Warners – EricReports

In 1977, Warner Bros. released the long anticipated sequel to the 1973 blockbuster “The Exorcist”. Weekend box-office receipts were huge, but the reviews were terrible – so bad that the film was re-edited, then re-released. The new cuts didn’t help much and the “Exorcist II” died a quick death.

Backstory. “Exorcist II” was directed by John Boorman, known best for “Deliverance” (1972.) Boorman hated the original film, said it “wasn’t uplifting”, which may account as to why this one is so different.

Jon Voight was originally cast as Father Lamont. Voight asked for script changes to make it “more believable.” After three screenplay revisions, Voight still unsatisfied, quit. (Star Linda Blair said that with each rewrite, it only became worse.) Richard Burton replaces him.

Ellen Burstyn (as Chris MacNeil, the possessed girl’s mother) refuses to take part. Still on board are Linda Blair as Regan MacNeil, Kitty Wynn as Sharon and Max Van Sydow as Father Merrin.

PLOT: The Catholic Church decides to investigate what killed Father Merrin in an exorcism, sending Father Lamont (Richard Burton.) Regan MacNeil is now undergoing hypnotherapy with her psychiatrist Dr. Gene Tuskin (Louise Fletcher.) Father Lamont participates in these sessions and finds that the demon “Pazuzu” still lurks within, prohibiting Regan from her true destiny.

Dr. Tuskin is skeptical. Major plot point: Science vs. religion.

Regan, besides being an artist, miraculously heals an autistic girl by briefly speaking with her. She also has some psychic abilities and is “in synch” with the priest.

Thru flashbacks, it’s revealed that Father Merrin’s previous exorcism was of a boy named Kokumo – a healer in Africa who has the power to drive away locusts. Lamont comes to the conclusion that it is “great goodness that attracts evil,” in an attempt to destroy it.

Lamont, against the church’s orders, travels to Africa. He sees that his visions are correct.

Weirdest Scene. As Regan dances onstage – Father Lamont is attacked by an angry mob. They think he’s in league with Satan. Regan feels his pain and goes into seizures. Lamont barely escapes.

Lamont, with the help of “Ecumenical Edwards” (Ned Beatty) finds Kokumo (James Earl Jones), now a scientist who is breeding a new locust that will resist its destructive tendencies.

“The Good Locust.”

Returning to the states, Lamont meets Regan, they go into synch again, where the spirit of Father Merrin tells him to guard her against evil. Instead, Lamont takes Regan back to Georgetown, back to where the original exorcism took place. Dr. Tuskin and Sharon find out and while rushing there, they are met with a plague of locusts. Their taxi crashes next to the house.

In that house, Lamont meets the second Regan – the evil one. The demon-possessed twin urges Lamont to kill the good Regan, but he realizes that he must kill the evil one, by “tearing out her heart.”

A larger swarm of locusts descends, smashing into the house. Lamont kills the evil Regan. Good Regan begins twirling an instrument thru the air (the same used by Kokumo.) This calms down the locusts. Lamont and Regan leave, the evil one vanquished.

First, the highpoints. Camerawork (by William Fraker) is exceptional, some of the shots are starkly beautiful. Louise Fletcher’s look when she realizes Regan’s drawing foretold the future… Father Lamont’s first meeting Kokumo and when Regan sleepwalks on top of the roof.

Music is by the legendary composer Ennio Morricone.

Some costly set decoration – Regan’s glassy penthouse apartment is remarkable.

Richard Burton’s performance. By 1977, he was divorced from Liz Taylor and on the wagon, anxious to prove he could still act. He gives it one hundred percent.

What Went Wrong? The storyline goes off in too many directions. The strobe-light hypnosis sessions go on for too long – the effect is irritating. The idea that the Catholic Church would investigate a four year old exorcism is farfetched. (Isn’t that a job for the police?) The grand finale is so over the top, but where else are you going to see Richard Burton tear out Linda Blair’s heart?

The 70’s has been called Hollywood’s Silver Age and it would be fair to say that the “Exorcist II” could only happen in the 70’s.

A framed image of a nude couple kissing – she with her eye open – against a purple background. Below the picture frame are the film's credits. Due to increased interest in this article, further content has been added in RED text.

In the special features section, on the “Eyes Wide Shut” DVD, there are three interviews, labeled under “Cast & Crew”. Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman and Steven Spielberg. (Why is Spielberg listed as a crew member? Because he helped cut the missing 29 minutes.)

Contrary to what Warner Bros. execs said at the time, they were not “delighted” with the original version of “Eyes Wide Shut”. They didn’t like it, didn’t understand it and wanted cuts. Director Stanley Kubrick said “no,” (he had final authority), until he was found dead four days later from a heart attack.

Edited scene: Originally, Alice does have a brief sexual encounter with Sander Szavost at the Christmas party. (Song follows, titled “Baby did a Bad Thing”.)

Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut (1999): A satirical comedy about an affluent middle-class ...

Sky du Mont as Sander Szavost with Nicole Kidman as Alice.

Edited: Victor Ziegler (Sydney Pollack) is betraying Bill Harford (Tom Cruise.) Alice (Nicole Kidman) is being used as a sex slave by the Illuminati-like lodge, and by Ziegler himself.

See the source image

Probably the most interesting sequence rumored to be cut is Alice Harford’s dream, which Nicole Kidman mentions indirectly. The interviewer asks her why did she laugh while sleeping? Kidman replies, “I was laughing at the imagery of the dream.” Apparently, her character is a victim of a secret society (the Illuminati) and she’s remembering her MK-Ultra programming thru the dream.

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Warner Bros. were especially disturbed by whatever was in this scene.

Further proof of the cut dream sequence occurs at the film’s conclusion. At the toy store, Helena Harford (Madison Eginton) picks up a Barbie doll with wings. In the edited dream, Alice is seen “flying”. [ILLUMINATI BUTTERFLY SYBOLISM.]

Helena Harford shows mother an image of her other half.

See the source image

Not edited, but not easily understood are the final scenes. The daughter appears separated from her parents, while Alice keeps Bill occupied in conversation. (As their daughter is being taken away by the secret society.)

Nicole Kidman said she’s seen the movie twice. Is this a hint, i.e., once the original, twice, the cut version?

Of the three interviewed, she’s the only one who cries, saying Kubrick’s death “seemed wrong” and “that he had more to say.”

Tom Cruise describes his director as a “magical, wonderful guy.”

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Tom Cruise with director Stanley Kubrick.

“Eyes Wide Shut”, three years in the making, was wearing on Cruise, who both “dreaded and looked forward to ending” the Dr. Bill Harford character. Kubrick said, “Every scene, every moment, has to be earned.” Cruise asks, “Just tell me how long is this gonna take? Two years?” Kubrick laughed, saying, “Tom, if it took that long, then everything they say about us is true!” When asked about his death, Cruise replies that he had great concern for the movie – another indication that he was telling us something happened to “Eyes Wide Shut” after the director died.

Stanley Kubrick & Steven Spielberg

The Salieri of the piece is Steven Spielberg, who doesn’t talk about “Eyes Wide Shut” at all. He mentions that he didn’t like “The Shining” at first, that Jack Nicholson’s performance was “Kabuki theater”; however, “Stanley’s films grow on you over time.” For him, Kubrick’s best gifts were “his friendship” and “his impeccable craft, his compositions, and his films.”

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Sketches for Kubrick’s concept for “A.I.”

In another interview, not on this DVD, Spielberg claims that Kubrick wanted him to direct “A.I.” (Artificial Intelligence.) Kubrick would produce it. What most people aren’t aware of is that Spielberg completely rewrote the script Kubrick wrote. “A.I” (based on the short story “Summer Toys Last All Summer Long” by Brian Aldiss.) “A.I.” was headed for darker themes, something Steven Spielberg wanted no part of. Thus, with “A.I.” we have a Disneyized version of an unrealized Stanley Kubrick film.

As for any hope for the missing “Eyes Wide Shut” footage reappearing, it ain’t gonna happen. The cast, the crew and Kubrick’s family have been sworn to secrecy. Warners denies there ever were any major cuts. (There is what is called the “European Version” containing 90 seconds more of orgy footage.)

A positive note: only Stanley Kubrick would’ve dared make this movie and there are still clues to what can be learned from it.

Eyes Wide Shut (1999) [957 × 1350] by Aleksander Szczepaniak : MoviePosterPorn | Classic horror ...

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Exorcist II – The Heretic (Maybe not the worst sequel ever made)

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