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The Exorcist (BFI Film Classics) 2nd Edition

by Mark Kermode (Author)

4.6 59 ratings

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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-10

1839021713
ISBN-13

978-1839021718
Edition

2nd
Publisher

British Film Institute
Publication date

October 29, 2020
Language

English
Dimensions

5.64 x 0.29 x 7.97 inches
Print length

136 pages
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

MARK KERMODE is a writer and broadcaster. He is chief film critic for The Observer, and co-presenter of Kermode and Mayo's Film Review on BBC Radio 5 and The Film Review on the BBC News channel. He is the author of several books including Hatchet Job, It's Only a Movie, and The Good, the Bad & the Multiplex, and two other BFI Film Classics volumes on Silent Running and The Shawshank Redemption.

Product details

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

Customer Reviews:
4.6 59 ratings

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Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2021

Verified Purchase

Mark Kermode gives a second update of his landmark analysis of "The Exorcist," which he still says is the greatest movie ever made. Here is a beautifully written, no-nonsense, exquisitely researched monograph created with the blessing and participation of both filmmaker William Friedkin and author William Peter Blatty. Kudos to the BFI for getting behind an update. (Disclosure: Mark and I are friends and I am also writing an Exorcist book.)

3 people found this helpful

An excellent book on an excellent movie

Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2022

Upon beginning this book, I noted how well-written it was. Free of the pretentious lingo of technical film analysis, it stayed true to BFI’s mission of making such analysis accessible to the average person. I realized I had read another one of these BFI books by the same author, one on The Shawshank Redemption, which was an extremely good entry into this series, and so I had high hopes. They were successfully met.

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.

James A. Johnson

Reviewed in the United States on February 13, 2000

This is a fascinating book - but it IS NOT the book on which the movie 'The Exorcist' was based. That book - by William Peter Blatty - is currently out of print for unexplicable reasons, despite being one of the best-selling horror books of all time. I recommend this book to any fan of the movie, but I recommend the original book to anyone who can find it.

12 people found this helpful

HenryWingo@aol.com

Very Interesting

Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 1999

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.

5 people found this helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Mr D. T. Riley

Brilliantly Informative

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 29, 2020

Verified Purchase

This is brilliantly informative. An excellent study into the greatest horror film ever made, with wonderful revealing interviews with director William Friedkin and Author William Peter Blatty. Includes information about the new scenes added to the "Version you've never seen" and also the subliminal messaging.

Highly recommend.

2 people found this helpful

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