The Exorcist: The Complete Anthology (1973-2005)

[recS-12]

With everything that's been posted on here I've made up my mind...Waiting till Black Friday to own this. I really only care about the original & Legion so...

[hatter76]

Originally Posted by SilentNight

Those WWII scenes are so well done even though those are from Dominion. They fit perfectly into Beginning's story arc.

are you talking Conceptually, or literally?

because they were totally reshot to for the most part

[hatter76]

Originally Posted by peterw5

It's not in its original aspect ratio? What was the original aspect ratio and what's on the Blu-ray? Was the DVD in the original aspect ratio?

the Original Aspect Ratio, and Ratio it was in on DVD is 2.00:1


I've heard that it was cropped to 2.35:1 or more, but I have no idea on that one


the Blu Ray appears to be 1.85.1

I'm not sure why, I've become somewhat intimate wit the film, so I imediatly noticed the difference, but I'm not complaining either, know it fits with the Original Film

[Clark Kent]

Originally Posted by SilentNight

so I am curious what others think...I'm half way through Exorcist Beginning and as usual, I think it's a great movie. This movie got trashed upon its theatrical release but I've always liked it a lot. Second favorite in the Exorcist series. What do you all think?

BTW, the transfer on Beginning is really good both in the sound and the video department which is no surprise as it is a newer movie with a large budget.

I think a lot of the Exorcist's arthouse fans despise The Beginning. In the pantheon of bad horror sequels, it's not that bad. It still makes more sense than The Heretic.

[bigshot]

Suggesting that The Heretic make sense it totally misunderstanding the appeal of the film.

[Lyle_JP]

Originally Posted by hatter76

the Original Aspect Ratio, and Ratio it was in on DVD is 2.00:1


I've heard that it was cropped to 2.35:1 or more, but I have no idea on that one

Vittorio Storraro films are goofy. He shoots his films at 2.00:1, but no theater in the world ever used his "Univisium" film format for exhibition, so everything gets cropped to 2.40:1 in cinemas. Since he knows that going in, one would assume he frames the shots so that they will look acceptable at 2.40:1.

Where things get confusing and controversial is when he claims that movies he was DP on long before he invented Univisium should retroactively be cropped to 2.00:1, like Apocalypse Now and The Last Emperor, despite the fact that these films obviously look better in their original aspect ratios.

[hatter76]

Originally Posted by Clark Kent

I think a lot of the Exorcist's arthouse fans despise The Beginning. In the pantheon of bad horror sequels, it's not that bad. It still makes more sense than The Heretic.

I've never been much of one for Arthouse films.

my beef with the Beginning is primarily it's approach to the Demon.

The

[Show spoiler] African Natives totally obliterating eachother

was unnecessary, and it shits on the scene where Merrin

[Show spoiler]is on his knees with the cross, he says to God "These people need you this Valley needs you"

some people prefer Exorcist The Beginning, it's quicker pace, it's Atmosphere(which I like) the obvious Horror Elements(overdone) the more familiar Demon which had a great Voice, but ultimately had nothing new to say, and was really a case of "Playing it Safe"


I would like to see a middle ground between the 2 films.


But Exorcist The Beginning it's self was case of playing it safe, and it did too much of that.

[AllOuttaBubbleGum]

Originally Posted by ditcin

When you mention that the advances in digital authoring and transference of film from physical to digital media I have to say the advancements have been available to an incredible degree for at least almost 15 years.
I am still amazed by the results of the 16mm film transfers used for the DVD release of the series SPACE: 1999 Yr 2 via A&E.
The show was produced in 35mm and for years only 16mm transfers were used. When it came time for a DVD release I looked at what was available and saw horrible masters that were struck from film that had turned green and encoded to tape! A&E didn't want to spend any money for a re-transfer but luckily during my working as a consultant I had dealings with the parent company Granada who own the rights to the I.T.C. catalog which A&E had singed with.
In that company there was an incredibly talented and smart woman who was also technically savvy. She was my link to the archives in Europe where the original film elements were stored. She pulled every master she could find made of the Year II series (Space: 1999) we were working on. She found several masters of each episode (24 episodes per season). It was amazing how these masters had been mislabeled, misplaced and or never recorded. More had been ordered though the years resulting in a mass of poor masters for each episode and each done from poor elements..... BTW, the masters were done in both PAL and NTSC. The waste of money through the years was incredible.
With my friend being in L.A. and I being in N.Y. she had tapes sent to me from her region as well as Europe. I chose the best then she gathered them and forwarded them to an authoring facility in L.A.
The masters were then re-telecined on HD equipment but still in standard format. The controls and options on these machines were of such high caliber the masters were cleaned up, color corrected, contrast fixed , detail, everything. The final results were and are incredible. One would never guess that these tapes were from green film source materials. So much so A&E was able to put on their packaging "Remastered from Original 35mm Film Elements".
Were there problems with the transfers? Yes, with the sound - it seems that years ago when those certain episodes were mastered for tape someone pulled elements for mastering that had incomplete sound mixes. (Dopes).
Otherwise, visually however Yr 2 of that show still looks incredible on DVD.
The amazing thing is that my friend pulled strings and did all 24 episodes for me FOR FREE. She had a worker do them all, around the clock one weekend so they could meet the deadline and be delivered to NY from LA. Was A&E thankful... NO.
On the plus side my work on that series and through my friend got my proposal through Granada for a total restoration of the series and HD transfers along with new 5.1 mixes for a MONO show.
BTW - the woman I write of was also responsible for the first HD transfer of HALLOWEEN for ANCHOR BAY.

Sounds like the planets really had to align on this project. Some accounts of hunting down lost film elements read like a treatment for another Indiana Jones, but I didn't realize cataloging of existing and sometimes multiple masters ever got so bad. Someday, I hope to get around to picking up Space: 1999 in a full series nostalgia pack (childhood obsession; had the lunchbox, the big, honkin' Eagle One). What's your take on the Season One Blu-rays? The caps here look stellar. Weird how--under the best circumstances--these shows can look more vivid than when we first experienced them. It's beyond time travel.

[sarah_wentworth]

Originally Posted by SilentNight

so I am curious what others think...I'm half way through Exorcist Beginning and as usual, I think it's a great movie. This movie got trashed upon its theatrical release but I've always liked it a lot. Second favorite in the Exorcist series. What do you all think?

BTW, the transfer on Beginning is really good both in the sound and the video department which is no surprise as it is a newer movie with a large budget.

part 3 and Exorcist Beginning are my favorites. part 1 and 2 are okay but don't really like them as much.

[sarah_wentworth]

Originally Posted by SilentNight

I think that's why I enjoy it so much. It isn't nearly as impactful as the original but I was never bored and it was certainly a gruesome movie. The end was a cheap cash in on the original but considering the mess that the movie went through I think the Renny Harlin version turned out quite enjoyable. Those WWII scenes are so well done even though those are from Dominion. They fit perfectly into Beginning's story arc.

i find it far more interesting and entertaining than the first one.

[hatter76]

well I'll be damned, the Blu Ray for Exorcist The Beginning does not contain the correct Trailer, it's the Teaser Trailer for Paul Schrader's version(before he was fired)

lol, sure helps to confuse those who don't know any better

[GasmaskAvenger]

Originally Posted by hatter76

well I'll be damned, the Blu Ray for Exorcist The Beginning does not contain the correct Trailer, it's the Teaser Trailer for Paul Schrader's version(before he was fired)

lol, sure helps to confuse those who don't know any better

If you ask me, that's an awesome error. At least we now have the original Exorcist: The Beginning trailer in good quality.

[hatter76]

Originally Posted by GasmaskAvenger

If you ask me, that's an awesome error. At least we now have the original Exorcist: The Beginning trailer in good quality.

I think it's awsome, but it's only Standard Def

[hatter76]

it's actually funny to look at both Prequels and compare them, although 2 major roles were recast(and a name changed) there are still several of the same actors in both films, and there fates play out differently, some with the same outcome, some not.

seeing the same costumes and setpieces(some of them modified) it's like watching alternate univereses.

[ditcin]

Originally Posted by Clark Kent

I think a lot of the Exorcist's arthouse fans despise The Beginning. In the pantheon of bad horror sequels, it's not that bad. It still makes more sense than The Heretic.

For me it's not that THE BEGINNING doesn't make sense - it's a matter of style. The gore/blood has a HELLRAISER element to it; and the presentation of the demonic is more like EVIL DEAD.
There are times it just seems the wrong tone.

THE HERETIC always made perfect sense to me which is why I admire it. It a layered story that covers a lot, not just in narrative but in the subjective - science vs. religion, mysticism, spiritualism, superstition, evolution.

[Ill_Be_Back]

My copy is finally out for delivery today, I can't wait to see Exorcist II again.

[Dylan34]

Originally Posted by ditcin

For me it's not that THE BEGINNING doesn't make sense - it's a matter of style. The gore/blood has a HELLRAISER element to it; and the presentation of the demonic is more like EVIL DEAD.
There are times it just seems the wrong tone.

THE HERETIC always made perfect sense to me which is why I admire it. It a layered story that covers a lot, not just in narrative but in the subjective - science vs. religion, mysticism, spiritualism, superstition, evolution.

You didn't like the demon presentation they tried to do with Sarah? I thought it was similar to Reagan's transformation in the original. I also think the vocals for the demon are close to Mercedes McCambridge as could possibly be. Its been about 7 years since I've seen Beginning so I'll give it a whirl tonight after work. Before anyone posts how stupid I am, I did say similar qualities between Reagan and Sarah, not dead set exact qualities ok folks LOL!

[crutzulee]

So after checking every 5 minutes to see if my package had shipped from Amazon.ca last night. I finally gave up and went to bed..

Woke up this morning to an email telling me that it has shipped and that the GUARANTEED delivery date is today!! YAY!!!!

Then I clicked on the tracking info and it shows that fulfillment is through CANADA FREAKING POST!!!! there's no way I'm getting this until Monday...

[Dylan34]

Originally Posted by sarah_wentworth

part 3 and Exorcist Beginning are my favorites. part 1 and 2 are okay but don't really like them as much.

I don't know how anyone can say that they don't care for the original that much but whatever floats your boat. I totally agree with you about E3, it's my favorite after the original. Beginning though? Come on, seriously, you prefer that film to The Exorcist? WOW!!!

[crutzulee]

Originally Posted by Dylan34

I don't know how anyone can say that they don't care for the original that much but whatever floats your boat. I totally agree with you about E3, it's my favorite after the original. Beginning though? Come on, seriously, you prefer that film to The Exorcist? WOW!!!

I too thought that was a bit of an odd ordering and put it down to a mistake..but I suppose if one is to take a Renny Harlin movie over a Schrader, Then a person is probably more apt to like more current fare horror (mid 80's forward) as opposed to 60's 70's (of which the original Exorcist is the pinnacle).

I grew up in the 70's and 80's on a steady diet of horror and have found, that as I grow older, I have less and less of a tolerance of the former and a greater appreciation of the latter.

For me, The Exorcist is not just the greatest horror film of all time, it is in my top 5 movies of all time. Growing up Catholic, it re-enforced the fear-mongering from all sides of my upbringing (parents, school, church). Years later (and much removed from Christendom), I find the story of Father Karras' moments of doubt, Chris's fear for her daughter, Merrin's lifelong struggle and the unlikely friendship between priest and cop intriguing...Great cinema, indeed...