The Exorcist

The Exorcist (1973)

Official Site: www.theexorcist.warnerbros.com

Director: William Friedkin
Cast: Linda Blair, Ellen Burstyn, Jason Miller, Max von Sydow, Lee J. Cobb, Kitty Winn and Jack MacGowran.

Max plays Father Lankester Merrin, the Exorcist

Synopsis
Infamous story of a young girl, Regan, possessed by the Devil. Having abandoned medical science, her mother, Chris, turns to the Catholic Church and its practice of exorcism in search of help.

Max
'The one hope. The only hope. The Exorcist'

Max rightly received a Golden Globe nomination for his performance as the elderly Father Merrin, who he plays to perfection. Though he only features in about 20 minutes of the film - at the beginning and at the end - his performance is incredibly powerful, especially considering the age gap between Merrin and himself.

Merrin's first appearence is in the prologue in Iraq, where we see him working on an archaeological site. He is informed of a find, which he

goes to investigate. One of the finds turns out to be a small head of the demon Pazzuzu, a forewarning of the possession to come. We also discover that Merrin is not a well man and takes nitroglycerine pills for his weak heart. The prologue in Iraq ends with a 'High Noon' style showdown between Merrin and a giant statue of the demon in the desert.

Merrin remains absent from the action of the next hour or so, as Regan shows

increasing signs of demon possession. As in some of his other films, we hear reference to Max's character some time before he comes on screen. In reverent tones, priests discuss the possibility of getting Father Merrin to perform the exorcism on Regan. A message is dispatched, but in the scene where Merrin recieves the summons he simply pockets the note; he nows he has been called to battle for the last time. The next scene is one of the most famous in cinema history, the arrival on prospect street of Father Merrin. At this point I think it's worth quoting the lines in William Peter Blatty's book, describing Merrin's arrival;

"'Mrs MacNeil' came a voice from the shadows. It was gentle, refined, yet as full as a harvest.
As he reached for his hat, Chris was nodding her head, and then suddenly she was looking into eyes that overwhealmed her, that shone with intelligence and kindly understanding, with serenity that poured into her being like the waters of a warm and healing river whose source was both in him yet somehow beyond him; whose flow was contained and yet headlong and endless"

In the film, Merrin is a similarly calming and reassuring presence. As opposed to the younger Father Karras, Merrin has both experience and absolute conviction. He is quite composed, despite being rocked by a quaking room, levitating beds, and being spat at by the possessed Regan. However, Merrin's heart condition gets the better of him and he dies during the course of the exorcism.

Quotes

"The demon is a liar. He will lie to confuse us. But he will also mix lies with the truth to attack us. The attack is psychological, Damien, and powerful. So don't listen, remember that, do not listen."
"Be silent!"

"It's the power of Christ that compels you!"

Edition

I first saw The Exorcist when it was first released in the UK on VHS in 1999. I watched with my mouth gaping open as I saw one of the greatest films I'd ever seen unfold before my eyes. Not particularly frightened by it, I was disturbed, however.

I subsequently saw the film a number of other times with various friends and in 2001 saw the 'Version You've Never Seen' at the cinema. It was actually alot scarier; with more 'subliminal' images and the infamous Spider Walk, that was truly horiffic (it wasn't the version that featured in a number of documentaries, however). It also included a couple of extra scenes with Max. One, where he is holding his rossary and talking to Chris before the exorcism, and another where he asks Chris for Regan's middle name before entering her bedroom.

Click here for Exorcist Extras on the filming of this infamous movie

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