The Exorcist
Dec. 16th, 2025 05:43 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
varidogThe Exorcist didn't proceed as I expected. It existed at a unique time in film, and so it proceeded by pioneering, doing things in a way that other films did not.
What I found most interesting is that the first half of the film involved the useless medical industry. Worse than useless, it was actively harmful, with nothing but tests and pills. When science couldn't reach an answer, it doubled down on more science, but it got very clear, very quickly that science had no answers.
It's not only our subject who is sick, but society is also sick. We see that in the film being made, with the protests that inspired the film. This film was not made for those who were protesting, but those who viewed such protests with disdain.
Even the priest is sick. He doubts his faith.
Thus, we see the evil on society.
I believe that this film shows up when the Hayes Code has been overturned. When the demon speaks with a potty mouth, I feel sure that it utters all SEVEN of the forbidden film words. The shock here is not merely visual, but social and verbal. These are the words that you never hear uttered in films. These words break a social barrier.
I hadn't known that The Exorcist takes place in Georgetown. I know those stairs. I see them when we drive in. I always love seeing the DC of yesterday.
I enjoyed seeing all that old radiology equipment and how it worked.
The film takes its time getting to the actual exorcism. I think that's to build verisimilitude. The possession is that that more horrible because the film feels so real.
Sometimes the film jumps, and you just have to follow the logic. The possessed girl goes from okay to seeing doctors in just a few scenes. Maybe they had some more scenes in there and they were cut for time.
Today, some things about the film feel dated and silly. We've seen fifty years of such shenanigans on screen. The shocking and surprising parts and no longer so shocking and surprising. The true surprises are how it deals with tropes, because it predates so many tropes.
On the whole, it's still worth a watch, but I won't put it down as a must-see.
What I found most interesting is that the first half of the film involved the useless medical industry. Worse than useless, it was actively harmful, with nothing but tests and pills. When science couldn't reach an answer, it doubled down on more science, but it got very clear, very quickly that science had no answers.
It's not only our subject who is sick, but society is also sick. We see that in the film being made, with the protests that inspired the film. This film was not made for those who were protesting, but those who viewed such protests with disdain.
Even the priest is sick. He doubts his faith.
Thus, we see the evil on society.
I believe that this film shows up when the Hayes Code has been overturned. When the demon speaks with a potty mouth, I feel sure that it utters all SEVEN of the forbidden film words. The shock here is not merely visual, but social and verbal. These are the words that you never hear uttered in films. These words break a social barrier.
I hadn't known that The Exorcist takes place in Georgetown. I know those stairs. I see them when we drive in. I always love seeing the DC of yesterday.
I enjoyed seeing all that old radiology equipment and how it worked.
The film takes its time getting to the actual exorcism. I think that's to build verisimilitude. The possession is that that more horrible because the film feels so real.
Sometimes the film jumps, and you just have to follow the logic. The possessed girl goes from okay to seeing doctors in just a few scenes. Maybe they had some more scenes in there and they were cut for time.
Today, some things about the film feel dated and silly. We've seen fifty years of such shenanigans on screen. The shocking and surprising parts and no longer so shocking and surprising. The true surprises are how it deals with tropes, because it predates so many tropes.
On the whole, it's still worth a watch, but I won't put it down as a must-see.
no subject
Date: 2025-12-18 07:19 am (UTC)