Double film review: The Exorcist (1973) / The Ninth Configuration (1980)
My film review today focuses on ‘The Exorcist’ and its lesser known follow-up ‘The Ninth Configuration’. This write-up will analyse two thirds of a trilogy of novel-come-movies created by author William Peter Blatty. It is a departure from my recent output, however I trust you’ll take something from it as you read on.
At the heart of both stories lies the never-ending question of theology: ‘Exorcist’ deals with the fear of God, whereas ‘Ninth’ focuses on the search for God. Evil becomes an obstacle in both because:
1.) The devil himself believes in God, and
2.) Evil wants to disrupt goodness, any way possible.
“Especially important is the warning to avoid conversations with the demon. We may ask what is relevant but anything beyond that is dangerous. He is a liar. The demon is a liar. He will lie to confuse us. But he will also mix lies with the truth to attack us.” – Fr. Merrin to Fr. Karras (The Exorcist)
Beginning with ‘Exorcist’- a phenomenon in itself which started its controversial profile when published as a novel in 1971. Fundamentally the story is about good versus evil, based on a reported real-life incident in 1949 where a young boy in the southern United States was possessed by a demon for six weeks, until a priest ultimately rid him of it. There are no experts on the subject of exorcism due to their infrequency and the authorisation required by the Roman Catholic church.
Many will not touch ‘Exorcist’ for its devilish connotations. That said, it got people talking upon release and still does today. Is this because of the religious links? Because a pre-teenage girl becomes the victim and acts incredibly out of character? Or due to the lengths production went to create special effects minus computer technology? Until one experiences it for themselves the question cannot be objectively answered but, like a good story should do, it suspends the disbelief of the audience enough to care either way about the fate of the young girl; how long such an ordeal can go on for; what happens next for the characters after all is said and done - and how prominent are the themes of good and evil.
The backdrop portrays a drama of a real family going through real-life situation; in this case a female actor (Ellen Burstyn), recently separated from her husband, is juggling her career making a movie and raising her daughter (Linda Blair) with help from her PA (Kitty Wynn). The very beginning could easily yield to a mystery with Fr. Merrin (Max Von Sydow) in Iraq on an archaeological excavation, discovering an ornament that represents the Pazuzu demon he would later exorcise from young Regan.
Parallels form as both stories progress. In ‘Exorcist’, the character of Fr. Karras (Jason Miller) becomes a tragic figure: he struggles with his faith, his mother dies before his introduction to Regan, and he then loses his own life upon the ultimate exorcising of the latter’s demon. In ‘The Ninth Configuration’, Cpt. Cutshaw (Scott Wilson) is adamant in his debates with Col. Kane (Stacy Keach) that he doesn’t believe in God - subconsciously enforcing he actually has more faith as an atheist than the average Christian whom in comparison may be more moderate in their belief - yet experiences an epiphany at the end via the re-discovery of his St Christopher’s medal. Whereas Miller’s clerical role in ‘Exorcist’ is doomed, in ‘Ninth’ his Lt. Reno character goes the other extreme by trying to cast dogs for a Shakespeare play.
Both films pose the incessant theological question about what faith is - its origins - in a world where often we’re shrouded in bleakness or at least an extended directors cut of 2020! In ‘Exorcist’ the sub-zero temperature of Regan’s room is inhospitable, with the demon’s presence seemingly filling the room. The two priest’s hearts are filled with a fear that crushes one’s chest, thus suffocating the light. When taking ‘The Ninth Configuration’, then comparing and contrasting it with ‘Exorcist’, it’s worth pointing out that the action in both predominantly emanates from a building with an imposing exterior and are generally centred in each frame they appear in: the castle-like asylum that sets the stage for most of the activity in ‘Ninth’ begins the film as an ominous visual standing tall among grim weather. In ‘Exorcist’ the McNeil’s grand house on a Georgetown street famously dominates the poster image of Fr Merrin exiting a taxi, complete with street light eerily juxtaposing the darkness.
Light and dark contrast occasionally albeit consistently through both, with little to progressively less lighting visible to underscore the respectively dark journeys that each film takes you on, however we do see light in each film’s concluding scene. The author finally takes us out of the proverbial tunnel, showing there is still a bright daylight and, foremostly, hope for both Regan and Cutshaw individually. This however leads to one criticism I have about ‘Exorcist’: after she is freed from possession and having been visibly horrendously scarred – with actor Blair‘s legendary make-up leaving lasting impressions on audiences forever – her appearance goes back to normal. Not a mark in place. Perhaps this was Friedkin deliberately saving some face for Regan, although I would daresay after such an ordeal physical, as much as the psychological scars, would remain.
How one categorises ‘Ninth’ is less easy. The tone of the narrative bounces from comedy to drama to psychological back to comical to thriller to horror, finishing on an almost romantic ending albeit without a traditional love story but more idealistic in how we find the eventual hero Cutshaw leaving the sanatorium compound for the last time. It can be argued ‘Ninth’ hides behind its humour whereas ‘Exorcist’ is more in-your-face. With the prime protagonist Kane’s own identity, he arrives in the building with the job of helping the patients based there. It is revealed he is actually a patient himself brought in by Col. Fell (Ed Flanders), who ironically becomes more influential on the hospital’s patients than the actual psychiatrists working there.
The contrast in carnage between the two pictures are almost night and day, as ‘Exorcist’ is more explicit with the damage done – Regan’s bedroom becoming the site of every violent act imaginable - whilst ‘Ninth’ is more cerebral, via Vietnamese implications and Kane’s own flashbacks. Moods ebb and flow throughout ‘Ninth’, again questioning what identity of genre it should take. Unlike the hyper-tense ‘Exorcist’ that shows relief only through Lt. Kinderman’s (Lee J Cobb) frankly weak displays of humour, ‘Ninth’ follows its impressive ensemble cast through Monty Python-esque sequences, also recalling the dark comedy of ‘One Flew Over The Cuckoo Nest’ (1975), set in a similar medical facility. The range of blinding character performances in ‘Ninth’ reveal a different tone and tenor and feel more like a traditional movie style as opposed to ‘Exorcist’s docu-like urgency under Friedkin’s direction.
While ‘Ninth’ sees Kane begin to mentally unravel before his display of violence in the bar scene, one can be forgiven for being reminded of Jack Torrance in ‘The Shining’ (1980), whose own character change also occurred in a building - albeit a hotel - he too worked at, apparently isolated from everyday life outside. In this case Kane is trying to supress his murderous side with the hope of becoming good, whilst ‘Shining’s Torrance submits to his inner evil. ‘Ninth’ boasts arguably a more profound narrative with the only other comparison being the film originated out of a novel. Biblically speaking, Kane has been compared is like Samson: his psyche fragmented with the fog of war like Marlon Brandon Col. Kurtz in Apocalypse Now (1979). He could either be possessed or in his own personal hell, not knowing he is longing for redemption for what he’s done, as well as what’s been done to him. in bar scene he almost has super human strength. He almost brings the bikers’ temple down on himself metaphorically and merely sacrifices his life for Cutshaw, like his interjection earlier about goodness in this world.
“You’re convinced that God is dead because there’s evil in the world... Then why don’t you think he’s alive because of the goodness in the world?” – Col. Kane to Cpt. Culshaw (The Ninth Configuration)
One thing that cannot be coincidental at the heart of the theology is ‘Ninth’ lead actor, Stacy Keach. Not that long before his performance as Kane, he appeared in the mini-series ‘Jesus Of Nazareth’ (1977) as Barabbas, the prisoner released by Pontius Pilate opposite Robert Powell’s Christ on Good Friday towards the crucifixion. Without overthinking the matter, this writer theorises that, with knowledge from childhood of Keach’s pivotal biblical role, perhaps the face on screen in the subsequent Kane portrayal avoided death on the cross himself while offering a sacrifice of his own - as Kane, not Barabbas - when standing up for Cutshaw in the bar scene; itself a post-apocalyptic setting that would foreshadow John Carpenter’s ‘Escape From New York’ (1980), and where the gang leader wouldn’t look out of place auditioning for Snake Plissken. It is apparent from when Kane and Cutshaw are debating God from good versus evil - if God doesn’t exist because of all the evil in world, then what about all the good, (what about love and self-sacrifice which point to ending of the film) – that this is arguably Blatty’s deepest character study.
Trying to piece this analysis together was like a wrestle; not like Jacob wrestling with God overnight in the book of Genesis, although it’s certainly what I envisioned as the closest parallel. Perhaps that’s what Blatty was doing when he put pen to paper for his two original books. He takes two stories that challenge holy existence in various manners, thus challenging the audience as well. Aside from faith, another theme that recurs across the two is identity. Whereas with Jacob wrestling God resulted in the latter bestowing on him the new name of Israel, Regan transforms in to a possessed being inhabiting the evil Pazuzu in ‘Exorcist’ whilst in ‘Ninth’, Kane evolves from a calm demeanour that questions original sin’s origins to the violent "Killer Kane" he is perceived as within the institution he’s posted to. Furthermore, Kane sees himself as the twin brother of the “Killer” adding a further layer to the identity question when it’s actually the same guy. Each of these become journeys that the viewer is taken on, step-by-step.
The use of biblical scripture is evident among the eagled-eyed as a brief but important device halfway through the two. When Fr. Karras is celebrating mass he of course recites Christ’s words about his body and blood from the Last Supper with his disciples – a line featured throughout the gospels and 1st Corinthians. This becomes symbolic as Jesus would be crucified the day after his final meal with his followers, whilst Karras himself is the sacrificial lamb hat concludes Regan’s exorcism. In ‘Ninth’ Cutshaw states “Consider the lilies of the field” in Kane and Fall’s office – lifted from the Messiah’s “Do not worry” portion of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew ch. 6); a touch of irony as he journeys toward becoming his drama’s the most care-free character. More importantly, ‘Ninth’ concludes with his own redemption, following what was meant to be Kane’s. The New Testament is clearly in the shadows of the gospels according to Blatty.
So conclusively, the journeys that the author originally aimed to take his readers couldn’t be more like rollercoasters if they were constructed in a theme park. With highs and lows in violence, along questioning and re-questioning beliefs, there is plenty for one to get their teeth in to. Perhaps the point made in both movies is that, by sacrificing part of ourselves for others or someone special in our lives, love prevails.
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