The Exorcist, the first horror film to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, grossed $441 million in the US upon its 1973 release (1974 in France) and continues to terrorize audiences more than five decades later. His secret? His director really believed it. “I made this film as a believerWilliam Friedkin said conference at Loyola Marymount University’s School of Film and Television in 2014.
This sincere belief in the theme explains why the film still has a rare intensity today. before trying to continue”Demystifying history and mocking itAccording to Friedkin, the original remains a visceral terror because it treats the supernatural material with absolute seriousness.
A standout shot of Faith and Doubt
One of the most revealing moments of the shoot was Max von Sydow playing the demon-battling Father Merrin. The Swedish actor, despite being used to religious roles, was an atheist. During a crucial scene where he had to shout “Expel you, unclean spirit, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy SpiritVon Sydow froze.
“We had this false ceiling that had to crack. We did six ceilings and we did six ceilings that day and he couldn’t do it. He could not get these words out– says Friedkin. After three days of unsuccessful attempts and dozens of failed takes, director and screenwriter Bill Blatt confronted the actor.I just don’t believe in GodVon Sydow admitted.
The solution came from Friedkin’s desperate advice: “Why don’t you play this guy as a man? Just play as a sick priest trying to do his job.“Half an hour later von Sydow came out of the dressing room ready. It was the right shot.
Bold casting with Linda Blair
Casting Linda Blair, then 12, to play the possessed young Regan was just as risky. Friedkin went through hundreds of candidates before meeting him. What convinced him? His disturbing maturity in the face of the film’s obvious material.
Friedkin would never return to the area. “I would never do another exorcist. or having any demonic possession or exorcism“, he says.I did it. I couldn’t have done better than that.“
The Exorcist by William Friedkin, with Linda Blair, Max von Sydow, Ellen Burstyn is available on Insomnia.
Source: Allocine
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