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The Exorcist (BFI Film Classics) 2nd Edition
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Inspired by an alleged real case of demonic possession in 1949, The Exorcist became an international phenomenon on its release in 1973. A blockbusting adaptation of a best-selling novel, it was praised as 'deeply spiritual' by some sections of the Catholic Church while being picketed by the Festival of Light and branded 'Satanic' by the evangelist Billy Graham. Banned on video in the UK for nearly fifteen years, the film still retains an extraordinary power to shock and startle.
Mark Kermode's compelling study of this horror classic was originally published in 1997, and then extensively updated and expanded in 2003 to incorporate the discovery of new material. This revised edition documents the deletion and reinstatement of key scenes that have now been integrated into the film to create The Exorcist: The Version You've Never Seen. Candid interviews with director William Friedkin and writer/producer William Peter Blatty reveal the behind the-scenes battles which took place during the production. In addition, exclusive stills reveal the truth about the legendary 'subliminal images' allegedly lurking within the celluloid.
- ISBN-101839021713
- ISBN-13978-1839021718
- Edition2nd
- PublisherBritish Film Institute
- Publication dateOctober 29, 2020
- LanguageEnglish
- Dimensions5.64 x 0.29 x 7.97 inches
- Print length136 pages
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- Publisher : British Film Institute; 2nd edition (October 29, 2020)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 136 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1839021713
- ISBN-13 : 978-1839021718
- Item Weight : 7.6 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.64 x 0.29 x 7.97 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #318,887 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #547 in Movie History & Criticism
- #588 in Literature
- #11,564 in Horror Literature & Fiction
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Having just seen The Exorcist: The Version You’ve Never Seen on the big screen (which, by the way, I had seen before, also on the big screen, around 1999/2000 or so), I jumped immediately to this book. Author Mark Kermode delves a bit into the origins of the movie’s production, the movie itself, and an additional section not in the first print of this book on the newer version (the one “You’ve Never Seen”) discussing the additional scenes that have been added.
The production aspect is interesting primarily for the interplay between the director, William Friedkin (fresh off his Best Director Oscar for The French Connection), and the book and screenplay’s author, William Peter Blatty (who would win the Oscar for this film). The final result was the combination and compromise of Blatty’s more religious viewpoint and Friedkin view of wanting to tell and interesting story in the time allotted for a movie. At least one extra scene, involving a short discussion between the two priests in the hallway in the middle of the exorcism, was a particularly thorny point of digression, and it is helpful to understand both points of view.
The movie itself is discussed with just a bit of delving below the surface, enough to let us enjoy the movie a bit more but without boring us with unnecessary theories only tangentially related to it. Although not in the book, I will tell you that one of the creepier aspects of the medical scenes is that it features a lab tech (his real job, not an actor playing one) who turned out not only to be a genuine murderer in real life but most likely a serial killer, to boot. A creepy detail in a creepy movie.
The additional scenes added later are also subject to some review. Some, like the conversation discussed above, were not included because of Friedkin’s views on how the story should be told. Others, like the wonderful spider walking scene, were initially excluded because technology of the early 1970s would not allow the wires to be hidden. What I found amusing was Friedkin’s (and no doubt, the movie industry in general) need to make the movie only about two hours because audiences get antsy beyond that. Today we have people sitting for three hours to watch superhero movies! And the new version which I just saw still drew a sizable audience despite running past the previously imposed time limit.
The is a reason why The Exorcist has stood up over time. It was an exceptionally good movie, hit upon themes of good versus evil, and thrilled the audience in ways other than the jump scares of more traditional horror movies. This book on The Exorcist is a winner.
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Highly recommend.







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