The Exorcist (1973)
Feb 20, 2019 16:20:46 GMT
coldenhaulfield, Dramatic Look Gopher, and 2 more like this
Post by spiderwort on Feb 20, 2019 16:20:46 GMT
Although it definitely has many horrific moments, I consider The Exorcist (1973) to be more a psychological thriller than a horror film -- a film with important themes like Mother love, loss of faith, and personal redemption. All the cast give wonderful performances in alignment with that, especially Ellen Burstyn, who was on a major roll around that time.
And the use of sound in the film is remarkable. About 75% of the original dialogue tracks were replaced (called ADR, an acronym for automatic dialogue replacement -- or "looping" -- which means a lot of the dialogue was actually recorded in a sound booth).
The numerous and powerful sound effects are brilliant, however, though this was sadly back in the days before they gave Oscars to sound editors. The film won an Oscar for sound recording and mixing (for all the tracks that ended up getting replaced), but not for the great sound effects that were created by the talented sound editors. The sound of the house groaning, for example, was created by recording the smashing of a styrofoam cup, then playing that back at a very slow speed and recording it again, creating an eerie, unearthly sound.
And the use of sound in the film is remarkable. About 75% of the original dialogue tracks were replaced (called ADR, an acronym for automatic dialogue replacement -- or "looping" -- which means a lot of the dialogue was actually recorded in a sound booth).
The numerous and powerful sound effects are brilliant, however, though this was sadly back in the days before they gave Oscars to sound editors. The film won an Oscar for sound recording and mixing (for all the tracks that ended up getting replaced), but not for the great sound effects that were created by the talented sound editors. The sound of the house groaning, for example, was created by recording the smashing of a styrofoam cup, then playing that back at a very slow speed and recording it again, creating an eerie, unearthly sound.
Anyway, I watched it again recently and thought it held up pretty well. As a psychological thriller it's really solid and quite disturbing, I think because of its essential human themes. Something to ponder anyway.
[Can't find any photos for some reason; maybe someone else can.]
