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Text 4 - The Exorcist

The document provides information about the 1973 horror film "The Exorcist". It discusses the origin of the film, based on a novel by William Peter Blatty about a real 1949 exorcism case. Blatty wrote both the novel and screenplay, though the director William Friedkin revised the screenplay. The film was controversial as one of the first major studio films to focus on religious subject matter. It features the possession and exorcism of a young girl named Regan, portrayed through disturbing visuals and sounds. The film was a major commercial success but also provoked strong reactions from audiences for its graphic portrayal of possession.

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269 views

Text 4 - The Exorcist

The document provides information about the 1973 horror film "The Exorcist". It discusses the origin of the film, based on a novel by William Peter Blatty about a real 1949 exorcism case. Blatty wrote both the novel and screenplay, though the director William Friedkin revised the screenplay. The film was controversial as one of the first major studio films to focus on religious subject matter. It features the possession and exorcism of a young girl named Regan, portrayed through disturbing visuals and sounds. The film was a major commercial success but also provoked strong reactions from audiences for its graphic portrayal of possession.

Uploaded by

api-19865899
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Media Studies

A2 Genre Study

HISTORIC TEXT 4
“The Exorcist” (1973)
Directed by William Friedkin
What was the origin of
“The Exorcist”?
 The film was based on the novel
by William Peter Blatty, who also
wrote the screenplay.
 Blatty based his novel on a
genuine case of possession in
Maryland in 1949, which he read
about in the Washington Post.
 During the writing of the novel
Blatty had guidance from a
Catholic priest, who was keen to
have input into a story about the
struggle of good versus evil.
 Blatty’s original screenplay was
rejected by the director William
Friedkin. The shooting script was
a revised version of the novel
which had been annotated by
Friedkin.
Inter textuality: is “T he
Exor cist” like any other
genre film?
 The novel was a best-seller, but
religion was still seen as a very
taboo subject for a genre entry.
 Many major studios rejected the
idea of the film outright.
 William Peter Blatty wanted a
non-horror director to be
responsible for the picture. His
choice of Friedkin effectively
sold the project to Warner
Brothers.
 “The Exorcist” was a
revolutionary genre film for it’s
subject matter. It has been
frequently copied since.
Iconog r aphy: the por trayal of
demonic possession
The victim of the possession is a young
girl; this is designed to provoke an
extreme reaction due to the violation of
innocence.
The visual and aural representation of
Regan’s character shifts from the
normal to the grotesque in order to
signify the hold that evil has over her.
The words “devil” and “demon” are
used, but there is no clear link made
between the evil spirit and Satan.
T he repr esentation of women and
childr en…

 The character of Chris  The character of Regan


MacNeil seems
is shown as a strong independent at the
independent woman. beginning,
 Chris is in control of her but she plays with a Ouias
own Board which suggests the
situation; she asks Father confusion of adolescence
Karras for help herself.  Regan is shown to have a
 She is single and keen interest in her
financially Mother’s
independent – there is no career.
romance in the film.  She seems to have coped
 The main role of Chris is as with
a the trauma of her
Mother figure. She is possession
Analysing the syntax: key
scenes fr om “T he Exorcist”
Four influential sequences exist in the 1973
text “The Exorcist”.

These are:

1. The opening montage with Father Merrin in Iraq.


2. The hospital examinations.
3. The attack by the possessed Regan on Chris MacNeil, including
the crucifix sequence.
4. The exorcism and final denouement – Karras’ sacrifice.

Watch these scenes again and deconstruct them, considering the following :

Mise-en-scene, Cinematography, Representation,


Audience, Narrative, Editing, Sound,
& Lighting.
Reactions to “T he Exor cist”
 Initial screenings of the film were met with
hysteria; there were mass walk-outs and people
feeling physically sickened by it. As a result, it
was one of the biggest hits of the year.
 The greatest concern was that the actress Linda
Blair, who played Regan, was only 13 years old
when the film was in production.
 The film was nominated for 10 Academy Awards,
but won only 2. Importantly, one was for Best
Adapted Screenplay.
 The film was banned on video and DVD in the
United Kingdom from 1984 to 1999, until the
subject matter was finally deemed to be “not as
sensitive”.
Str engths & weaknesses of
“T he Exorcist”

1. “The Exorcist” is a very 1. The religious issues could


powerful genre entry. (and did) offend many
people.
2. It proved that horror films
could be thought- 2. The ending could be
provoking and not just interpreted as ambiguous,
shocking. something which both
Friedkin and Blatty
3. The film relies on slow vehemently deny.
build-up and
characterization to make 3. “The Exorcist” goes to
the impact more effective. great lengths to show in
graphic detail the violation
4. “The Exorcist” is just as of Regan’s character.
powerful now as it was
Pr actical Exercise: the le gacy
of “T he Exor cist”
In order to enhance your understanding of this text, you are
going to watch the documentary on the making of “The
Exorcist”. Entitled “In Search of God”, it contains key details
about the film from conception to its relevance today.
Working individually, you are going to watch the 50 minute
programme and complete the worksheet that you will be given.

The worksheet has 8 boxes which contain a heading linked to a


specific section within the documentary. Your task is to fill in the
sheet by listening carefully, and then writing down as much as
possible in the relevant box.

The boxes are intended to be in the order that they are discussed
in the programme. However, there may be exceptions to this rule
at some points, so be prepared!

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