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Widely considered the greatest horror film of all time, few films
can claim to have generated as much controversy as The Exorcist.
In the 30-odd years since it premiered to shocked audiences in
1973, it has subsequently been banned in nearly a dozen countries
and condemned by various religious groups as being the work of
the devil himself. If there is such a thing as evil incarnate
burned onto celluloid, it would have to be The Exorcist.
Just about everybody knows the story, that of an innocent 12-year-old
girl possessed by one very angry (and foul-mouthed) demon. Although
some have argued that the main reason for the film's domestic
success was due to the United States being a largely Catholic
state (i.e., non-Catholics just find it funny), the worldwide
box office numbers don't really bear this out. Let's face it,
the devil is pretty damn scary no matter where you live!. Despite
debunking my Catholic upbringing years ago and having seen the
film over a dozen times now, there is still that small corner
of my mind that thinks "What If?" Could the devil really
be real? Is there such a thing as Evil with a capital "E"?
Maybe, maybe not. But what I believe continues to earn the film
its classic status isn't just the shocks and the hideous imagery,
but the filmmakers' earnest belief in the rather silly tale they
are telling and their ability to convince us that such hokum is
absolutely plausible.
Most comments on the film to this day still focus on all the
effects and demonic doings, yet miss the central story of those
on the periphery of the possession. What makes the film so harrowing
is not just the head spinning around and all the pea soup vomit,
but the sense of utter pain and despair that permeates the film.
Coldly realistic, director William Friedkin shoots the film like
a documentary, and the effect is chilling.
As a testament to the film's enduring power, over two decades
after its enormous success, critical acclaim and multiple Oscar
nominations, The Exorcist again generated controversy and strong
box office with The Version You've Never Seen in late 1999. Inserting
11 minutes of new footage, this "revisiting" of a classic
excited some, angered others and left a few still wondering what
all the excitement was about. But the question remained: Why change
The Exorcist in the first place? (For a complete list of the changes,
visit our Cut List
update.)
Just ask William Peter Blatty, who had for years begrudgingly
praised the film yet still felt it to be an incomplete masterpiece.
The Version You've Never Seen was his chance to go back and rescue
the original cut of the film that had "blown him away"
when he first screened it back in 1973. Blatty felt Friedkin eliminated
too much of the film's thematic and spiritual nuisances in an
effort to create a more ambiguous and less overt film, rendering
the theatrical cut little more than a well-mounted shock fest
without a moral center. For years (as evidenced by the many extras
on this 25th Anniversary Edition DVD release) Friedkin and Blatty
continued to butt heads over what had become a severely contentious
issue: Would Friedkin finally allow Blatty to rescue the soul
of a picture long thought to be the work of pure evil?
So, with the box office success of The Version You've Never Seen,
one could argue that Blatty finally got his "revenge."
Persuading Friedkin to recut the film after 25 years, Blatty got
his cut, including the infamous "happy ending" that
many fans, myself included, continue to despise. Even more controversial
were some slight but noticeable new CGI shock effects and a turbocharged
reinstatement of the infamous "spider walk" sequence,
all newly remastered with a devilishly good digital soundtrack.
So, what DVD to buy? Personally, I hate the new version. To be
fair, many of the theological discussions reinstated in the later
portions of the film do make clear what Friedkin's original cut
rendered very hard to understand. Few viewers (myself included,
until I read the book) realized that Regan was being used as a
tool by the devil to destroy the faith of all those around her
in the house. While rewatching the film intelligently could allow
someone to come to that conclusion, Friedkin's take was so vague
that some of the reinserted brief exchanges does make this
theme more clear yet without hammering it home. But, unfortunately,
along with the unnecessary CGI effects added to "pump up"
the film (no doubt for modern audiences craving MTV-ish thrills),
most of the overstated additions to The Version You've Never Seen
only pad the film and dampen spiritual debate and discussion
by spelling it all out. If the original cut of The Exorcist gave
too little, this new cut of The Exorcist gives too much.
Video: How Does The Disc Look?
Although Warner had already released an anamorphic widescreen
version of The Exorcist in March 1997 (now discontinued), they
struck a new print which played theatrically in limited release
later that same year, and used it for the 25th Anniversary Edition
DVD. As this latter DVD edition is still available, Exorcist fans
have two versions now to chose from with The Version You've Never
Seen.
While not perfect, the 25th Anniversary transfer was noticeably
better than any previous versions, especially in the area of color
rendition. Usually thought of as a rather washed-out, dull-looking
picture, this new transfer for the first time provides a striking
rebuttal to that notion. The reds especially are quite vibrant
and well-saturated, and subtle color shadings of purple and blue
in some scenes are now apparent. Although there still is noticeable
film grain in some of the darker scenes, it is pretty apparent
given the new print and transfer that most of the limitations
of the image are due to the photographic techniques of the time
and the intended visual effect employed by the filmmakers.
Now with The Version You've Never Seen, a new print has been
struck, though comparing the two it is surprising how both continue
to share the same problems. Most noticeable is the excessive grain
and lack of definition that remains in many shots, though the
new version looks a tad cleaner. The opening Georgetown shot after
the Iraqi prologue is a prime example, which remains dark, grainy
and soft on both versions. And the color dropouts that plague
the first post-Regan possession scene (55:47 on The Version You've
Never Seen, 53:14 on the 25th Anniversary disc) are still present.
Colors are a bit more strong on the new disc, though at some points
the older disc retains the edge. Edge enhancement continues to
mar the picture on both discs, and the framing looks about the
same.
Another problem is that of artifacting, which is apparent on
both versions. While The Version You've Never Seen disc is dual-layer,
it contains more soundtrack and subtitle options versus the double-sided
25th Anniversary edition, which also boasted a shorter running
time and most of the supplements on the second side. In any case,
artifacts and pixelization are noticeable in many shots, especially
hard edges and the film's many slow fades and dissolves. As for
the newly included scenes, they have been impressively restored,
and I'd guess that if you didn't know this was a new version of
the film, you'd be hard pressed to see any difference.
So while both versions are a noticeable improvement over all
other home video formats, neither is pristine and I found them
to be more or less comparable.
Audio: How Does the Disc Sound?
While I found the picture on both discs to be competitive, The
Version You've Never Seen boasts yet another new Dolby
Digital 5.1 mix, this time in Surround EX adding a rear center
channel to the equation. While the 25th Anniversary mix was quite
good, this new mix is even more aggressive and striking. However,
I was not that partial to some of the new sound effects, overdubbing
and effects and music separation on the new cut. The insertion
of the new scenes seemed to necessitate some awkward sound cues,
and the music mix for the new ending is particularly weak. However,
the forceful surround use is startling, and while the 5.1 mix
on the 25th Anniversary edition is fine, it just can't compete
with this new digital remastered track. Bass is strong on both,
though imaging is much more transparent on The Version You've
Never Seen, as is the panning between all channels and dialogue
separation. However, the new version includes some annoying looping
and overdubs which I found distracting, though those unfamiliar
with the old version might not notice. While I prefer the old
version as it is less showy, sonically the new version wins hands
down.
As aggressive as the new 5.1 mix may be, rest assured that the
6.1 mix of The Version You've Never Seen is even more sonically
striking. The EX mix becomes apparent as soon as you hear the
dissonant strings over the opening title in chapter 1. The prominent
players are directly behind you. The film continues with an archeological
dig in Northern Iraq (also in chapter 1) where we're surrounded
by the noises of wind and of the laborers unearthing ancient artifacts.
Individuals can be imaged clearly from every direction. At the
beginning of chapter 4, when the venue shifts to Georgetown, Friedkin
slowly zooms the camera onto the home where Regan is staying with
her mother. In the background, an airliner descending toward Washington
National or Dulles may be heard flying smoothly from the right
surround to the center surround to the left surround. In the crowded
bar at the beginning of chapter 11, the patrons may be heard talking
and clinking their glasses from a full 360 degree spread. We're
immersed in appropriate sound fields at every opportunity. It
almost feels as if the sound designer (and, I assume, director
Friedkin) were having some fun with a new toy. Yet, almost all
of the surround effects intended to shock or scare seem to have
been reserved for the left and right surrounds. Perhaps this is
because the onscreen actors almost always react to the off-screen
sounds by looking to the left or the right, but more than a few
opportunities were lost during the more horrific scenes to throw
Goosebumps-inducing sounds to the rear. Despite the pinched frequency
response characteristic of elements from almost thirty years ago,
this is a very dramatic and effective mix - one that you'll either
love or find very distracting.
Both discs include differing audio and subtitle options. Each
offers a 2.0 French Surround track, English Closed Captions and
English and French subtitles, while The Version You've Never Seen
also includes an additional English 2.0 surround mix and Spanish
and Portuguese subtitles.
Supplements: What Goodies Are There?
With the release of the 25th Anniversary edition, finally it
seemed that fans would get the Special Edition they had been waiting
for. Strangely, though, the new disc of The Version You've Never
Seen offers far less than in terms of material, and even less
information on the differences between Blatty and Friedkin's visions
for the film! How can this be? Let's take a look.
The 25th Anniversary Edition is a great disc loaded with
extras fans will love. Following a short introduction by
William Friedkin before the film, first up is a very good BBC
75-minute documentary entitled The Fear Of God: 25 Years Of
The Exorcist. It contains new interviews with all the major
principals, including Director William Friedkin, Author William
Peter Blatty and actors Ellen Burnstyn, Linda Blair, Jason Miller
and Max Von Sydow, as well as further members of the cast and
crew. It is very comprehensive, and I admired the fact that the
documentarians chose not to shrink away from many of the hard
questions that have been asked about the legendary production.
We finally learn for sure that Mr. Friedkin is, well, a prick,
often subjecting his actors and crew to humiliation, physical
torture and general emotional torment to get the effect he wanted.
Interestingly, the cast and crew still retain a fondness for him,
while simultaneously calling him generally insane and citing much
of his behavior inappropriate. But, hey, the film is great, so
who cares?
In addition, there are two separate screen-specific audio
commentaries, one with Friedkin as well as another with Blatty
that also features sound effects tests. Both are quite good, and
between the documentary and the commentaries, there is nary a
fact or story left unturned. Blatty of course concentrates more
on the genesis of the story, the characters and the spiritual
dimensions, but Friedkin is no slouch, either, though he has far
more production anecdotes to share. Since both these tracks were
recorded before The Version You've Never Seen was even created,
you can still sense the palpable tension in the air during these
tracks when some of the then-differences between Blatty and Friedkin's
visions are discussed.
One of the most anticipated supplements long-wanted by fans of
the film have been the legendary deleted scenes, most notably
the "spider walk" and original ending. All are included in additional
cut interview segments with Friedkin and Blatty, and watching
them (I still side with Friedkin and feel they are better left
out, but I'm sure plenty of other fans would feel exactly the
opposite.) Note that not all the deleted scenes included in The
Version You've Never Seen are here, nor are then in quite as good
of a condition. And the "spider walk" scene is an alternate
take on the 25th Anniversary Edition, and not the one in the new
cut of the film. However, all the deleted scenes are in anamorphic
widescreen.
But, there is more. An extensive collection of Theatrical
Trailers and TV spots are also included, and I swear
for years I have remembered being scared shitless when I went
to see "Freaky Friday" (that Disney flick) when I was but a wee
5 years old and seeing a trailer for The Exorcist! I really thought
perhaps I dreamed those strobed images of Linda Blair writhing
in demonic ecstasy, but when I saw the trailers and TV spots,
there they were! A very scary feeling of deja vu. (There are also
a couple of hysterically-dated TV spots that I'll let you all
discover for yourself, so be sure to check them out.) There is
also the usual production notes and cast bios, as
well as a gallery of storyboard art and production sketches.
In addition are trailers for four other Warner titles (Beetlejuice,
Fallen, Devil's Advocate and Interview With The Vampire). In all,
it is an amazing set of supplements, and I can honestly say there
doesn't seem to be an extra missing that I can think, perhaps
save for an isolated score. (Note: There is also a 25th Anniversary
Limited Edition box set available, which is packaged in a
luxury fitted slipcase, and includes The Exorcist 25th Anniversary
Edition DVD plus a CD soundtrack, 8 original limited edition lobby
cards, commemorative book, exclusive Senitype movie frame cel
and numbered print. Retail is $79.95.)
Strangely, The Version You've Never Seen can't complete
here, and does not include any of the above supplements save for
some trailers and TV spots. The new static menus are also surprisingly
less exciting, though the navigation is much easier as the supplements
are not spread out to the opposite side of the disc as on the
25th Anniversary Edition.
The only major new supplement is a brand-new screen specific
audio commentary with William Friedkin (oddly Mr. Blatty is
not involved, as he championed this new cut for years.) At first,
I was excited by this new commentary, because even though I'm
partial to the original version, I really wanted to hear what
Friedkin had to say about the changes. However, this track is
more of a radio play than anything else (not a bad idea, actually!),
with Friedkin many narrating the online action and never once
really discussing in any depth the differences between the two
cuts nor his feelings about them. While Friedkin's voice can be
suitably creepy, admittedly after an hour of him reading me the
story happening onscreen, I wondered if this should perhaps be
called a read-along more than anything else. Certainly, the two
commentaries on the 25th Anniversary Edition are superior to this
track.
Aside from the new commentary, there are three new sections of
brief production notes, "Behind The Screams,"
"Blatty & Friedkin: Vision And Differences" and
"The Most Famous Scene Not In The Movie" (detailing
the "Spider Walk" sequence.) Yet again, none of this
material is nearly as informative or entertaining as the excellent
BBC documentary nor the interview footage of Blatty and Friedkin
arguing on the 25th Anniversary Edition. Finally, rounding out
this new edition are two theatrical trailers in anamorphic
widescreen (including the new re-release trailer), 2 TV spots,
the same cast & crew filmographies and Awards list,
and finally two new radio spots for The Version You've
Never Seen.
DVD-ROM Exclusives: What do you get when you pop the disc
in your PC?
No ROM extras have been included.
Parting Thoughts
This is a tough one. I'm afraid to say that rabid fans of The
Exorcist will just have to own both of these versions, even if
they prefer the new cut. The wealth of supplementary material
on the 25th Anniversary Edition should just not be missed by diehards,
and the BBC documentary is one of the best I've seen. While I
found the transfers to be relatively comparable, the sound mix
on The Version You've Never Seen will probably be preferred by
most. If you're just a casual fan or just want to find out what
all the fuss is about, I just have to go with my preference. I
think the original cut is a more intelligent, thought-provoking
experience and just plain scarier. But whatever your choice is,
The Exorcist remains one of the defining experiences in horror
filmmaking in modern cinema.
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