Exorcist - The Beginning (Widescreen Edition)
by Renny Harlin
List Price:
Our Price: $1.95
You Save: $13.02 (87%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD details
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD details
Actor: Izabella Scorupco, James D'arcy, Stellan SkarsgardDirector: Renny Harlin
Brand: Warner Brothers
Producer: James G. Robinson
Producer: Guy Mcelwaine
Producer: David C. Robinson
Writer: Alexi Hawley
Writer: William Wisher
Writer: Caleb Carr
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: Widescreen, 2.35:1
Running Time: 114 minutes
Published: 2005-03-01
DVD Release Date: 2005-03-01
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Model: 24674
Studio: Warner Home Video
Product features:
- Prequel. Exorcist: The Beginning traces the story of Father Merrin back to his first encounter with the Devil during his missionary work in Africa.Running Time: 114 min. Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: HORROR Rating: R Age: 085392467426 UPC: 085392467426 Manufacturer No: 24674
DVD Reviews of Exorcist - The Beginning (Widescreen Edition)
DVD Review: "The Exorcist" prequel is not much better than the sequels
Summary: 3 Stars
"The Exorcist" is one of the monumental horror films in cinematic history and my oldest daughter was required to be in college before I would let her watch it (what they show on television does not count because of the editing and redubbing done to William Friedkin's film). A prequel certainly could not be any worse than the sequels that have already been perpetrated upon us (being horrified by the idea that Richard Burton would do anything for money is the only crack I will make about those twin abominations).
"The Exorcist: The Beginning" has a couple of links to the original film. First there is Lankester Merrin, now played by Stellan Skarsgård as a former priest turned archeologist. Then there is the statue of a demon that Merrin found in Iraq in the first film, which appeared behind the possessed Regan. However, since this film is set primarily in Africa I thought this would be the story of the exorcism that Father Merrin performed that lasted months and damn near killed him. However, that exorcism happened ten to twelve years before the events in "The Exorcist" and this story is set in 1949. But then when the film shifts from its gruesome prologue showing the aftermath of the slaughter of thousands of Christian troops from the Byzantine Empire to smiths beating metal I thought for sure one of them would turn around and having a milky white eye, just like in the original. The key point here is that those expecting anything like the original will be disappointed.
The prologue is certainly captivating and suggests that there is some connection between that event and what happens centuries later. However, at another point in the film it is said that the location is the legendary place where Lucifer fell when he was cast out of Heaven. Both are intriguing and potentially compatible, but you end up being able to pick and choose your interpretations for why what is happening is happening. A Byzantine church that should not be there is uncovered in Kenya and Merrin shows up to investigate it, although he is still plagued by personal demons because of a chilling encounter with the Nazis during World War II that led him to turn his back on the Church.
Once he arrives in Kenya, Merrin meets a doctor named Sarah (Izabella Scorupco), a young priest and Father Francis (James D'Arcy). The pair symbolizes a possible future and a troublesome past for the former priest, and when he makes his first trip inside the buried church and you start thinking this is "Raiders of the Lost Church," strange things start happening and the movie degrades into a case of "demon, demon, who's got the demon?" Let me now enumerate this film's primary deadly sins:
1. Stephen King once made a key distinction between horror, terror and the gross-out. This film does not have to try and distinguish between the first two because it goes primarily for the gross-out (i.e., the baby). In terms of horror there is nothing as effective as the film's prologue, which is not a good sign at all, and the computer-generated hyenas are laughable. "The Exorcist" had the most obscene scene in the history of films and the closest thing to that in this one are the flashbacks to Merrin's choice (The movie is R for "strong violence and gore, disturbing images and rituals, and for language including some sexual dialogue").
2. This film overuses misdirection, trying to get you to keep thinking "A" when it is really "B." Confusion does not make for either horror or terror. Even if you do not see the bait and switch coming, it does not make the exorcism any more personal for Merrin. Either way he has strong feelings about the personal being possessed, albeit for more symbolic reasons for one over the other.
3. The musical score by Trevor Rabin tries to reinforce the shock of every single attempt to generate a moment of horror in the film. The results are counterproductive as the music punches moments that are standard horror film attempts to make you jump. Yes, we all remember the use of "Tubular Bells" in "The Exorcist," but the primarily use of sound to affect the movie audience was electronic black, not musical overkill. Here the music is trying to do the heavy lifting to make up for the inadequacies on screen.
4. Too much of this film is derivative of the original. You know (or at least think you know) what is going on in this film because of what you saw in "The Exorcist." This cross-applies to my two point on misdirection, but also stands as an independent reason because the more obvious the reference (or homage, if you are so inclined to be more favorably predisposed to such things) the more it simply underscores how this movie is a pale shadow of the original.
This film was originally shot by Paul Schrader (writer of "Taxi Driver" and the script for "Raging Bull") and then massively reshot by Renny Harlin (director of "Die Hard 2," "The Long Kiss Goodnight"). Rumor has it the Schrader version will be released on DVD, which would certainly make for an interesting future double-feature. A good film could be made about Lankaster Merrin prior to the events in Georgetown, but this 2004 film is not it. Cinematgroapher Vittorio Storaro (an Oscar-winner for "Apocalypse Now" and "The Last Emperor") makes the scenes look better than they are, but that is not enough help.
The one thing I liked about the film was that when Merrin is confronted with the undeniable manifestation of evil, his faith is restored because proof of the devil is de facto proof of God. I still remember that in the wake of "The Exorcist" a poll revealed that more Americans believed in the devil than believed in God. At least Merrin learned the right lesson from his experiences.
Description of Exorcist - The Beginning (Widescreen Edition)
THIS TRACES THE STORY OF FATHER MERRIN BACK TO HIS FIRSTENCOUNTER WITH THE DEVIL DURING HIS MISSIONARY WORK IN AFRICA."This movie is cursed!" exclaimed movie-magazine headlines regarding Exorcist: The Beginning, but those dire warnings turned out to be exaggerated. Considering a tumultuous production history that actually did seem cursed, Renny Harlin's much-maligned prequel to The Exorcist is a surprisingly competent, serious-minded shocker filled with the same anxious foreboding that made the 1973 original so phenomenally effective. The story lacks focus and feels cobbled together (perhaps the result of its tortured development, which included the untimely death of original director John Frankenheimer), but Stellan Skarsgård is well-cast as Father (now Mr.) Merrin, a lapsed Catholic priest summoned to East Africa in 1949 to retrieve a demonic idol. He discovers a buried church, a vast underground cavern, demonic possession, and a legacy of carnage that preys upon guilt-ridden memories from his parish in Nazi-occupied Holland. Harlin delivers the gross-out moments that Warner Brothers demanded, but otherwise shows remarkable restraint while cinematographer Vittorio Storaro delivers doom-laden visual atmosphere. It's not the classic many were hoping for--not even close--but it's still a win-win scenario for horror fans, since it's rumored the unreleased and "abandoned" version directed by Paul Schrader will be paired with this film for its DVD release. Comparisons will no doubt prove interesting. --Jeff Shannon
Bestsellers in DVD
![The Story of Jeremiah [VHS] Image](/images/noimg.gif)
The Story of Jeremiah [VHS]Vision Video; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Wresting With God [VHS]by Vision Video
Vision Video; Published: 1990-10-01; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops:
Study Bible Video with Workbook [VHS]Spring Arbor Distributors; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $7.95
Price in other shops:
Tempo:Childrens TV Favourites Video [VHS]HarperCollins Audio; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $9.17
Price in other shops:
Tempo.Herbs:Parseley'Sb/ Party Video [VHS]HarperCollins Audio; VHS Tape; VHS Video
![Strike the Original Match [VHS] Image](/images/Strike-the-Original-Match-VHS-0001374079-X.jpg)
Strike the Original Match [VHS]New Liberty Films; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops:
![Medjugorje The Miracles and the Message [VHS] Image](/images/Medjugorje-The-Miracles-and-the-Message-VHS-0001373293-X.jpg)
Medjugorje The Miracles and the Message [VHS]JPN Film Production; Release date: 1995-12-15; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $29.99
Mayo Clinic Echocardiography Review Course for Boards and Recertification DVD 2008by Mayo
DVD
Price in other shops:
Pediatric Diagnostic Imaging DVD: Single Userby Oakstone
DVD
Price in other shops:
Cost Accounting [VHS]by Charles T. Horngren, George Foster, Srikant M. Datar, Howard Teall
Pearson Canada, Toronto; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Similar DVDs, VHS Video, Audio CDs
The Last ExorcismLGF; Release date: 2011-01-04; DVD
Best price: $4.37
Price in other shops:
The HauntingUniversal Studios; Release date: 1999-11-23; Published: 1999-11-01; DVD
Best price: $2.67
Price in other shops:
Poltergeist (25th Anniversary Edition)Warner Brothers; Release date: 2007-10-09; DVD
Best price: $5.67
Price in other shops:
The Omen (Widescreen Edition)TCFHE; Release date: 2006-10-17; Published: 2006-10-01; DVD
Best price: $1.89
Price in other shops:
The Ring (Widescreen Edition)Paramount; Release date: 2003-03-04; Published: 2003-03-01; DVD
Best price: $4.34
Price in other shops:
The Exorcism of Emily Rose (Unrated Special Edition)SONY PICTURES HOME ENT; Release date: 2005-12-20; Published: 2005; DVD
Best price: $2.96
Price in other shops:
Exorcist II: The Heretic (Snap Case Packaging)BLAIR,LINDA; Release date: 2002-08-06; DVD
Best price: $1.80
Price in other shops:
Dominion - Prequel to the ExorcistWarner Brothers; Release date: 2005-10-25; DVD
Best price: $3.72
Price in other shops:
The Exorcist IIIWarner Brothers; Release date: 1999-12-28; DVD
Best price: $2.25
Price in other shops:
The Exorcist (The Version You've Never Seen)BLAIR,LINDA; Release date: 2000-12-26; DVD
Best price: $3.95
Price in other shops: