it was the scariest film I've ever seen, but it was pleasantly unnerving and kept zigging where most workman filmmakers would have let it zag. It starts mutedly, but builds into something increasingly bizarre. I had no idea it was going to be this good. The film also leads into THE EXORCIST beautifully. I put in THE EXORCIST right afterwards, and it felt like a sequel to DOMINION. High praise, well-earned.