United States

The belief in evil. And the belief that evil can be cast out. From these two strands of faith, author William Peter Blatty and director William Friedkin wove a frightening, explicit and realistic story of an innocent girl inhabited by a malevolent entity. As a university student in 1949, Blatty first read news accounts of the reported exorcism of a 14-year-old boy in Mt Rainer, Maryland. Two decades later he wrote the novel that remained on the best sellers list for over a year. In The Exorcist, Blatty hoped to frame the unending battle between good and evil in a dramatically compelling and philosophically provocative narrative. Director William Friedkin's film version, which shocked millions of viewers world-wide, has the same goal. Friedkin whose previous film The French Connection won him the Academy Award for Best Director, balances touching and sympathetic performances by Linda Blair, as the helpless girl Regan, and Ellen Burstyn, as her desperate mother, against Jason Miller's portrayal of the doubting Father Karras and Max Von Sydow's quiet, authoritative role as Father Merrin, the Jesuit Exorcist summoned to cast the demon out. The Exorcist received 1973 Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, Director, Actress, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, and Cinematography. It won Academy Awards for Best Screenplay and Sound. In its unflinching presentation of bizarre phenomena and strong language, The Exorcist can be a harrowing experience. But its journey through the long dark night of the soul also states a powerful message of courage and hope in the face of inexplicable forces seemingly beyond our control.