The Exorcist (BFI Modern Classics) [Paperback]

Mark Kermode (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 22, 2008

This new edition of Mark Kermode's text documents the deletion and recovery of key scenes that have now been re-integrated into the film to create "The Exorcist: The Version You've Never Seen". There are also interviews with director William Friedkin and writer/producer William Peter Blatty.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Kermode's opus remains the definitive work on the movie." -- Empire --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Mark Kermode is a film critic and broadcaster. He writes for Sight and Sound and The Independent, and providing weekly film reviews for BBC Radio 5. On television he appears regularly on BBC 2's Newsnight Review, and has written and presented numerous film documentaries including The Fear of God; 25 Years of the Exorcist and Poughkeepsie Shuffle: Tracing the French Connection for BBC1, and Hell on Earth: The Desecration and Resurrection of Ken Russell's The Devils, The Cult of The Wicker Man and On the Edge of Blade Runner for Channel 4.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: British Film Institute; 2nd Revised edition (January 22, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0851709672
• ISBN-13: 978-0851709673
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #877,579 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Detailed and Excellent!, September 27, 2000

By 

Jason Paul Collum - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Exorcist (BFI Modern Classics) (Paperback)

Though many books have discussed the classic film THE EXORCIST, none has been so intricate and detailed as this. Author Mark Kermode shows he is both a fan and a historian of the film, its meanings and background. He goes to great lengths to understand, and share with readers, what the film is all about, and what went into making a legendary work. Highly recommended.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Interesting, April 2, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Exorcist (BFI Modern Classics) (Paperback)

This is one of the most interesting books you can find on The Exorcist.If you love the move you'll definitly want to buy this book,it tells all about the movie. My favorite part of the book was when they told about how fredkin added scenes to the original trailer and movie that were subliminal,buy the book and find out how and what for.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb Job of Cinematic Dissection, September 15, 2000

By 

M KIRK-DUGGAN "Reverse Mike" (El Cerrito Fellowship, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Exorcist (BFI Modern Classics) (Paperback)

...This superb dissection of the making of the movie "The
Exorcist" is a must have for those interested in devil worship,
the Holy-wood treatment of obscure Christian beliefs and traditions,
and it is a darn good read. In its particulars, this book belongs on
the same shelf as Orson Welles 58-page objection to the studio's
mangling of "Touch of Evil."

I was fascinated with the
insights of the artistic conflicts between the director and the author
of the original book upon which the movie is based. He devotes just
the right amount of analysis to the legal fights surrounding the
proper credits for Mercedes McCambridge, the 'voice' of the demon, and
the stunt double for the possessed girl, including the famous
exorcised 'spider' crawl. He does not allude to the portrayal of
Teilhard de Chardin by Max von Syndow, but does justify his own
insights concerning a homoerotic element not intended by either the
author or the director, but present within this cinematic
classic.

One need not have a personal belief in demonic possession,
and the ability of priests to 'exorcise' multiple personalities, to
truly enjoy both the movie, and Kermode's medical school Anatomy 301
dissection of one of the 100 best movies. The Movie, this book, and
the CD Soundtrack are five-star winners. AMDG