[Steve Dunlap]

It does indeed take the edge off the movie when you watch the “on-set” filming footage with Linda Blair smiling while wearing the demon makeup.

 

There are a lot of folks who feel that children are not good actors.  But, with the right guidance, they can be quite the little stars/starlets.  I still look at sweet scenes like Regan and Chris  having mother/daughter pillow talk, Regan, Chris, and Sharon talking about the horse, and find a very naturalistic approach to the acting.  The conversations sound like conversations, and not forced scripting.  Almost as if they were somewhat improvised.   To me, that's acting. 🙂

 

And her blank expression as she says to the astronaut: “You're gonna die up there.”….niiiiice.

I didn't really find much wrong with the extended hospital visit scenes either. 

I would say one scene I did find the acting just a little skewed with was when Rags asks Chris: “Mother, what's wrong with me?”  That did sound a little forced.

 

But, that's also solely an opinion. 🙂

[hammer horror]

I agree.. actually the only two sentences i think they were forced are the one you said and “I don't want it!”.

And you are right, her blank expression in the party scene is just perfect … like if she was looking from far away…

[fatherbowdern]

Father Dietz … tsk, tsk. 

Anyway, it's actually interesting to hear comments about other scenes in the film that you guys think that Linda acted poorly. Her performance doesn't distract from the film at all. Friedkin made sure of that by editing it very nicely.

We have to remember that Friedkin intentionally chose mostly unknown actors for the parts. He didn't want association and he got it and it worked to the film's benefit. Look at how cleverly Ridley Scott went the same route as Friedkin for his film Alien. It worked geniously, too.

I believe that what Blair had in terms of acting abilities is the result of Friedkin and working with the incredible actress Ellen Burstyn who guided Blair just as she did Jason Miller. It isn't so much that children are not good actors, e.g., Ricky Shroder, Natalie Wood, Haley Joel Osmet, Jodie Foster are great examples and the list goes on. However, Burstyn trained under Lee Strasberg and she was more than happy to help fellow actors then and now. If you read her memoir, Lessons in Becoming Myself, you'll see why Burstyn championed her co-stars without the ego that a lot of actors have. This, Steve, may be why you enjoy the “mother/daughter pillow talk” scene so well.

Father Bowdern

[strawberry.fields.frevr]

Father, I agree with you to a point. While Linda did the work, Billy did the directing, and that has a lot to do with the quality of the work she put forth. Don't get me wrong, I honestly think she deserved the Oscar for that role (but I could be a little biased since this is my favorite movie and all:)). All of the cast and crew put in a lot of work and a lot of them got gipped when it came Oscar time, but none more that Billy Freidkin. He really made this movie what it was. That being said, aside from the two or three scenes mentioned above, Linda's performance was phenomenal in this film. The scene that sticks out in my mind is the one during the exorcism where she's gnashing her teeth and trying to lunge at Fr. Merrin. The RAGE she shows in her face…man that is scary! Like someone mentioned above me, we see Linda in her demon make-up smiling next to the dummy and she looks like a little girl in make-up. But, I understand what you're saying…just fast forward to The Heretic. “I was possessed by a demon. Oh! It's okay, he's gone now!” That one made me laugh out loud.

 

I also agree that Ellen had a role in how the performances turned out. I'm a huge Ellen Burstyn fan, kind of since I hail from the Detroit-metro area and I like to support local talent, but mainly because she's one of the greatest living actresses today. Seriously, I haven't seen a movie of her's where she hasn't dazzled me. I read Lessons in I think three days. She's such a fascinating person, and it's even cooler because her childhood homes are less than a 2 mile radius from where my (maternal) grandpa and my dad's side of the family grew up. She might have known my grandpa, who knows!

[hammer horror]

Good post,strawberry! I love Ellen Burstyn too, and not only because of the Exorcist. She is that kind of woman who has the beauty coming from inside. I don't know how better I could explain this.

[fatherbowdern]

I also agree that Ellen had a role in how the performances turned out. I'm a huge Ellen Burstyn fan, kind of since I hail from the Detroit-metro area and I like to support local talent, but mainly because she's one of the greatest living actresses today. Seriously, I haven't seen a movie of her's where she hasn't dazzled me. I read Lessons in I think three days. She's such a fascinating person, and it's even cooler because her childhood homes are less than a 2 mile radius from where my (maternal) grandpa and my dad's side of the family grew up. She might have known my grandpa, who knows!

straw, I can't agree more with you. Burstyn is one my favorite actresses and she was gypped in her performances in both The Exorcist and Requiem for a Dream. I feel the Academy and the voters knew they were wrong by not giving the Oscar to Ellen for her role in The Exorcist and later justified it for her performance in Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore. What other great actress could be nominated for an Emmy for just two lines of dialogue and 14 seconds of film time in the HBO special, Mrs. Harris?

The Academy just awarded Friedkin as Best Director for The French Connection and the old farts on the AA panel couldn't see giving him another one at his young age … too many politics, as usual.

 

Father Bowdern

[Sofia]

“Besides, I don' t think like Sophia that the Regan of the movie should have been more similar to the one of the novel.”

That's because Regan of the novel doesn't mean to you what she means to me!! She is Sachi MacLaine and always will be! Her face is the sweetest, and the reddish/blond hair and freckles just make her look the more adorable. Yeah, I agree with you now that Nicoletta Elmi's face looks weird but NOT Sachi's! At least, I'll always have my sims versions of Shirley and Sachi as being Chris & Regan.

 

On Linda's acting-

I kind of agree with Fatherb… I'm not saying linda can't act at all, but it's true that she never wanted to be an actress and the only acting training she had was while filming The Exorcist. Every single movement/gesture she made Friedkin asked her to.

You can even see Friedkin on the making of the arteriogram scene telling Linda how to moan when the needle is being inserted into her artery.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

[fatherbowdern]

^^^ Sof, great thoughts and commentary. We've talked offline a lot about the “real Chris and Regan” being Shirley and Sachi. Blatty was MacLaine's neighbor at the time he wrote The Exorcist. In fact, the Irish “Mac” prefix in the names of his characters is no accident, but some people just don’t know this or often fail to recognize the association between Shirley MacLaine and Chris MacNeil if they do.

I agree that an actress with Regan's description from the novel does matter, especially if you read the novel. At the time, Blatty's book shot to the New York Times bestseller list and stayed there for over a year. Harper hadn't even translated the novel into multiple languages, yet it raked in more millions than anyone could have imagined for a novel of its type.

As far as Blair’s acting, you see the same things I do when it comes to her performance. Blair was lucky to have on-set coaches like Friedkin and Burstyn to aid her. It’s a rare thing to get both a best director and a best actress to assist with your on-camera actions. The good thing I can say about Blair’s acting abilities is that she was excellent at imitation and never let the camera stand in her. Beyond The Exorcist, Blair is more like a lip-syncing Milli Vanilli who’s just been ousted by a piece of audio equipment that just went awry. Watching her performance on Supernatural was so stilted that I felt embarrassment for her.

Father Bowdern

[Steve Dunlap]

I absolutely agree that Linda had the right guidance with Friedkin and Ellen Burstyn.  It's great to be able to have that kind of nurturing, take you under the wing role model to have to help you on your path.  But, in my opinion, we must also credit Linda for her ability to take those on set tutelages, take them to heart, and perform them so well. 🙂

 

This is great discussion, by the way.  🙂

[fatherbowdern]

Steve Dunlap said:

I absolutely agree that Linda had the right guidance with Friedkin and Ellen Burstyn.  It's great to be able to have that kind of nurturing, take you under the wing role model to have to help you on your path.  But, in my opinion, we must also credit Linda for her ability to take those on set tutelages, take them to heart, and perform them so well. 🙂

 

This is great discussion, by the way.  🙂

---

Just like I said above: “The good thing I can say about Blair’s acting abilities is that she was excellent at imitation and never let the camera stand in her.”

After The Exorcist wrapped, Blair stepped into newer roles with different directors like John Boorman who had no idea how to handle an inexperienced actress like her. After all, there would not have been a sequel called The Heretic without her. Although she had Richard Burton and Louise Fletcher on set, I'm sure she felt even more awkward in their presence under the most inept helmer for this film. As straw pointed out, lines like, “”I was possessed by a demon. Oh! It's okay, he's gone now!” showed just how ridiculous Blair performed as an actress … including the idiotic tap dance scene.

Sadly, Blair reminds me of is a bad porn actress trying desperately to read her lines off of cue cards just before stripping down for the full frontal nudity onslaught to come. OUCH … click here.

Father Bowdern

[hammer horror]

Poor Linda … Of course in most of her movies she didn’t act well … they were crap and she often admited it. How can you do a good job if you don’t believe in what you are doing?

[strawberry.fields.frevr]

Father Bowdern said:

straw, I can't agree more with you. Burstyn is one my favorite actresses and she was gypped in her performances in both The Exorcist and Requiem for a Dream. I feel the Academy and the voters knew they were wrong by not giving the Oscar to Ellen for her role in The Exorcist and later justified it for her performance in Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore. What other great actress could be nominated for an Emmy for just two lines of dialogue and 14 seconds of film time in the HBO special, Mrs. Harris?

The Academy just awarded Friedkin as Best Director for The French Connection and the old farts on the AA panel couldn't see giving him another one at his young age … too many politics, as usual.

 

Father Bowdern

---

I absolutely agree with you about Requiem for a Dream. I've only seen the movie twice all the way through, but wow did Ellen nail that one or what? I think I remember reading something about how during her “I'm lonely, Harry” monologue, the camera zooms out just a tad, and when the scene was finished the director was kind of angry until the cameraguy said something like, “Well, I was actually tearing up.” THAT'S some powerful acting. That's why Ellen is my favorite actress of all time. Julia Roberts did good as Erin Brokovich, but honestly, I could have stomached it better if Juliette Binoche won for Chocolat, because I think she did a better acting job that Roberts. Of course, The Exorcist goes without saying. I think it should have cleaned up at the Acadamy Awards, but like you say, politics as usual!

[fatherbowdern]

---

I absolutely agree with you about Requiem for a Dream. I've only seen the movie twice all the way through, but wow did Ellen nail that one or what? I think I remember reading something about how during her “I'm lonely, Harry” monologue, the camera zooms out just a tad, and when the scene was finished the director was kind of angry until the cameraguy said something like, “Well, I was actually tearing up.” THAT'S some powerful acting. That's why Ellen is my favorite actress of all time. Julia Roberts did good as Erin Brokovich, but honestly, I could have stomached it better if Juliette Binoche won for Chocolat, because I think she did a better acting job that Roberts. Of course, The Exorcist goes without saying. I think it should have cleaned up at the Acadamy Awards, but like you say, politics as usual!

---

You're my new best friend, straw!  I know what you're saying when Ellen is talking to Harry at the kitchen table. Brilliant. That scene alone should have won the Oscar for Burstyn. Anyone who hasn't seen it should watch a master of acting at work and she proved it throughout the entire production. I also agree that it wouldn't have been such an upset at the AA's if Binoche had won over Roberts. Burstyn was so robbed, but the AA politicians usually go with actress and film popularity. Unfortunately, Requiem lacked the exposure of advertising that it deserved (due to budget), especially here in the States.

Father Bowdern

[Steve Dunlap]

Father Bowdern said:

Steve Dunlap said:

I absolutely agree that Linda had the right guidance with Friedkin and Ellen Burstyn.  It's great to be able to have that kind of nurturing, take you under the wing role model to have to help you on your path.  But, in my opinion, we must also credit Linda for her ability to take those on set tutelages, take them to heart, and perform them so well. 🙂

 

This is great discussion, by the way.  🙂

---

Just like I said above: “The good thing I can say about Blair’s acting abilities is that she was excellent at imitation and never let the camera stand in her.”
 

After The Exorcist wrapped, Blair stepped into newer roles with different directors like John Boorman who had no idea how to handle an inexperienced actress like her. After all, there would not have been a sequel called The Heretic without her. Although she had Richard Burton and Louise Fletcher on set, I'm sure she felt even more awkward in their presence under the most inept helmer for this film. As straw pointed out, lines like, “”I was possessed by a demon. Oh! It's okay, he's gone now!” showed just how ridiculous Blair performed as an actress … including the idiotic tap dance scene.

Sadly, Blair reminds me of is a bad porn actress trying desperately to read her lines off of cue cards just before stripping down for the full frontal nudity onslaught to come. OUCH … click here.

Father Bowdern

---

LOL!  I stopped after 10 seconds into that video you linked.  It was unbearable.   I've seen a couple of her other movies (beyond Heretic) and this was all too sharp a reminder of her post-Exorcist days.

Believe me, I know she's done some really crap movies, and her acting did not improve.  It's really too bad…it's almost as if she were a top that was spun up, and then fell off the table….and no one bothered looking for the top.

And yeah, that line “Oh, I was possessed by a demon.  Oh! It's okay, he's gone now.”  On the one hand….yeah, the line really sucks, and the delivery didn't do much to help it at all….but I can also see the line in context….after all, if I recall correctly, she was speaking to a little girl who had some kind of communicative issue…so it was sort of meant to be sweetly delivered, but it fell flat.

 

But yeah, it is sad that she wasn't given more tutelage, and more “under the wing” treatment (like in The Exorcist) so that she could go on to be a better actress.  At least  she admits that some of the movies she's done were utter crap.

[fatherbowdern]

^^^ OMG, Steve! Now you know that Roller Boogie was a classic film because of Blair's performance! 

I think The Exorcist showcased Friedkin's talents by being ultra-picky about everyone's performance. He demanded a documentary-style film and the actors had to portray that for the camera. I'm sure he had a harder time with Blair, but that's what he got. If you remember the audition tape, we see Burstyn and Blair at the table with the orange bird. While there's no audio, both actresses looked at ease and I'm sure that had to do with Burstyn's assistance and Friedkin's direction.

Father Bowdern

[Author]

Posts