Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977)

Note des utilisateurs:

3.5/10   

Réalisateur:

John Boorman

Writers:

William Peter Blatty (characters)
William Goodhart (written by)

Release Date:

17 juin 1977 (USA)

Genre:

Fantasy | Horror | Sci-Fi

Accroche:

It's four years later...what does she remember?

Plot:

A girl once possessed by a demon finds that it still lurks within her. Meanwhile, a priest investigates the death of the girl's exorcist.

Plot Keywords:

Demon | Girl | Priest | Locust | Africa

Awards:

3 nominations

Avis des utilisateurs:

Homage to Teilhard de Chardin disguised as horror/sequel

Ensemble

Linda Blair	...	Regan MacNeil
Richard Burton	...	Father Philip Lamont
Louise Fletcher	...	Dr. Gene Tuskin
Max von Sydow	...	Father Merrin
Kitty Winn	...	Sharon Spencer
Paul Henreid	...	The Cardinal
James Earl Jones	...	Older Kokumo
Ned Beatty	...	Edwards
Belinda Beatty	...	Liz (as Belinha Beatty)
Rose Portillo	...	Spanish Girl
Barbara Cason	...	Mrs. Phalor
Tiffany Kinney	...	Deaf Girl
Joey Green	...	Young Kokumo
Fiseha Dimetros	...	Young Monk
Ken Renard	...	Abbot

Autre(s) titre(s):

Exorcist 2: The Heretic (USA) (alternative spelling)
The Exorcist 2 (International: English title) (informal alternative title)
L'exorciste II: L'hérétique (France) [fr]
L'hérétique (L'exorciste II) (France) [fr]

Durée:

118 min

Pays:

USA

Langue:

Anglais | Français

Couleur:

Couleur (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Son:

Mono

Classification:

Iceland:16 | Italy:VM14 | Netherlands:16 | South Korea:15 | Argentina:X (Banned until 1983) | Argentina:13 (re-rating) | Australia:M | Canada:14A | Finland:K-18 | France:-12 | Hong Kong:III | Ireland:15 | Norway:18 | Singapore:NC-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R

Emplacements De Pelliculage:

Glen Canyon, Utah, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Anecdotes:

When the role of Dr. Tuskin was still written as male, Chris Sarandon, George Segal, and David Carradine were considered. John Boorman passed on Sarandon, and George Segal's salary demands were too high. When the decision was made to make Dr. Tuskin a woman, the screenwriter suggested Jane Fonda or Ann-Margret before Boorman decided upon casting Louise Fletcher.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Regan wakes up in hospital, she removes the IV needle from her arm, but in subsequent shots, there is no IV drip bag stand next to her bed.

Guillemet:

[first lines]
[pre-release version]
Father Lamont: [narrating] Father Lanchester Merrin died in Georgetown near Washington, D.C. while attempting to exorcise a 12-year-old child, Regan MacNeil.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "E! True Hollywood Story: Curse of the Exorcist" (2004)

Soundtrack:

Lullaby of Broadway

Homage to Teilhard de Chardin disguised as horror/sequel

As the most of the commentators argued here, this film has some serious flaws which make it very hard to comprehend. The story line is inconsistent, the acting disjointed and inadequate, not to mention that it represents a new conceptual whole, essentially detached from its predecessor. Still, it has certain qualities - some original visual effects, photography, great atmosphere (especially the scenes in Africa).

Also, put in a broader context, this film manages to capture a part of intellectual ambiance of the late seventies, introducing ideas and concepts that were then considered pseudo-scientific and fanciful, only to become legitimate subject matter of serious research, two decades later. The collapse of humanity into one group mind (obvious references to de Chardin's notion of noosphere, drawn by father Lamont), the parallels between insect (locust) and human society regarding the spread of destructive/violent behavior (check mass psychology, research on swarm intelligence, the popularity of Steven Johnson's 'Emergence' etc.)

So, for those of you expecting horror movie chills and thrills - you should skip this one. But for those of you interested in how quirky scientific ideas inspire pop-culture pieces like 'The Heretic' - it is highly recommended.