Exorcist The Beginning

Exorcist The Beginning WS Planned for years, but plagued by problems such as the death of director John Frankenheimer before production had even begun and the exiting of star Liam Neeson, the fourth installment of the Exorcist saga finally got off the ground with Paul Schrader (Affliction, Auto Focus) behind the camera and Stellan Skarsgrd filling the shoes left empty by Neeson. But the pitfalls didnt stop there, as Morgan Creek decided against their initial approach assigned to Schrader after seeing his finished cut, and hired Renny Harlin to reshoot the film with extra gore and head-spinning nastiness. The first prequel in the series, Exorcist The Beginning is based upon events occurring before the first film. Playing the character made famous by Max von Sydow in the earlier films, this entry finds Skarsgrd as a young Father Merrin facing true evil for the first time in Africa in the wake of World War II. When a young local boy begins to behave strangely, it becomes more and more apparent to Merrin that the child is a victim of demonic possession. Boasting a first-time screenplay by best-selling novelist Caleb Carr (-The Alienist), Exorcist The Beginning features a supporting cast headed by Izabella Scorupco (GoldenEye) and James DArcy (Master And Commander). Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide Cast Stellan Skarsgrd, Izabella Scorupco, James DArcy, Remy Sweeney, Julian Wadham, Andrew French, Ralph Brown, Ben Cross, David Bradley, Alan Ford, Antonie Kamerling, Eddie Osei, Israel Adurama, Patrick OKane, James Bellamy, Cecilia Amati, Matti Ristinsen, Lidia Darly, James Paparella, Silvio Jimenez Hernandez, Yemi Ajibade, Michel Leroy, John Sesay, Sayoh Lahai, Alessandro Casula, Roberto Purvis, Lizzy X, Indiana Woodward Directors Renny Harlin Studio Warner Home Video Format DVD

Dominion Prequel to the Exorcist

Dominion Prequel to the Exorcist In 2003, respected filmmaker and screenwriter Paul Schrader was hired to direct a prequel to the 1973 box-office smash The Exorcist. However, when Schrader turned in his film to executives at Morgan Creek Productions, the producers felt the film was not marketable, and they opted to remake the picture with director Renny Harlin, who brought a more visually aggressive approach to the story than Schraders more contemplative vision. In 2004, Harlins film, Exorcist The Beginning, was released to middling critical and financial response, while the following year, Schraders version went into limited release following film festival screenings. In Schraders Exorcist The Prequel, Father Lankester Merrin, the aging exorcist from the original story (played here by Stellan Skarsgrd) is introduced in 1944, as he serves a flock in Holland during the Nazi occupation. After Nazi officers force Merrin to choose ten members of his congregation for immediate execution, Merrin is left an emotionally broken man, and he takes a leave of absence from his duties. Three years later, Merrin is taking part in an archeological project in East Africa, and he and his crew -- including priest Father Francis (Gabriel Mann), Major Granville (Julian Wadham), and Rachel Lesno (Clara Bellar) -- discover that a church from the fifth century has been buried in the desert. As Merrin and his associates discover that that a porthole to evil is located in the church, Cheche (Billy Crawford), a local boy Merrin has taken under his wing, begins showing signs of having fallen under the spell of Satanic forces. Mark Deming, All Movie Guide Cast Stellan Skarsgrd, Gabriel Mann, Clara Bellar, Ralph Brown, Israel Adurama, Andrew French, Antonie Kamerling, Julian Wadham, Eddie Osei, Ilario Bisi-Pedro Directors Paul Schrader Studio Warner Home Video Aspect Widescreen Format DVD