The Exorcist (The Version You've Never Seen) [VHS]

The Exorcist (The Version You've Never Seen) [VHS]
by William Friedkin

The Exorcist (The Version You've Never Seen) [VHS]

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Product details

Actor: Ellen Burstyn, Kitty Winn, Lee J. Cobb, Linda Blair, Max von Sydow
Director: William Friedkin
Cinematographer: Owen Roizman
Editor: Evan A. Lottman
Editor: Norman Gay
Producer: David Salven
Producer: Noel Marshall
Producer: William Peter Blatty
Writer: William Peter Blatty
Edition: VHS Tape
Audio: Arabic (Original Language); English (Original Language), Analog; French (Original Language); German (Original Language); Greek (Original Language); Latin (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, NTSC, Special Edition
Running Time: 122 minutes
Release Date: 2001-06-12
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Publisher: Warner Home Video
Studio: Warner Home Video

VHS Movie Reviews of The Exorcist (The Version You've Never Seen) [VHS]

Movie Review: A Great Horror Classic
Summary: 5 Stars

I love watching this movie and just had to buy, very good movie for horror fans!

(P.S. Don't watch the second movie, skip to the third one and you should be all set)

Movie Review: Good DVD; great restored feature
Summary: 5 Stars

I have few fonder memories of viewing a feature film in a theater than those recorded when I attended a screening of this widely promoted, extended version of "The Exorcist" during an unseasonably cold September evening nine years ago. Not all of my enjoyment was derived from the film itself. Now, it was a thrill to watch a film that I'd grown up with (which predated me by six years) on the big screen and to finally see numerous exciting and poignant scenes - that I'd read at least twice before in William Peter Blatty's brilliant novel - realized by the comfortably familiar cast. However, my attention was frequently split between the film and an audience around me that grew increasingly, uncomfortably tense as it progressed. In particular, a teenage boy and his mother were seated before me. It's possible that these two were Catholics, present to see a famous, Vatican-approved motion picture of faith and redemption; also, that the son might have pestered his mom to take him to see a bit of horror history; most likely, that the mother had seen it ages ago, had long forgotten the most explicit portions and perhaps subscribed to the idiotic popular fallacy that mainstream movies nowadays are harsher than they were thirty-odd years ago. Shoulders rose and tightened as that notion was quickly dispelled, but only when adorable Linda Blair messily introduced a crucifix to her hymen did Mother Dearest mutter, "Oh, for Christ's sake!" and slap a hand over her son's virgin eyes. Behind them, I sported an ear-to-ear grin. Veteran character actor Barton Heyman wasn't even back on his feet before three couples exited the theater. A few more followed even before the great Max von Sydow appeared to attend to the movie's ultimate confrontation.

Not for the last time, I was reminded of the increasingly lightweight culture in which I'm living.

Well, never mind - it's been on DVD for a good long while and watching it again invokes these memories, which are very different than those associated with my worn old VHS copy. It's easier on the eyes and ears, too: the digitally remastered picture and sound are first-rate. Of that beautiful Technicolor, the hues and contrast are as striking as ever. More demanding than most, the 1979 six-channel Dolby Stereo mix is satisfactorily conveyed in two soundtracks - a Dolby Digital 5.1 EX and mono-compatible 2.0. The 5.1 track sounds fantastic on any good sound system and while the 2.0 track is slightly muddled, it's better suited to TV speakers or cheap headphones. Bold, white English and French subtitles are included, and are merely adequate; take note that the English subs were certainly not designed for the deaf or hard of hearing.

Ever since this version was re-released to theaters, its primary selling point has been eleven minutes of footage deleted from the original theatrical cut, very little of which had ever been seen by the general public. Restored to impressive effect, this material was edited in congruity with the artful subtlety of the original feature. Scenes containing or consisting wholly of restored footage are helpfully asterisked in the comprehensive forty-eight-scene selection menu. Less than a dozen scenes were spruced up with CGI effects, but Friedkin was careful not to take the tasteless, revisionist route that a certain bearded man-child filmmaker so stupidly pioneered around the same time, so these touches are all quite minor and only serve to enhance the footage in question. My single gripe concerns the excessive use of an otherwise unobjectionable cue composed especially for this release by Steve Boddacker - an ominous, minimalist drone that newly scored a number of scenes. This was such a mistake; the quiet tension during the announcement of Burke Dennings' death and especially the first conversation between Fr. Karras and Lt. Kinderman was what made them so disquieting, while this music only reminds us that it's there. It doesn't ruin these scenes - the performances are too good to permit that - but it is a persistent distraction. Attentive fans might notice that the "Casablanca" reference voiced by Kinderman and Dyer at the film's very end was omitted, even though the scene is available in its entirety as a special feature in the The Exorcist (25th Anniversary Special Edition). The exhaustive behind-the-scenes documentary, "The Fear of God" is also exclusive to that edition.

If you're looking for a commentary track that provides a dramatic, insightful and slightly pretentious summary of every scene, William Friedkin's is definitely what you want. However, it really wasn't what I wanted. Friedkin has a great voice for this kind of presentation, but I don't need somebody to tell me about what I can see and hear for myself. He also explains a couple of subtle, symbolic elements that I hadn't noticed and shares a few (too few) amazing bits of trivia, most of which are related to the shoot in Sinjar, Iraq. I certainly don't expect Friedkin's memory of a film that he directed over a quarter-century before to be perfect, but I wanted more of that: details about the production, the actors, the effects and locations. If his memory is limited, why didn't Warner ask screenwriter/producer Blatty to record it with him? Lord knows, he's never at a loss for something to say about any of his projects. During Karras's dream, Friedkin explains that it wasn't in the novel and that he "added" it to the film. While he certainly added significant imagery to it, he's either lying or grossly mistaken - in the novel, that dream is mentioned in brief and significant detail.

In lieu of the "The Fear of God" documentary or much revealing information in the commentary track, four text commentaries explain Blatty's inspiration for the original story, Friedkin's rejection of Blatty's first screenplay and their disputes over numerous deleted scenes, the infamous "spider walk" sequence and some other bits of trivia. This is hardly as enjoyable or revealing as the documentary, but it's better than nothing.

Four TV spots, two radio spots and two theatrical trailers promoting the re-release are included, most of which are quite good and especially better than the leaden 1973 trailer.

On the whole, this really is superior to the 1973 cut, but the original theatrical release is still worth seeing, and is available in print in the The Exorcist - The Complete Anthology (The Exorcist/ The Exorcist- Unrated/ The Exorcist II: The Heretic/ The Exorcist III/ The Exorcist: The Beginning/ The Exorcist: Dominion) box set. If you just want to own one version and haven't seen both, torrent the original and rent this on Netflix; if you prefer the original, that 25th Anniversary edition is always floating around, and quite affordable besides...

Movie Review: Hilarious Comedy
Summary: 5 Stars

This movie is deservedly a classic, but to me it's one of the great comedies of all time. I saw it in the theater when it was released, since on TV. I first saw it with 2 Catholic close friends. They were terrified. But when Linda Blair's head started spinning around, I just could not stop laughing. They looked at me and wondered, "What's wrong with him?" There are films I find really scary, most of which my wife is too afraid to watch (Hitchcock's Psycho, Jaws, Halloween, Alien), but The Exorcist always makes me laugh.

Movie Review: Scariest Movie..
Summary: 3 Stars

Scariest movie yet Inaccurate and Offensive(antiCatholic-nasty scene) loosely based on a true story about a boy many years before. Lots of profanity and vomit, Yet yes it is very Creepy and Scary.

Movie Review: The scariest movie ever, reviewed on the scariest night of the year
Summary: 5 Stars

Well, considering it's Halloween night and this is the last of my "31 Reviews For 31 Days of October" review-fest, I figure I'll end this countdown with one of the absolute most well-known horror movies of all time, and certainly one of the most horrifying, "The Exorcist". Although many quotes, stunts and ideas from this movies have been taken and parodied ("The power of Christ compels!" comes to mind.), this movie nevertheless has the power and terror that basically defines the horror movie genre.

Watching "The Exorcist" all the way through is more like an experience than watching a movie. For one thing, the general idea of the movie is a plausible concept, and having been to a paranormal speaker just last night, who ironically spoke of and showed a video of an exorcism for which she witnessed, this sort of thing is not entirely impossible, although it almost never happens. I don't want to dwindle on this part too much, but also regarding that I'm Roman Catholic, this movie definitely hits home with me.

But back to the movie itself. It kicks off with a scene that takes place in Egypt if I'm not mistaken, on an excavation dig with the foreign scenery setting a mood and atmosphere that carries throughout the whole movie. Starting the movie like this is an interesting idea, and a concept that hasn't been done too much by other movies, even though it works here. The acting throughout is phenomenal, alongside the special effects, which goes without saying. The whole movie plays out like a terrifying, dark, atmospheric nightmare and never loses its intensity or interest, even in the slower moments. I must say, even though I personally sometimes find it tedious to sit through a movie that goes over two hours long, I think "The Exorcist" definitely has the hudspah (spelling?) to make it pull you in for the whole thing. As dark and terrifying as this movie is, it most certainly still packs a brilliance, alongside talented writing and directing that makes it worth the watch.

In short, "The Exorcist" is a film that's just as horrifying as it is both groundbreaking and vastly interesting. Such a movie deserves to go down as one of the greatest horror movies ever made, and considering I'm a guy who's seen countless horror movies, I agree with that statement. Well, the review's about up, but for those that haven't seen such a heart-pounding, groundbreaking, interest-stirring movie yet, this is very highly recommended. And before you sleep, say some prayers just for safety!!! Happy Halloween, everybody, I'm off to smother myself in Halloween candies, household props and going around all evening in my pajama pants. Thanks for the time, and peace.

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Summary of The Exorcist (The Version You've Never Seen) [VHS]

The story of a young girl who has been possessed by the devil and a priest is called in to perform an exorcism. 11 added minutes including the legendary Staircase Spider Walk, an ominous Medical Diagnosis scene and more.

Director William Friedkin was a hot ticket in Hollywood after the success of The French Connection, and he turned heads (in more ways than one) when he decided to make The Exorcist as his follow-up film. Adapted by William Peter Blatty from his controversial bestseller, this shocking 1973 thriller set an intense and often-copied milestone for screen terror with its unflinching depiction of a young girl (Linda Blair) who is possessed by an evil spirit. Jason Miller and Max von Sydow are perfectly cast as the priests who risk their sanity and their lives to administer the rites of demonic exorcism, and Ellen Burstyn plays Blair's mother, who can only stand by in horror as her daughter's body is wracked by satanic disfiguration. One of the most frightening films ever made with a soundtrack that's guaranteed to curl your blood, The Exorcist was mysteriously plagued by troubles during production, and the years have not diminished its capacity to disturb even the most stoical viewers. Don't say you weren't warned! --Jeff Shannon

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