The Exorcist
Cinema is a screen onto which we can project our fears, torments and the monstrosities of the world. The screen protects us from what we see, but cinema has also permanently anchored our nightmares around a few powerful images (empty houses, hostile attics and basements, demonic masks, bloodcurdling grimaces, disturbing postures). Throughout the summer, the Cinémathèque québécoise will be presenting a series of films encompassing more than one hundred and twenty years of horror, reminding us that what scares us most is to make the deepest of our fears tangible and credible.
Full Version
Chris, a single actress, is fighting a desperate battle against an evil entity that has taken possession of the body of her 12-year-old daughter, Regan. Unable to explain the disturbing events taking place in her home, Chris calls on Father Damien Karras, a priest tormented by his own faith, to exorcise her daughter's demonic spirit. Their battle against evil unfolds in an intense confrontation between good and evil, testing their faith and courage.
In 2001, a reworked version of The Exorcist was released. Under persistent pressure from Blatty, Friedkin agreed to rework the film's editing and include scenes that had been cut. This is the version presented here.
William Friedkin
William Friedkin is an American film director, screenwriter and producer. In 1965, he produced and directed the documentary The People vs. Paul Crump which won the Golden Gate award at the 1962 San Francisco International Film Festival. In 1967, Friedkin directed his first theatrical film, Good Times, a musical comedy starring the duo Sonny and Cher. He then went on to direct two huge commercial successes, now considered classics of American cinema: the crime drama French Connection in 1971 and the fantasy drama The Exorcist in 1973.
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