CaptainHowdy.com The #1 Exorcist Fansite Since 1999
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Thanks Blizzi for your comments. Yes, Mom’s face does confuse a clear scene. A scene that is crucial in understanding Karras’s single-minded motivation ought not be be muddled with gratuitous CG.
Too many kids – and adults – these days don’t “get” stuff unless it’s hammered into their heads – and quickly, because their attention spans are too short to absorb detailed story-telling.
The Exorcist unfolds at a deliberate pace. If viewers don’t have the attention span or the patience to enjoy its unfolding, they 1) need to be educated, or 2) serve Pazuzu forever in the infernal regions.
I think literacy has decreased massively since The Exorcist first came out, and I think that this is a big part of the problem. The “masses” seem not to know how to identify filmic metaphor, especially when it is couched in religious terms. They’re like a reader who thinks “Moby Dick” is (only) about a hunt for a big white whale. Similarly, they think that The Exorcist is (only) about a puke-and-filth spewing adolescent in conflict with two priests, one of whom cracks and commits suicide. Sure, there’s a demon mixed in, but he’s not very scary in comparison to the purported “scariness” of post-Exorcist cinematic villains.
Another element is the domestication of “indecency” (quotations because I’m not a prude and am against censorship and don’t wish to impose my standards on anyone), language-use.
When The Exorcist opened, the 60s were in a sense still very much alive. Ironically, the 60s’ new freedom of expression which allowed films like The Exorcist to flourish also “numbed the moral sense”.
Thus, language and scenes considered shocking to the point of traumatization _then_, merely cause yawning _now_. Once films have topped each other in profanity, overdone sexuality, and crudity, then there is little left that can truly shock. (This may be why recent “shockers” rely less on libertinism and more on subtlety and psychology – e.g., “The Sixth Sense”, “The Others”, “An American Possession”, etc.)
Therefore it seems that modern audiences are just too jaded, metaphorically-challenged, and short-attentioned to revere The Exorcist for the great film that it is. Compassion wishes to educate them, while love for The Exorcist also ignites profound sadness and anger over those who cannot or will not appreciate it.
No, sorry, I don’t know if WPB had to cut thru red tape for the citation. He did a good job of clipping relevant portions of such a long text.
Yeah, Legion’s theme seems to be dualism as symbolized by:
the two Vennamun brothers,
the Gemini Zodiac sign of “the Twins”,
Amfortas’s experience of the doppelganger / the “good”, healing Amfortas vs. the “evil”, murdering Amfortas
the two heavenly orbs, one God, the other “the Angel”,
the two spirits inhabiting Karras’s body,
the complentarity of the brotherly relationship between Kinderman and Dyer and Kinderman and Steadman (if I recall the name correctly).
Dyadic metaphors aplenty, like you said, but not so much horror as in The Exorcist.
He could shoot a film on Lt Kinderman getting involved in some sort of occult mystery. Don’t know who’d play Kinderman now that Cobb and Scott are deceased, but at least it would bring Blatty, Georgetown, the supernatural, and audiences together again.
Thanks for inviting my input but I’ll need to pass for now. My mid-summer schedule is getting more busy than I foresaw. I’ll keep trying to keep up with the Blizzi-lunuso Howdy posts, though.
No, sorry, wolfboy I haven’t heard anything about it except in Blatty’s work and of course here on Howdy.
Yeah, Blizzi, according to Jung, Freud was quite shaken by the bookcase “poltergeist” on the occasion it happened. Later, however, he was able to rationalize it away, although apparently he did maintain a secretive interest in such things throughout his life.
Announcing!
“SEEING THE DARK SPIRIT”:
A mountain retreat to be held in the Canadian Rockies on August 20th, 2007, in world-famous Chinook Bear Lodge. William Peter Blatty invites you to a seven-day exploration of his work in literature and film.
All week long, every motion picture to which Blatty has contributed will be screened; in addition autographed editions of his books and screenplays, as well as DVDs of all currently available films, will be offered. Roman Catholic sacramentals will also be offered, including crucifixes, rosaries, breviaries, holy cards, saint medallions, scapulars, incense and ceboriums – and, of course, copies of the Roman Ritual, proceeds to be donated to Mr. Blatty’s favorite charity.
On hand during the week will be Linda Blair, Ellen Burstyn, Mark Kermode, and William Friedkin, who will participate in unmoderated discussions with Mr. Blatty, each to be followed by an open-ended question-and-answer session.
Featured speakers will include Etienne Gallacquere, Teilhardian scholar; Ernst Meisteren, Jungian analyst; Aaron Goldfield, neuroscientist; and Sister Theresa Fullicci, contributing liturgist to the Roman Ritual.
Guests are invited to walk and hike the woodland trails and to take advantage of nearby Glacier Lake for fishing, boating, and picnics. Mr. Blatty has expressed his enthusiasm for accompanying guests on these outdoor activities, and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Fees for the entire week are $6,785. However, all fees have been waived for members of captainhowdy.com.
= = = = =
– Don’t – we – wish – ?
“…according to our need, so will be our strength” – amen to that. Nice find, Ryan. Thanks for bringing it to us.
Yes, the extra images – except maybe the one in the Dr’s office – were gratuitous and overdone. Thanks everyone for your comments.
What’s the thing in the middle of the poster vertically separating the two faces? My eyes aren’t so great – is it a dagger, a tower, or some kind of artifact from the movie?
Fantastic job!
Question about Legion Frame 3 – the open church door with the rose on the left. Am I imagining it, but is there a dark/black figure standing in perspective just “above” and “behind” the rose? If so, it looks very much like the cassocked priest who can be seen running across the street twice during the opening credits. Or it could be an accidental shape – or my imagination.
