Who Ruined The Exorcist's Oscar Campaign?
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In this video I take a look at the response to William Friedkin’s 1973 film, The Exorcist. Who liked it, who didn’t, and who railroaded its shot at Best Picture?
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BBC Documentary on The Making of the Exorcist: • Documentary The Fear o...
Filming The Exorcist Documentary: • THE EXORCIST (1973) | ...
Watch my video about The Miracle: • How a "Sacrilegious" F...
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Horror is the redheaded stepchild of Hollywood. It is also its most dependable workhorse, building new studios and saving old ones. The Exorcist is a masterpiece of the genre.
Billy also did a homosexual movie which Academy voters refused to admit was released.
Billy actually did TWO homosexual movies that weren't exactly Hollywood's cup of pee.
It also revives actors careers. Most recently, Justin Long and Ethan Hawke.
If horror’s the red head what’s sci fi?
Horror's fraternal twin@@francessimmonds5784
Ellen Burstyn being incredible in two of the most disturbing movies of all time (The Exorcist and Requiem for a Dream) and not winning an Oscar for either is one of the many, many, many, MANY wrongs of the Academy.
Horror in general not being awarded at the Oscars is shameful (except for Silence of the Lambs, which I'm not sure is really horror?)
She definitely was robbed.
I’d say Silence of the Lambs is horror- it’s like a top- shelf slasher movie.
Back to Ellen- she was kind of robbed for Exorcist, but she was REALLY robbed for Requiem. That was like the decathlon of acting.
Yeah a film about a cannibalistic serial killer helping a detective catch a man who skins women to make a skin suit. And then said man stalks the woman in a basement with night vision goggles. Yeah definitely not a horror 🙄🙄🙄
@@annalouise3251 yes, I get that, but I've always thought of it more as a thriller/crime drama with horror elements, not as a horror movie in the traditional sense like The Exorcist or Shivers. I'm not doubting it's unsettling/scary (it is), I just question its horror label, not reject it. Amazing film nonetheless
@@jon.callaghan4165it was originally categorised as horror, and after winning Oscars, the genre changed into psychological thriller because you know, Oscars…
BKR must have written the best term papers in her film studies classes. 😂. Loved your unique take on this horror classic.
Could have taught the whole class
She does have a scholarly and polished tone in her video essays.
Fun fact, the guy who’s “childhood exorcism” inspired this story, Roland Doe was later identified as Roland Hunkeler. He lived in Maryland and worked as a NASA engineer on the Apollo missions and beyond, working at Goddard for 40 years. He helped patent the heat shields used on spacecrafts.
And his Wikipedia article I think implied he was gay too? Which idk why but that amused me a lot lol
But his house looked like shit!?
Sorry
*whose
@@antoinepetrov The guy whom "The Exorcist" was based on apparently.🤷🏽♂️
That’s fascinating and makes me want to learn more about Mr. Hunkeler.
Thank you for highlighting two most underestimated and wrongfully overlooked-at-awards actresses in Hollywood. ELLEN BURSTYN and TONI COLLETTE
Colette should have taken home an Oscar that year.
Now it’s time for Ann Dowd. I would love to see a video about Angela Bassett my favorite actress. Especially now that she is set to receive an honorary Oscar next year. An honorary Oscar just feels wrong.
My very conservative Catholic parents were going out one night to the movies (I think I was about 10 at the time), and I asked them what they were going to see. They replied “The Exorcist.” I’m like “Why are you going to see *that?”* (Knowing that they’d hate it). They said “Well, so many are going to see it, we want to see what the fuss is about,” or something to that effect. When they came back my mom looked visibly shaken, and when I asked her what she thought, she said “That was the most horrible thing I’ve ever seen.” And that was the last time they went out to see a movie.
Honestly, for devout catholics, the 70's must have been a hell of a time for movie going😂😂
My goodness,it had a lasting impact on them.
@@melanino As pre-teen kids in the late '70s, my cousin and I were were altar boys and obsessed with the films like The Exorcist, The Omen and Rosemary's Baby! We also watched The 700 Club every day (some televangelist show that was obsessed with the end of the world coming) and reading the Book of Revelations. We basically went through a phase where wanted to become priests in order to perform exorcists!! The Exorcist made me want to be a priest sooo bad- cuz Priests fighting demons are badasss!!
Be kind Rewind is a gem. Your guest appearance on Rehash podcast was brilliant.
Yassssss I was going to post the same thing! Such a small world!
33:47 Poor Linda Blair. Imagine sending d*ath threats to a literal child because you apparently can't understand what movies and acting are and that they are not a literal representation of real life. I know people in past decades were more naive, but the flip side of that is that they were also way more confident in being wrong and messed up in so many ways.
Linda Blair didn't let her fame go to her head. She's a very grounded woman. She's spent most of her adult life devoted to animal causes and runs her own charitable organization, the Linda Blair Worldheart Foundation. She's a very compassionate human being.
I went to the same HS as Linda, just as the film exploded onto the screen. I didn't know her personally but I remember students searching her out in the hallways so I think she might have finished her schooling privately because of the instant fame she amassed.
All too true.
I'm not a fan of horror films and I never saw the Exorcist, but I'm curious if the film has even been analyzed from a psycho-social perspective as a treatment of single motherhood. Especially back in the early 70s, this was much less common than today. The mother in the story must literally invite "fathers" into her home to help her daughter; the girl's problems are well beyond the mom's handling. Those priests, in turn, invoke God the Father. The younger priest-father (who was the mother's age, more or less) sacrifices himself for the girl, as any good dad would do.
This is sooo interesting. I have seen it analyzed from a girlhood/coming of age/puberty perspective.. but this would be another great look!
All analyses of the film I've ever found are in agreement that it is a profoundly conservative film. It reinforces patriarchy in all the ways you described, and it portrays Catholic faith as being basically a superpower. I never really understood the appeal of the film for anyone who isn't Catholic, because it struck me (former non-Catholic student at a Catholic school) as heavy handed pro-Church propaganda.
I haven't come across that take before now, but I totally see it. Especially in the context of early 70s feminism and all the hand-wringing about families it inspired. A woman couldn't just be shown to handle single parenting well, something had to go wrong! VERY wrong. None of this would have happened if there'd been a man in the house (handyman/caretaker guy doesn't count, and notice that he is kind of useless about the "rats").
Also interesting to consider The Exorcist alongside other early 70s horror like The Wicker Man, and the issue of people drifting away from traditional beliefs and the effect on society. Demonic possession! Human sacrifice! Orgies outside the pub!
@@pinkpearl1967 Exactly.
@@KingoftheJuice18 "Demonic possession! Human sacrifice! Orgies outside the pub!" fuck yeah! * rips off clothes and stands on chair *
There's no denying how terribly Mercedes McCambridge was treated though. She did a truly staggering amount of extremely difficult, physically draining work, using her own imagination and astonishing skillset from the golden years of radio, and to be given no credit was just disgusting.
That wasn’t uncommon. Stunt performers didn’t start getting listed in the credits until “Rollerball” in 1975. If your face wasn’t on camera, they didn’t care.
Marni Nixon never got credit until years later for West Side Story or My Fair Lady... typical.
she got credit - I read her name listed with the rest of the cast - Mercedes McCambridge on the screen in big red letters.
Linda Blair deserved to win the Oscar…pure bs to be criticized for the dubbing of Mercedes’ vocal enhancements.
I agree. Hands down, she should have won. In my opinion, Ellen Burstyn should have won as well.
And Mercedes McCambridge should have won an honorary Oscar or something. Frankly, the fact that dubbing and voice work is seen as less-than by the Academy is just ridiculous. It's what stopped Audrey Hepburn from winning her second Oscar (as BKR pointed out), Linda Blair, and Andy Serkis as well because the man did so much to make Gollum work and it worked so well but because he was only the voice and the BASIS for his movements and facial expressions he wasn't taken seriously.
I'd say the horror bias killed Blair's chances. Rami Malek and Marion Cotillard both won oscars where they play famous singers yet all their songs in the movie were not their own voices.
Ellen Burstyn fractured her tailbone in one of the shots. Linda Blair's back was injured when the bed was shaking and she was left with a lifelong aversion to the cold due to long hours filming on set that was essentially a walk-in freezer
That’s terrible-it’s really unfortunate that the actors suffered so much during the filming.
Your videos are so exquisite. You should truly be so proud of your work. They’re incredibly well researched, edited and narrated and I always find myself enthralled no matter the topic. To echo others in this comment section, Mother.
Very true.
This video reminded me of how my grandma told me about how scared she was when she went to see King Kong at the movies when it first came out. She was literally scared to walk home from the theater that night. 😂
Thank you for sharing this.
I wish I can feel the same fear after watching a movie these days. As a kid, I used to lose sleep after watching a horror movie. I might be desensitized but that intense immersion is just lost to me now.
@@Sofiaode18idk why but like I am desensitized to horror movies these days as well BUT, for some reason, I came home from The Batman 2022 SUPER creeped out and kinda scared.
Hahaha I was like that after Blair Witch, I did have to walk past alot of trees though, slept with light on too
@@johannawigg6921 nothing horrified me like Julia Roberts in 'Eat Pray Love' - more like 'Eat Pray Puke'
I'm just going to say, I so appreciate your pointing out that award shows don't matter too much when this channel's bread and butter is examining the wins and how they happen. That really is what I think the Academy Awards is best treated as, an archive of what was happening at the time. I love your videos, especially your Best Actress analyses, because they dive into so much film history. The best of the best will make itself known through the years. We can have both.
Quite true.
The Exorcist is the epitome of ´watch it and make up your own mind´, I recently brought up the movie to my dad who saw it in Angola in the 70s and he legit said he thought it was hilarious
Laughter is sometimes a coping mechanism for fear.
@@thesro7696If this man was in Angola in 1973, he was a soldier and saw things much worse in the jungle.
Considering I saw this film on December 27th, 1973 with my mother at the Northpoint Theater in San Francisco (featured in this video) and before the word had gotten out (ie. We didn’t wait in any sort of line), this continues to be the most frightening film ever made. Even Ellen Burstyn mentioned to me once that the film’s production seemed to attract a kind of ‘Dark Energy.’ Frankly I wished I hadn’t seen it at the time, since it affected me for at least the next 2 years. I was after all only just 18 years of age and very much a sheltered young man.
One of the rare channels where, as soon as I see a new video, I instantly like it. Zero chance I won't think this video is brilliant
Be Kind Rewind spoke about young actresses in the Best Supporting Role, and I'm now curious to see a video done on Keisha Castle-Hughes, who was nominated at the age of 13 for her role in the Indigenous New Zealand film 'Whale Rider', how it was tied into the Lord of the Rings Juggernaut and the rise of New Zealand's place in film, and why she ultimately did not win that year and the Oscar instead went to Charlize Theron for Monster.
The more I’ve thought about it over the years, the more I realize just how F’d up both Eileen Deets & Mercedes McAmbrdige’s beef with WB at the height or Awards season was for Linda Blair. The fact of the matter remains, that even with their *HELP,* young Linda absolutely convinced us that the voice coming out of her was HERE. Linda delivered a powerhouse performance and while Eileen did absolutely deserve to be credited as the double, it’s very easy to see that as a stand-in- she is literally inly visible for mere seconds. Most notably during a couple of frames during the pea-soup vomit scene. Linda deserved the Oscar. She was robbed. Ellen was robbed. But I am glad that the legacy of this film alone proves all of that.
Meh, I feel that Mercedes McC's voice work really sold the "evil" character, although of course it wouldn't have worked without Linda Blair doing the hard yards. I agree the timing was unfortunate, but I also wonder if her and Ellen Deets' complaints about the lack of credit would have been reported at all otherwise.
*2 of the women actors in The Exorcist were injured for life filming it.*
I consider myself to be a pretty religious person. I don't mind this film at all. In fact I think it's quite profound. I saw it for the first time last year and really thought it was an extraordinary work of art. Thanks for the great video!
Always a good day when there's a new BKR! ❤
I'll never forget the look on Ellen Burstyn's face on Oscar night when Glenda Jackson somehow managed to win, and I am so glad you included here. The only other time 2 "youngsters" vied against each other for BSA was in 1962, when 16 yr old Patty Duke as Helen Keller triumphed over 10 yr old Mary Badham (unforgettable as Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird).
It always makes my day when another video drops. You know you're in for a treat.
Right?
This may be the first video of yours that I don't watch the whole way through. This movie still freaks me out and I'm in my 50s. The reason it got so many nominations is because it was so well made. No horror movie except Rosemary's Baby had been so disturbing but so well done. And this is way more disturbing.
I completely agree😅😅most modern horror movies don’t seem to have a lasting impression on me but this one has horrified me for 10 years since I first saw it, the scene especially where her head turns around after the crucifix has been the worst not sure why! I’m currently watching the video in small screen mode and mostly listening to the audio because I literally shudder at that head turning scene and I already saw it once in the beginning..
(my theory for why it freaks me out is the inhuman aspect, like I can handle murder on screen & seeing body parts do normal, if gross things, but something about the way she is posed is so unnatural it like totally gets to me. I think it doesn’t help that I believe they actually used a life size doll for that scene to create the head spinning so what we are looking at is literally not human so like uncanny valley territory. but alas.. the backstory and societal response to this movie is something I am interested in as someone who wasn’t alive when it came out so I really want to keep watching!
Oh hereditary was pretty disturbing. That movie deserved more recognition 😔
Beautifully researched content about the politics of academy awards, as always. One little clarification that audiences continue to miss though - Regan MacNeil was never possessed by Satan, The Devil. Book readers will know that Pazuzu (that statuette seen at the film’s opening and eventually flashed in other sequences) was a Mesopotamian era demon. He led the priests to believe he was big bad Satan only because that was their limited understanding as an ultimate force of evil they were contending with.
I love that you mentioned The Devils. It’s such an incredible film and I wouldn’t have heard about it except it was on a banned films iceberg haha
the Brittney moment in the middle was so spot on lol. another wonderful video about such an iconic movie
When was the Brittany moment?
I missed that!
Broski nation rise up
Ellen Burstyn should have gotten more flowers for her performance in the actress. Her acting as Chris adds dimension to a character that could have come off as saccharine or without gravity in less capable hands. Same for Linda. You can feel their natural bond in the film and it makes the tragedy of what's to come all the more powerful. That was one of my biggest take away when I recently rewatched it.
Was it ever determined what Jane Fonda meant about The Exorcist being "a Capitalist ripoff?" As far as I can tell the film doesn't have much to say about capitalism and if anything seemed to be making a statement about income inequality by cutting between Chris MacNeill's posh lifestyle and the abject poverty of Karras and his mother. Not sure if it was a different script she read or something
Not sure - I remember she told Geraldo Rivera in an interview the year it came out that she'd seen it and still didn't regret not taking the Chris MacNeill part even with the knowledge of how much money it made. If I remember correctly she said that she didn't like how the film suggested that there was a singular demon for the world's problems that could be exorcized rather than being within society itself or something?
Honestly I would guess Friedkin was exaggerating at least, embellishing for comedic effect
@@abrahamaytemo sure she regrets not taking the role - if she would've taken it she could've given her generous paycheck to North Vietnam.
I barely remember seeing this movie when it came out. I remember hearing people I knew who were Catholic wanting to see it, but those who were of a more liberal religious temper, were less interested in it. My girlfriend at the time wanted to see it, so we went. Strangely, despite the big crowds, I knew no one else who saw it at the time. It certainly didn't draw the people I knew in the same way that Blazing Saddles was drawing them. (Blazing Saddles was out at the same time.) I didn't follow the Hollywood press, so I really didn't know what they were predicting. My favorite film of the five nominated in 1973, was American Graffiti, and I was rather disappointed that The Sting won. I don't think I or anyone I knew then would have predicted The Exorcist to win. But I've always considered 1973 a weak year for films anyway.
OH THE JOY!!! You’ve been so missed and 45 min talking about the Exorcist??? We wonnnn!👏🏻👏🏻
This is, as always, provocative, intelligent, empathetic and thoughtful. Thanks. I do want to speak up in defense of "The Sting", without detracting from what you've explored about "The Exorcist" (we saw both movies during their original run).
The frame of "The Sting" may be conventional, but I maintain that there is more going on than that safe, conventional story:
The plot is set in motion by the killing of a man of color. This man, Luther, is the leader of the tiny grifting team Redford belongs to; he is intelligent and very human; for the short time he's on screen, he generates a great deal to the engine of motivations and meaning - almost the very end of the movie brings his memory forward again for us and the characters. This is interesting and meaningful treatment in the early 1970s.
The plot is intricate and complicated; it both counts on the intelligence of its audience and plays with it; the movie stands up to multiple re-watching because of the jigsaw puzzle of its moving parts, and how we can play within it upon returning to it. I can't say too much: I don't want to spoil anything for people who haven't yet seen it.
The women in this movie play small but vital parts: they are not eye-candy, or inessential. They are few but they matter.
The movie explores corruption on many levels, and our central characters are part of that corruption. They've figured out how to play it, but they don't always win and they know they're small fry. Within this context, Redford's character has a lot to learn about true human values, what to value, and why, and how.
Not for nothing, but the movie revived interest in the music of the great Scott Joplin. If for nothing else, it deserves credit for that....! (I've always loved the arrangement of "Solace" toward the end).
For me, I would no more detract from "The Sting" at the expense of "The Exorcist" than I would "The Exorcist" at the expense of "The Sting": both are prime gems of their sort of story, and I, for one, value them both.
just so you know, i watch your videos on christmas eve because of how comforting and interesting i find them. love your content to death!!
One HUGE difference between the book and the film is that at the end of the book the ending is ambiguous. Unlike the film the book lets you make up your mind if Regan MacNeil was possessed or not! When I saw the movie I was convinced she was but when I read the book I was convinced she was faking😳⚰️
The book initially also sets up a potential conflict where other characters wonder if the mother is abusing Reagan and has a kind of Munchausen by-proxy thing going on too, if I remember correctly. It added another layer of horror and tension for me personally, where Chris isn't believed and is just thought to be a hysterical woman at best or abusive at worst
@@Squidgerydoodle you make an excellent point. I’ve always thought the book was/is full of conservative values. Demonising (forgive the pun) single mothers,punishing those who don’t believe in a Christian God (Father Damien "Demis" Karras) and punishing those who are divorced. I find the book far more interesting than the film!
Have you seen the Exorcist three? A very good film. the book by Blatty (the story which the film draws inspiration from )is fantastic. It’s called Legion and has nothing to do with the Exorcist but the film studio insisted that the film be called The Exorcist three and they included an exorcism in it even though Legion the book doesn’t have one!
@@Squidgerydoodle my reply was so badly written,I’m so sorry 😔 English isn’t my first language,Irish Gaelic is,I hope you understood some of it?
The actual real events that inspired the book were most likely faked by the young man concerned. "Acting out" because of various issues, but the good news was that with the intervention and attention - "exorcism" and all that entailed - his life turned around later.
This is your best video yet. Meticulously researched, beautifully written, and impeccably edited. (The editing is truly next level). And that Brittany Broski cameo. Genius.
Thanks for this. I was 23 when the Exorcist came out. I'd read the book- the passage about 'the crucifix, the crucifix, the bone-white crucifix'- in delighted horror by flashlight under the covers, in drug rehab after lights out. That book and the movie were the first times I'd ever given the Catholic church the time of day, and it was because of the treatment of the Jesuits. The casting alone of the three major priests is genius, let alone the acting. Now, after so much scandal and cynicism around the church, it's refreshing to watch this, where the priests are the good guys. Ellen Burstyn later made a film I can't find now, 'A Dream of Passion' with Melina Mercouri, a treatment of the Medea story. Her performance, and that film, literally sent me back to art school, so I could be part of the world that creates. Her Exorcist work is a stunning performance by one of the greats.
My day was going so badly...then Broey uploaded and now THIS. 🙏🏼 ❤️
Great video and a valuable addition to the discussion around a film that people just won't stop talking about 50 years later. Who's talking about The Sting? Hollywood's fears of the repercussion of The Exorcist winning Best Picture were misplaced. You want people to talk and keep talking. The worst thing would be people forgetting about your film. I wonder whether The Silence of the Lambs won in part to make up for The Exorcist not winning. Lambs was equally gruesome but I think is more nihilistic.
I love Ellen Burstyn (and she deserved her Oscar in "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore,") but the best actress in 73 was Streisand in "The Way We Were."
Burstyn getting her Oscar for "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore" was the Academy's way of saying "sorry bout that snub in 73"
I live in DC-those stairs in Georgetown are quite the workout on a run 😹
#we'rejealous!
I appreciate that you didn't censor the clips of the cunting movie.
Also: I think what's missing in most possession/supernatural horror movies is what the Exorcist did best 19:06
Watching this film is still a gut punch today, 50 odd years later.
I’ve recently discovered your channel and just want to say that i really love your approach to the video essay format. I personally find a lot of video essays about film to be lacking in detail, depth of analysis, or consideration of historical context. Your videos always come from a place of research, knowledge, and thoughtful critique so thank you for your work! You’ve also introduced me to a lot of classic Hollywood history and cinema that I wasn’t aware of before ^^
NO WAY did mother drop a video about one of THEEE greatest horror movies of all time???
She did sis…she did 🥹
@@mellowyellow403 And we are THANKFUL
If you don’t mind me asking, what are your other TWO greatest horror movies of all time?
@@samtbenjamin "The Care Bears Movie" (1985) and "My Little Pony: The Movie" (1986) 💕
@@arachnidlupus7625 we have two VERY DIFFERENT definitions of greatest horror movie of all time!
Saw this posted yesterday and was looking forward to watching it this morning and was not disappointed! Some great points in there esp when you talk about Freidkin's "warm" and "cold" edits. I don't suppose you'd like to indulge in some more horror? Psycho seems like a great idea
My parents took me to so many rated R movies when I was 12 and up! Granted, I don't think any were horror movies. Mostly action movies, thrillers, and the like. I missed out on this one though. I was born in 1979. I didn't see it til I was in my 30s and my SIL wanted us all to watch it one Halloween. It seemed tame to me by that time! Probably also because I knew so much about it from pop culture before I ever saw it, there wasn't much shock in it by then.
izzy bekindrewind taking every opportunity to put deborah kerr in a video… so real 17:37
Great analysis, as always. I moved to DC right after college in '89, and like nearly every new resident, within weeks was being taken b y those in the know to the famous "Exorcist Stairs" where the priest lands after throwing himself out the window. Of course the actual geography of the stairs (which lead from the Georgetown campus area to the very end of commercial M St and the Key Bridge) doesn't match the movie at all - and they're a heck of workout - it's a very cool thing to be able to show other people.
An addition was made to the house for exterior shots that corrected the location between the building and the stairs. Just a shell, it was removed.
I remember the "Awards Season" during this time and all I ever heard was that Barbra Streisand was clearly the frontrunner for "The Way We Were".
As a 90s kid in India, Exorcist was the stuff of dare.only those with hearts of steel would dare that video cassette.
As always great presentation.lots of good wishes from India.
The scenes where people were passing out/reacting to the most were the medical procedure scenes as opposed to the horror scenes. That’s always overlooked in the discussion but one of the most important points.
I watched this movie for the first time in October and absolutely LOVED it. Now I'm realizing that the only version I've seen is the newly re-edited. I wonder how I would've felt about the original..
Glenda Jackson did not care for the Oscars, so while her film was also nominated for Best Picture, one has to think that as amazing as she was as an actor, Hollywood wanted more of her, and she was in a conventional romantic comedy so it's a safe choice. Her performance in Women In Love was bolder, but Jackson was a hard nut to crack.
Thank you for breaking down 1973's Oscar race on top of its relation to The Exorcist. I haven't seen the movie yet but this time capsule really helps paint the eventual interest and eventual viewing.
Abstracting it with The Devils was a jolt
A brilliant addition to the Oscar race videos. Queen!!!
The way I was JUST checking for an upload. BLESSED DAY!
Always brilliant! Thank you for the work you do.
Regarding BKR's mention of all the mothers being upset about what Blair was subjected to via the film, I want to give a shout out to Pauline Kael circa 1973, who conversely pondered regarding all the mothers upset that their little girls DIDN'T get a chance to star in the film, be exposed to the harsh content therein, but become famous in the process (Kael was concerned).
Always a great deep dive, thank you.
LIinda through the years, has had a pretty conventional life. She appeared spoofing her part in.the movie a number of times.
Tatum O'Neil had a much different life.
Omg I love the behind the scenes drama!
The Exorcist went viral before there was an internet, The BarbieHiemer of its day. You had to watch it to see what the fuss was about.
I saw both The Exorcist and The Sting when they were released in Dec. 1973. I was as shocked as anyone by The Exorcist as it was crafted to the teeth. I left the theater mentally exhausted and thought about if for days after. The Sting is great in its own right. Also terrifically acted and directed, but I don't think I was musing it over in my mind days later. But I've noticed since their release 50 years ago, I've watched The Exorcist around 10 more times. The Sting, on the other hand, I return to almost on a yearly basis - around 40 viewings (it's such fun to watch). That's no knock on The Exorcist's quality, it's just a tough film to get through and I have to prepare myself for the experience. And it's not the only 1970s film I have a problem with. A couple of months ago, Dog Day Afternoon came on TCM. As great as that film is, after around 15 minutes I realized I wasn't in the mood for the emotional meat grinder that it is, and turned the station to something else. On the other hand, Amadeus and The Godfather, two other hard hitting dramas, I have no problem watching over and over, and if those films are on TV, I never turn them off. Can't explain why some great films have a re-watchability that others don't.
very valid points re "re-watchability" and "have to prepare myself for the experience".
@@thedys70 agreed!
Great film The Exorcist and definately ahead of it’s time and it still holds up today. Wonderfully crafted by William Friedkin and the poster for the film is great and timeless!!! Love your channel been watching it since the beginning.
Love you! Love this channel! Love your voice, both literally and figuratively. Love! Thank you for another great video! !! !!
Happy 50th Anniversary!!! 12-26-73 Yes, Ellen Burstyn was robbed!! 😮😊
( Aside: “A Shot in the Dark” is flipping hilarious and y’all youngsters should go see it.)
First time on the channel..excellent, well researched content..going to check out more..
..as for The Exorcist, the pieces I saw when I was 9 terrified me..then it horrified and paralyzed me when I saw the whole thing at 12..
..slept the whole Summer with my lights on..even though I am now grown and don't hold the same beliefs I did when I was a child, the film remains one of my favorites to this day..can't say anything else has come close to having the same impact..
XO
Good video, but I think you missed one IMO major factor that hurt The Exorcist’s Oscar chances, and that’s William Friedkin himself. Along with his controlling and sometimes abusive behavior on set, which is well documented, he was a very abrasive person to the studios. Maybe the Oscar win for French Connection went to his head, maybe not, but in an era where Hollywood was full of difficult directors, he was standing out. Why I think this was a factor can be traced back 4 years earlier. Sam Peckinpah released the ultraviolent “Wild Bunch,” a box office hit now regarded as one of the best westerns ever made. That movie got nominated for score and screenplay, and that’s it. And much of the blame was settled on the fact that studios just didn’t like Sam Peckinpah, whose personality was basically Friedkin, but with an out of control drinking problem. You can tell by Friedkin’s later films that studios were almost setting him up to fail (not delaying “Sorcerer’s” release date and letting it get crushed by “Star Wars,” not throwing their support behind him and Pacino with “Cruising” and trying to get out of theaters as fast as possible, etc.) I’m betting he was a factor.
I don’t think Friedkin gave much of a damn if people really liked him or not. He was quite difficult yes, but he was still respected by many of his collaborators and maintained a legacy of gems and cult classics. But yeah it’s possible the stories of what happened on the set of this movie might’ve hurt the Oscar chances, but the Academy rarely honors unless you’re “Silence of the Lambs”
@@LucyLioness100the whole “Academy doesn’t like horror” is a bit of a cop out. Most horror movies in the 70s and 80s didn’t get awards attention because studios had started using the genre to try out young, relatively inexperienced directors to see if they could handle running a set and turning in a movie on time and under budget. Hell, Oliver Stone, after winning an Oscar for writing, could only get “The Hand” as his first studio directing job.
I love your voice so much, and content obviously, when I watch one video I need to watch more! Lol your voice is just so… idk, calming, soothing. You are SO talented and smart btw!
Love your videos! Thanks for the upload ❤
one of my favourite TH-cam channels covering one of my favourite movies! I am in heaven.
I would love to see your take on what horror performances or movies should have won or been in contention for an Oscar!
It's a freaking shame that horror gets snubbed by the Academy. There are so many films in the genre that are deserving of an Oscar & I've never understood why horror isn't a permanent category & isn't even considered during award season. Such a missed opportunity.
There aren't a lot of films that have truly scared me. This one not only did, but to this day my heart starts pounding & I break into a cold sweat just seeing the title. It's one of the few that have left a lasting impression on me. It makes me sad that most of us will never have the experience of the movie goers that saw a movie like "The Exorcist" in 1973. We've become so desensitized to the things we watch that it would take something insane to have a similar experience. The closest I've come is when I saw "Hereditary."
The Oscars are a party for individuals to show off how cool they are. It is not a LEGIT ceremony for movies LOL
Bless you for putting the quote on JF in there. An icon.
Thank you for another insightful video. Excellent work, as always.
omg i am so excited to hear your take on this masterpiece!! gem on gem!!
I reacted to The Devils getting mentioned with the same excitement I imagine Marvel fans reacted to Iron Man's cameo at the end of the Hulk movie
When we hit the 4 week mark on previous videos, I obsessively check for new videos. Every. Single. Time. I am initially irritated that I waited x amount of time for a video (pretty much just a month each time) and every single time think "My GOD this better be worth it!" and every time it is always SOOO worth it!
Broye and Be Kind videos at the same day? What a blast, it feels like early christmas
Hard as it may be to believe anyone would stand in line that long to see a film, back then there was no cable, video rentals, or of course Netflix. This was THE only way to see a major motion picture
Very interesting and informative video.. Wasn't The Silence of the Lambs the last horror film to win in all major categories?
I genuinely think The Exorcist is the greatest film of all time and it's a crime places like Sight & Sound and AFI have never really recognized it. And if you're curious, I'm not a religious person.
WAS WAITING FOR THIS FOR SO LONG!! Time to get my cup of wine and watch 👀💕✨
oh have a whole bottle; 'tis a time for celebration!
@@thedys70 Indeed!
Since you mention The Devils (1971)... #ReleaseTheRussellCut
My mom ordered the Un Cut "new" version in the 90s when it was released on Pay Per view. I think i was 9 and the neighbor kid came to visit. My mom had to pick up my sister, so we were left alone watching the movie until my mom got back. We got halfway in, before we got scared and turned it off and watched powerpuff girls or whatever cartoon was big at the time. When my mom got back she was like "what happened why did you stop watching it?" and we told my mom about the stair scene because that scared us the most, and she thought we were lying because she had never seen that scene 😂 I believe we turned it off when her head turned 160°😅
New Be Kind Rewind video, maybe nature is healing!
This video is hilarious and amazing... and more discussion on The Devils is demanded!
Definitely a great subject to discuss and a fresh new learning tool on a subject I thought I knew all there was to know about it, having watched all of the docs she mentioned. Read the book twice back in High School but can't remember if I did before or after I saw the movie? I know I watched it on probably HBO one weekend when I was 16 (so 1987) and my parents were away for the weekend and I had a few friends over to watch it because my dad told me not to watch it alone. We were all scared stiff! Figure it was winter '87 so the year was pretty much still new, and we were older than the movie so it still has some relevance to kids my age. I mean Psycho f'd me up when I watched it the one and only time until I was in my 20's (I watched it before The Exorcist) . I remember watching the James Browlin/Margo Kidder version of The Amityville Horror on TV about 5 years after it's 1979 release and I watched it alone one Sunday afternoon at my grandparents house while they were away for the day. They had cable. When they rolled up the driveway I guess my grandmother asked my grandfather "Now why does the house lit up like a Christmas tree!?" I was 14 & terrified! I'd also read the book. I read all those books. Ironically the night we watched The Exorcist and after we crashed in my room tell me why racoons picked that very night to get into the crawl space above my room and scratch around all night!
Superb BKR 💖
One of my top 5 favorite films of any genre. Fantasy, sci-fi, and horror BUILT Hollywood. I loved the strong female survivors in sci-fi and horror that use their brains to get out of trouble. And the Academy needs to finally get a clue.
They used to show it on broadcast tv when i was in middle school. My sister & I would watch it, but only if our mom was with us.
oh, your alive nice to have you back :)
Thanks for discussing one of my favorite films. Well-done, well-researched. Shawn R., Mo-Mutt Music/Sacred & Secular
Random question- What Newspaper database do you use for your research?
As pre-teen kids in the late '70s, my cousin and I were obsessed with the films like The Exorcist, The Omen and Rosemary's Baby! We also watched The 700 Club every day (some televangelist show that was obsessed with the end of the world coming) and reading the Book of Revelations. We basically went through a phase where wanted to become priests in order to perform exorcists!! The Exorcist made me want to be a priest sooo bad- cuz Priests fighting demons are badassses!!
Thanks for the vid
I saw this film back in the day, in December of '73. And, I remember being very spooked, & it stayed with me for several days. The theology was intense, & I grappled with it for months. In the end, I came to see it as a movie with a profound message. So be it.------------------------ MJL, 77 y/o
I seriously feel like I manifested this. After that last exorcist movie came out with Ellen, and everyone did their own analysis of the movie…the same analysis...i was hoping to hear your take and angle on the history.