Regan: Linda Blair	Chris MacNeil: Ellen Burstyn
Father Karrass: Jason Miller	Father Merrin: Max von Sydow
Detective Kinderman: Lee J. Cobb	Burke: Jack MacGowran
Sharon: Kitty Winn	Director: William Friedkin
Father Dyer: Rev William O'Malley

30 Second Bottom Line: The devil possesses a teenage girl and turns her into a demon. After first thinking her daughter has a chemical imbalance or a severe emotional problem, the mother eventually brings in a Catholic priest to perform an Exorcism. The spirit of God fights the tyranny of the devil.

Story Line: Father Merrin (Max von Sydow) is in Northern Iraq on an archeological dig when he finds an item that foreshadows the powerful force of evil at work in the world. Fade to Georgetown, and the home of Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn), a well-known actress and mother, living in a rented house in Washington DC. They are on a film shoot and expect to go back to California in the near future.

Regan (Linda Blair) is the teenage daughter who shows her mother Chris that it only takes one to use a Ouija Board. Chris is not sure if she sees the disk on the board move by itself or whether Regan is very quick handed. It happens so fast that she dismisses it as simply a game. After Chris hears strange noises in the house, she notices that Regan begins to act like a whacked out teenager. Regan is diagnosed with a nervous disorder and is given the children's version of Prozac… Ritalin. The doctors assure her that this will help. Rather than getting better, Regan gets worse.

Some noises come from the attic and some from Regan's room. Going into the room after hearing heavy thumping sounds, Chris sees the legs of the bed moving on their own. When she tells the doctors what she saw with her own eyes, they offer two suggestions. One is long term hospitalization for Regan, and the other is an exorcism. Some choice.

Chris contacts Father Karrass (Jason Miller) at a nearby Catholic church, who is assigned to do the exorcism with the assistance of Father Merrin, because of his prior experience.

The special effects were leading edge in 1973 and they are just as powerful today. The feeling generated by the film touches the human spirit and is based on what you think more so than what you see. The former gets to the essence of evil, while the latter is more often than not, just trick photography.

Detective Kinderman (Lee J. Cobb) is suspicious about the death of Burke (Jack MacGowran), a friend of the family and the director of Chris's film. Chris's assistant, Sharon (Kitty Winn), leaves the house while Burke watches Regan. Burke falls from the window of Regan's bedroom and is killed. To Kinderman, it does not look like an accident.

By this time, Regan is confined to her bed with restraints, her face is covered with pustules and cuts, with crazed eyes, and she speaks in foul-mouthed tongues. Enter Fathers Karrass and Merrin to perform the exorcism, which we know will shake more than the rafters. Without doubt, this is the best fight on film between the devil and God.

Tell Me More About It: First released in 1973, this Directors Cut adds more subliminal images, additional scenes and a different ending. Some add to the quality of the film and one detracts. The changes appear to have been made to enhance the marketability of the film rather than to add to its quality.

The Exorcist has a timeless feel to it. Even the clothing does not seem dated yet we know it is. Older cars time stamp the era to a degree, but they're hardly noticeable. The addition that serves as a distraction is a reference at the end to Jackie Gleason and Lucille Ball. They will likely forever be in TV reruns so just about everyone, regardless of age, knows who these actors are even though they have been deceased for quite some time.

The one major thing that makes director Friedkin look like a genius is that a movie close to 30 years old, covering a topic that we know little about, may be rooted largely in reality. The film was based upon a true story, and the week before the 2000 version was released, the Chicago Archdiocese announced that they now have a full time Exorcist! This is a scary fact.

Any parent with a child who is taking Ritalin or similar drugs is under high stress. Taking drugs should be a measure of last resort to control behavior that is way out of bounds. What the parent remembers is their sweet child before the acting out began against a reality that if unchecked, will result in dreadful consequences. The Exorcist shows us how little progress has been made in the last three decades in treating our children. Things are worse, not better as evidenced by numerous school shootings across the country.

As I recall, The Exorcist opened the day after Christmas in 1973. While certainly not a feel good movie to celebrate the birth of Christ, marketing considerations for the film have always been high on the list of the studio. They did it then and they are at it again. For a re-release it's quite good, but as Marvin Gaye said, "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing".

Linda Blair: Scream	Ellen Burstyn: Playing By Heart
Jason Miller: Mommy	Max von Sydow: Snow Falling on Cedars
William Friedkin: Rules of Engagement	Jack MacGowran: King Lear