THE EXORCIST: Great To Be Nominated
by Andre Soares
© A.M.P.A.S.
One of the worst mainstream horror movies of the 1970s, The Exorcist — with its mixture of hammy acting, starchy obscenities, and a spicy simulated sex act with a cross, all topped with vomited avocado sauce — somehow managed to become a box-office phenomenon. The film will be shown at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater on Aug. 7, as part of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences‘ "Great To Be Nominated" series. No kidding, this devil-in-the-flesh mediocrity garnered no less than 10 Oscar nominations.
I’m wondering if anyone will ask Linda Blair, who will be present for a panel discussion, about her Best Supporting Actress nomination. There was quite a bit of controversy at the time because of her vocal performance. (Her facial expressions, some of which are unintentionally funny, are little more than make-up creations.) In the film, Blair’s voice — cute and sweet while she’s the little daughter of obnoxious actress Ellen Burstyn; hair-raising and expletive-filled while she’s in the possession of the dullest (and most stubborn) demon this side of Hades — caused a sensation.
The catch: Blair’s demonic voice was dubbed by (non-demonic) actress Mercedes McCambridge, winner of a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for the 1949 All the King’s Men. McCambridge had been promised credit for her work, but got none. She became possessed.
"If people had heard [fourteen-year-old Blair] saying some of those obscenities, they would have fallen over laughing," McCambridge complained. "Bill Friedkin promised me a special credit and then broke his promise. It’s heartbreaking when a friend does that."
One of those instances when the behind-the-scene stories are considerably more entertaining than the film itself.
Press Release:
Beverly Hills, CA — The 1973 Best Picture nominee The Exorcist will be screened as the next feature in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences‘ "Great To Be Nominated" series. The film, based on the best-selling novel by William Peter Blatty, will be shown on Monday, August 7, at 7:30 p.m. in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater. Actress Linda Blair, cinematographer Owen Roizman and editor Bud Smith, all of whom received Oscar nominations for their work on the film, will participate in a panel discussion following the screening.
In The Exorcist, Ellen Burstyn stars as Chris MacNeil, an actress dealing with dangerous changes in the behavior and physical appearance of her daughter, who is deemed "possessed." Blatty, who adapted his own book for the screen version, was inspired by a reported exorcism in the Washington, DC area in 1949. The film received a total of 10 Academy Award® nominations and took home the Oscars for Sound (Robert Knudson, Chris Newman) and Writing — Screenplay based on material from another medium (Blatty). The film also received nominations for Best Picture (Blatty, producer), Actor in a Supporting Role (Jason Miller as Father Damian Karras), Actress (Burstyn as Chris MacNeil), Actress in a Supporting Role (Blair as Regan MacNeil), Art Direction (Bill Malley; Set Decoration: Jerry Wunderlich), Cinematography (Roizman), Directing (William Friedkin) and Film Editing (Jordan Leondopoulos, Smith, Evan Lottman, Norman Gay).
The Oscar-nominated animated short The Legend of John Henry and the Oscar-winning live action short The Bolero will be screened prior to the feature.
Tickets for The Exorcist may be purchased at a cost of $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID. Tickets may be purchased by mail, in person at the Academy during regular business hours or, depending on availability, on the night of the screening when the doors open at 6:30 p.m. Curtain time for the feature is 7:30 p.m., and pre-show elements will begin at 7 p.m. The Academy is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. For more information, call (310) 247-3600.
McCambridge quote source: Mason Wiley and Damien Bona’s Inside Oscar
Whoopi Goldberg and THE COLOR PURPLE in NYC
A ROOM WITH A VIEW in New York City
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