The Exorcist: The Complete Anthology (1973-2005)

[HeavyHitter]

MichaelR,

What size screen did you review this and how far back was your seating? Thanks.

[Jakdonark]

So, weird thing happened watching Dominion. I rarely have time to watch a movie in its entirety anymore, so when I stop it, I pause it and take a picture of the time and the image on the screen. I put it back in (my daughter had wanted to watch Toy Story of Terror), and skipped to the time, but it didn't match the image. I rewound a bit, and still couldn't find it. Fast forwarded, same thing. Then I was like, maybe I put the wrong movie in? I put in the Beginning. It was in the fifth spot, so I was wondering how I skipped it.

Put it in, went to the time, still not the same image. I rewound a bit, and parts looked familiar, but the whole deal with both films is confusing to begin with. Went to the start, and it wasn't the same one. Put the other one in, and scanned through a bit. Ended up going to a bit before the time, and watched it from there.

Edit: Just rewound farther, and found the scene. I usually always have time remaining, and in the picture of the time there was a minus sign. But when I found the scene, the time was way off. Put it back to current time, and it was right. Upon closer inspection of the picture of the time, the minus sign was a piece of dust that I couldn't see but the flash from the camera highlighted. HAHA! Here I am getting freaked out for nothing. Anyways, this incident was more unsettling than the movie itself, lol!

Strange thing is, this happened with Halloween 5 a couple weeks ago too. Might have been the same piece of dust?

It would be nice if companies across the board had the same encoding to pick up where you left off. Some Warner titles you can stop, then replay and it will be where you left off, but if you take it out, it resets. Disney titles will see where you left off when you put a title in. Other movies completely reset when you stop it, regardless of if you remove it or not. I miss DVDs sometimes.

[mrrant_33]

Coming Wednesday November 12th. The Exorcist III line from Fright Rags

http://www.fright-rags.com/teaser/te...source=Fright-

[JimSmith]

Originally Posted by BNex99

Except that that scene wasn't in the version that won the Academy Award for best sound

I really don't like the spider-walk scene at all. Like most of the additions to the extended cut, it just gets in the way and actually makes the film sillier than it needs to be. Another example is during the psychiatrist scene, right before Regan grabs him by the balls. Her face morphs into the demon's, which makes no sense whatsoever.

The Exorcist would've won the Academy Award for best sound even if the spiderwalk scene was included in the original 1973 theatrical cut of the film, trust me. One other thing I'd like to add here is I would kill for the chance to see the original 2 hour and 20 minute version of this excellent film! I often wonder exactly how long was that scene in which Mrs. MacNeil takes little Regan sightseeing around Washington?

[Dylan34]

Originally Posted by JimSmith

The Exorcist would've won the Academy Award for best sound even if the spiderwalk scene was included in the original 1973 theatrical cut of the film, trust me. One other thing I'd like to add here is I would kill for the chance to see the original 2 hour and 20 minute version of this excellent film! I often wonder exactly how long was that scene in which Mrs. MacNeil takes little Regan sightseeing around Washington?

There was a version that Cinemax was running back in 2006 that had some of those sightseeing seen put in, plus some other stuff like Regan telling the doctor to keep his Goddamn fingers away from her c*nt. Also, it had Burke hearing strange noises from Regan's room and him going upstairs. All that stuff was shot, and Cinemax somehow had this cut of the film. I wish I would have had a way to record it at the time because I would have uploaded it on YouTube.

[balthazar_bee]

I've heard as much before, but I believe no actual proof has been presented supporting that the version in question actually exists.

The sight seeing scene and the "Burke investigates" scene in particular haven't amounted to much more than smoke and air, so claims that a version aired that contained them need to be taken with a grain of salt.

[JimSmith]

Originally Posted by Dylan34

There was a version that Cinemax was running back in 2006 that had some of those sightseeing seen put in, plus some other stuff like Regan telling the doctor to keep his Goddamn fingers away from her c*nt. Also, it had Burke hearing strange noises from Regan's room and him going upstairs. All that stuff was shot, and Cinemax somehow had this cut of the film. I wish I would have had a way to record it at the time because I would have uploaded it on YouTube.

Do you mean to tell me that there was more to the first medical exam than what was shown in the director's cut?

[HeavyHitter]

I don't own the set, but watched the first movie projected the other night. All in all, it looks pretty good but there is definitely some sort of compressioning issues with the grain in some scenes inside of the house and during the Exorcism. I almost get the feeling a high bit AVC encode would have rendered the grain more naturally. Low bit VC-1 often doesn't cut it in darker films with no letterbox bars. I suppose it could be baked into the master created for it, but I find that less likely especially since they went back to the OCN to create the master which one would think better care was taken there. It's just too bad Warner was so late to adopting AVC.

[Dylan34]

Originally Posted by JimSmith

Do you mean to tell me that there was more to the first medical exam than what was shown in the director's cut?

Yes, Cinemax ran a cut back in 2006 that was the directors cut plus some. Yes, more to medical exam. It actually showed Linda Blair telling the doctor to keep his fingers away from her goddamn c*nt. Plus some sightseeing scenes, and the Burke Dennings scene. I brought it up on here because I was hoping someone else besides my sister and I has seen this cut of the film. I watched it twice, back to back on Cinemax East and West.

[Dylan34]

Originally Posted by HeavyHitter

I don't own the set, but watched the first movie projected the other night. All in all, it looks pretty good but there is definitely some sort of compressioning issues with the grain in some scenes inside of the house and during the Exorcism. I almost get the feeling a high bit AVC encode would have rendered the grain more naturally. Low bit VC-1 often doesn't cut it in darker films with no letterbox bars. I suppose it could be baked into the master created for it, but I find that less likely especially since they went back to the OCN to create the master which one would think better care was taken there. It's just too bad Warner was so late to adopting AVC.

That's right. It was a fresh 4k scan off of the OCN. Both the theatrical and extended versions were scanned at 4k resolution. If they would have used a much higher bit rate with AVC I have no doubt in my mind that I would have turned out artifact free. It looks great now don't get me wrong but, the AVC codec is a tad sharper than VC-1.

[Funcha]

Originally Posted by Dylan34

Yes, Cinemax ran a cut back in 2006 that was the directors cut plus some. Yes, more to medical exam. It actually showed Linda Blair telling the doctor to keep his fingers away from her goddamn c*nt. Plus some sightseeing scenes, and the Burke Dennings scene. I brought it up on here because I was hoping someone else besides my sister and I has seen this cut of the film. I watched it twice, back to back on Cinemax East and West.

Footage on YouTube or it never happened.

[BNex99]

Originally Posted by Dylan34

Yes, Cinemax ran a cut back in 2006 that was the directors cut plus some. Yes, more to medical exam. It actually showed Linda Blair telling the doctor to keep his fingers away from her goddamn c*nt. Plus some sightseeing scenes, and the Burke Dennings scene. I brought it up on here because I was hoping someone else besides my sister and I has seen this cut of the film. I watched it twice, back to back on Cinemax East and West.

What was the audio like in the sightseeing scenes? I had always read that Friedkin considered restoring this sequence to the 2000 cut, but that the audio couldn't be located (although I guess it would only have mattered if there was dialogue).

[JimSmith]

Originally Posted by Dylan34

Yes, Cinemax ran a cut back in 2006 that was the directors cut plus some. Yes, more to medical exam. It actually showed Linda Blair telling the doctor to keep his fingers away from her goddamn c*nt. Plus some sightseeing scenes, and the Burke Dennings scene. I brought it up on here because I was hoping someone else besides my sister and I has seen this cut of the film. I watched it twice, back to back on Cinemax East and West.

If cinemax has a longer version than the 2000 version someone needs to tell the actual director of this film then! I sure do wish someone would upload it!

[Oblivion138]

Originally Posted by Webmaster1990

Exactly. Similar demonic possession (attractive female being possessed), thus more familiar and enjoyable.

When Morgan Creek went to Renny Harlin and said, "Give us the same old crap," he definitely did their bidding.

Originally Posted by bigshot

The reason that I don't like 3 is because of the direction. The Exorcist was a VERY stylish movie with wonderful cinematic touches. Exorcist 2 was blown up like a big red balloon, but at least Boorman made it unique and entertaining, even if it was goofy and not very scary.

Exorcist 3 is directed like a TV movie with lots of personal references to movies and books the writer must have been reading at the time. The dialogue is all concocted and reeks of "writer speak" where every character talks the same... in the voice of the screenwriter- particularly the scenes between the cop and the priest. The performances of the nurse and doctor were astoundingly amateurish. I find it hard to believe that anyone allowed that scene where the doctor tries to give the cop a bum steer with a rehearsed spiel to go on the screen. It's the worst acting I've ever seen. Even Scott seems taken aback by it. George C. Scott's family were barely in the movie. (something had to have been cut there.) And the computer animated cheek pooches wiggling like jello at the end were laughable, as was grinning granny skittering around on the ceiling... and that boneheaded heaven dream with Fabio! Wow! A reference to his "I can't believe it's not butter" commercial where he wears angel wings and no shirt. Whose idea was THAT?!

The only really well done sequence in the film is the talk between Brad Dourf and George C. Scott. And that was because the camera just focused close on two really good actors and let them take over the reins. I might try the most recent one, but I'm kind of getting the feeling that the Exorcist franchise turned South really fast right after the first movie.

Digs against the writer seem a bit odd when it's the same writer as the original film.

[Dylan34]

Originally Posted by BNex99

What was the audio like in the sightseeing scenes? I had always read that Friedkin considered restoring this sequence to the 2000 cut, but that the audio couldn't be located (although I guess it would only have mattered if there was dialogue).

Well, it has been almost 9 years since this version aired but I do remember there being some dialogue. I know the line Reagan asks her mother about why do people have to die was in there.

[JimSmith]

Originally Posted by Dylan34

Well, it has been almost 9 years since this version aired but I do remember there being some dialogue. I know the line Reagan asks her mother about why do people have to die was in there.

Someone needs to unearth this version of the film and do a great bluray transfer of it!!

[Dylan34]

Originally Posted by JimSmith

Someone needs to unearth this version of the film and do a great bluray transfer of it!!

I agree!!

[velfornia]

Originally Posted by Dylan34

Yes, Cinemax ran a cut back in 2006 that was the directors cut plus some. Yes, more to medical exam. It actually showed Linda Blair telling the doctor to keep his fingers away from her goddamn c*nt. Plus some sightseeing scenes, and the Burke Dennings scene. I brought it up on here because I was hoping someone else besides my sister and I has seen this cut of the film. I watched it twice, back to back on Cinemax East and West.

I remember that as well!!! I am a little surprised that it wasn't left in the release as well, but I most definitely remember her saying to keep their fingers away!

[slimdude]

Originally Posted by velfornia

I remember that as well!!! I am a little surprised that it wasn't left in the release as well, but I most definitely remember her saying to keep their fingers away!

Even though the dialogue was omitted or not, it still wouldn't have changed the movie drastically. Would it make The Exorcist a better film entirely, if that dialogue was included in the movie? No. Personally, I didn't think the dialogue: "keep your finger away from my c**t" was necessary! I've watched The Exorcist a few times, and I didn't even miss it because, it wasn't that important.

[JimSmith]

Originally Posted by slimdude

Even though the dialogue was omitted or not, it still wouldn't have changed the movie drastically. Would it make The Exorcist a better film entirely, if that dialogue was included in the movie? No. Personally, I didn't think the dialogue: "keep your finger away from my c**t" was necessary! I've watched The Exorcist a few times, and I didn't even miss it because, it wasn't that important.

I just think that the original 2 hour and 20 minute version of this film should've been left alone! William Friedkin never should've shown this masterpiece of a film to that Warner Bros. executive clown!