CaptainHowdy.com The #1 Exorcist Fansite Since 1999
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Like your cut Ghetto, but…
1. I liked everything in the first Doctor’s exam. Even Reagan laying on the eam table, starring off at the ceiling and our first glimpse of the “face of death” (thats what I call it). Loved that.
2. I too felt that all that new sublim imagery all around the house was uncalled for. Loved the spider walk but the blood spitting up… I don’t know about that one. Even the flickering tongue thing and the crawling around on the floor is a bit comical for me. It almost looks as if Sharon is laughing (if you watch the scene in the special features section).
3. I stated before that I didn’t like the image of Karris’s mothers ghostly image over the window. What does it have to do with anything thats going on in the room? And we don’t even know if his mother in fact made it to “heaven”!! I thought that whole scene was just dumb.
4. I didn’t care for the extra ending either. I also loved that fact that in the original it was left open. I don’t want and ending… or a story line the wraps up so neatly. I don’t care, that demon (I hated that they gave it a name as well. I think it’s much more freightening that we don’t know what happened, who did what or will it happen again). The unknown is very very scary people!!I should correct myself…
On line 4. I stated I don’t care that demon(I hated that they gave it a name as well. I think it’s much more freightening that we don’t know what happened, who did what or will it happen again)is still out there. The unknown is very very scary people!! And just because Karris fell to his death doesn’t mean it’s all over.St Michael,
I also like that scene during the doctor’s exam where Reagan is lying on the table and opens her eyes and we get a quick flash of Captain Howdy. I think it’s very effective and got a jump out of me. I would definetely keep that in. I just think the scene where she is humming is a little goofy. Maybe it would have been more effective in 1973 but it got a few chuckles when I saw the rerelease in the theater and I must admit that I almost joined the crowd. It’s just an unwanted laugh. I do feel everything else works in that particular sequence.
I agree with most of the changes, but my reason for keeping the ending of the book, is so that it makes a little better transition into the third movie
I know I’m gonna catch alot of heat for this but…. Me personally, The Exorcist is stand alone. The other “chapters” are so embarrassing that they should of never been made. I have to agree with Ghetto, as I’ve done before, the ending was good as it was. There should be no wrap-up. No “happy endings” to make everyone feel safe. Thats demon is still out there.
I agree. Friedkin probably had final say on how the ending should have been in 73 and it fit perfectly but all these years later with the 3rd film and now this friendship with Kinderman and Dyer, the ending has more validity. But I think that’s the least of Blatty’s problem. I accepted the fact that Kinderman and Dyer were friends in the 3rd film, long before I knew the extended ending even existed. It’s not too far fetched to think that these two formed a friendship over the last 15 years. What is really the plothole on Blatty’s part is why Kinderman is still in deep mourning of Karras after all this time. He only knew him for a short while and for most of the time treated him as a suspect. I’m sure Kinderman has interviewed hundreds of people over his career. Does he worry about them too? No it’s shitty writing to cash in and ride the back of the first film. If Blatty wanted to instill a relationship with Dyer and Kinderman why didn’t he do it earlier on in the first film instead of tagging it on the end and making it drag. I think the Exorcist is excellently written but I have always had a problem with the last few pages of the book and last few minutes of the new cut. Friedkin actually gave a good explanation on why he didn’t put the ending in the original cut. He said that you shouldn’t explain to the audience what they saw. This goes back to why he didn’t put the quick scene of Merrin and Karras on the stairs in the original cut. I do however feel that scene really is needed because it explains the devil’s motives not just in the film but in life in general. It was a poor editing choice to take that out in the first place other than the fact that it slows the pace of the exorcism a tad. The ending I feel should never be in the film and should have been kept the way it was. Seperate the morons from the thinkers and have them decide what kind of ending it was.
I think annoyed is more like it. Honestly though, I don’t think Friedkin cares one way or the other. It’s probably Blatty that’s sitting there cry and asking,”What are they doing to my baby?”
I agree, I’ve always felt The Exorcist should be left alone and not temped with. Although, Blatty Friedkin must be flattered by the will of so many people to make prequels and sequels.
“What is really the plothole on Blatty’s part is why Kinderman is still in deep mourning of Karras after all this time. He only knew him for a short while and for most of the time treated him as a suspect. I’m sure Kinderman has interviewed hundreds of people over his career. Does he worry about them too?”
Wasn’t the relationship with Kinderman and Karris explored more in the novel? I can’t remember… but I think it was. Thats probably why Blatty had it that way in E3. I always scratch my head when I watch E3. Why would Blatty retool the story line. Not only that, he makes it out to be that Karris was the only Exorcist on the scene. No mention is even made of Merrin. Now that I think about it, it was vise versa in E2. No mention of Karris.
You bring up a good point about the two sequels. The 2nd film focuses on the fact that Merrin has died of a sudden heart attack and there is where the mystery of the movie is and has no mention of the fact that another preist JUMPED OUT OF A WINDOW!!!! The third barely even mentions the exorcism at all. Yes, the relationship in the book was a bit stronger. But it’s still too weak of a sideplot to even try to strengthen in the new ending.
Hi Gettho,
a few coments about your own edition,
Point 1.- Well, I am agree with you. But the movie needs the scientific demostration of the drastic change of Reagan. Otherwise, the basic coyunture of the movie would be solely religion.
Point 2.- Again I am perfectly agree with you. Such scene only try to introduce the deamon or bad spirits in a vulgar way.
The flash of the deamon on the wall, does not make sense. Actually, I fear more when lights are on-off-on-off.
Point 3.- Dear Ghetto, Karras’s mother had a strong influence on him. I should put an scene where Karras’s mother and Reagan, trying to attack him.
In this imaginary scene, Karras’s mother is also speaking as Reagen, in Latin, and she takes Karras, together with Reagen. Reagen is laughing.
Karras, astonishes by that, jump the
windown.
Point 4.- Nobody won. For the reason, dear Gettho, we are writting about that. A good movie would let open
several points, to make critics, to
the imagination of fans.
Have a nice day.1)Again I wouldn’t delete the entire doctor’s exam sequence. Just the 15-20 second scene of Reagan humming to herself then drops to the floor. It’s just too goofy. EVERYTHING ELSE I WOULD KEEP IN!!!
3)While I understand what you’re getting at. I am soley working with material available. This is 2006 and the movie was filmed in 1972-1973. There’s not much that could be reshot and matched up including your extra sequence.
4)Nobody won? Not sure I agree with you on that one. The movie is about the fall from the faith in God and in the ending the return. Wouldn’t that make Good triumph over Evil? My point about keeping the ending as it was in the original is because I feel it is unnecessary to add this “upbeat” ending to reassure the audience that everything is ok because they aren’t bright enough to figure that out themselves. Much the reason why I think the new opening was added because Friedkin wanted to reassure the audience that the movie takes place in modern day America instead of Iraq where the film originally started.Ok I got a little anxious so I decided to see if I could actually pull off an “ideal” edit of the film. Using my two remastered copies (25th Anniversary and The Version You’ve Never Seen)I was able to create a pretty decent edit. Now I am not a film student and have never even took an editing class so I really didn’t think I was able to do it but surprisingly the edits were made very smoothly due largely in part to Friedkin’s directorial style. I didn’t really have to worry about effects shots or skipping of dialogue and music because there is minimal usage of that in both versions…well music and effects. Here is a list of changes/deletions/edits etc that were made.
1-The doctor’s exam-Reagan’s little humming routine is completely deleted out. I always got rid of the cutaway shots of Chris laughing at the kids fighting in the waiting room. I re-arranged the sequences to which Reagan gets examined. The sequences go from the blood test in which Reagan is acting normal to the scene in which Reagan is laying on the table then to Reagan getting her temperature taken and lastly the doctor testing Reagan’s reflexes. One deletion I made to this scene was actually an after thought after the previous changes were made. I made the scene where Dr. Klein is testing Reagan’s reflexes a little more tense in my opinion. Normally at the tail end of the scene Reagan says “I don’t feel anything”. I cutt that out making her totally unresponsive.
2)Chris’s arrival home. Nothing that I haven’t mentioned before. The scene runs as it does in The Version You’ve Never Seen all the way up until Chris enters Reagan’s room. As the door opens we cutt to the original version with no extra added subliminals. Chris walks out of the shot and the next shot of her yelling at Sharon is back to The Version You’ve Never Seen.
3)A total after thought that I never really realized until just a day or so ago. The use of profanity by Reagan may have been more shocking in 1973 but appears to be taken very lightly these days. The scene that takes place directly after Karras’s dream in which Reagan is screaming and given a shot is something I did a slight edit to. Of course she spits and the doctor’s face and yells “You Fuckin Bastard”. Well I must admit it’s really aged poorly and more or less gets a laugh most times. So immediately after she spits at the doctor I cut to the next scene. It surprisingly works well.
4)The edit of Karras seeing his mother is a quick fix. I simply just re-inserted the original cut’s version and it mixes seemlessly
5)The ending. I really wanted to get as much of The Version You’ve Never Seen and much as I could get. That version officially ends right after Father Dyer waves back to Reagan. At that point he turns to walk around towards the camera then cut to the credits just as it always and should be done.
Now mind you I just wanted to try this out as an experiment I don’t plan on selling or distributing this to anyone. It’s simply something for me to look back and enjoy my contribution to this near perfect film
Yeah I always considered adding that just so there would be more continuity to what Reagan and Chris are talking about but very little footage exists of that. Not even enough to re-insert back into the film so I couldn’t really do much with it. There’s a little snippet from The Fear Of God and that’s about it so not much to work with.
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