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The Exorcist


St Landrew
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I watched this for the first time the other night on C5. I enjoyed it, but found most of it more funny than scary. Was there alot cut out? Worth buying the dvd to see it properly?

 

Yeah, absolutely cut to ribbons. Watch out for which DVD you buy. Unless you're sure it is uncensored, it'll largely be the comedy you saw before.

 

I first saw it when it came out, in the 1970's at the Classic cinema, Above Bar. It was un-cut back then, and later withdrawn from cinemas, I believe, after people found it too strong. Of course, the cinema does capture the audience rather better than the living room.

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Yeah, absolutely cut to ribbons. Watch out for which DVD you buy. Unless you're sure it is uncensored, it'll largely be the comedy you saw before.

 

I first saw it when it came out, in the 1970's at the Classic cinema, Above Bar. It was un-cut back then, and later withdrawn from cinemas, I believe, after people found it too strong. Of course, the cinema does capture the audience rather better than the living room.

 

Borrowed the uncensored version off someone at work today. Plan to watch it Christmas night.

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Yeah, absolutely cut to ribbons. Watch out for which DVD you buy. Unless you're sure it is uncensored, it'll largely be the comedy you saw before.

 

I first saw it when it came out, in the 1970's at the Classic cinema, Above Bar. It was un-cut back then, and later withdrawn from cinemas, I believe, after people found it too strong. Of course, the cinema does capture the audience rather better than the living room.

 

Remember going. As we neared the front of the queue two women were being assisted by St. John ambulance crews on the pavement. One of their friends was imploring people not to go in. My girlfriend was waivering but in we went.

 

What freaked us out was the ambulance people all round the aisles, waiting for action. The film started with a packed audience and finished with a half empty room. Said girlfriend spent the whole film with her head buried in my lap (which was nice). Tension was broken in hilarious fashion when the priest put his claret scarf on her face to wipe the vomit away and some wag shouted 'Yeah, West Ham make me puke n'all'.

 

Couldn't listen to 'Tubular Bells' on my own in the flat for ages afterwards!

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I remember going with a mate to one of the midnight showings of this at the cinema at Ocean Village some time in the mid-90s during their 'banned' season.

 

The problem we both had was that we had both already seen Repossessed - the spoof with Leslie Nielsen - and it was so similar (even had the original actress playing Nancy) that we just couldn't take it seriously.

 

I couldn't really see why it had originally been banned but then I guess audiences are a lot more desensitised to those sort of things nowadays compared to the 70s. There was only one bit that I thought would have come across as particularly disturbing, even though I wasn't bothered by it myself, and bearing in mind there is no way that i can describe the scene on a family forum, I will let you use your imagination as to which part I am referring to.

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Yeah, absolutely cut to ribbons. Watch out for which DVD you buy. Unless you're sure it is uncensored, it'll largely be the comedy you saw before.

 

I first saw it when it came out, in the 1970's at the Classic cinema, Above Bar. It was un-cut back then, and later withdrawn from cinemas, I believe, after people found it too strong. Of course, the cinema does capture the audience rather better than the living room.

 

How can I be sure if I'm buying an u**** version? Saw a '25th Anniversary edition' on sale in HMV today, but it didnt specify whether or not it was censored.

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I remember going with a mate to one of the midnight showings of this at the cinema at Ocean Village some time in the mid-90s during their 'banned' season.

 

The problem we both had was that we had both already seen Repossessed - the spoof with Leslie Nielsen - and it was so similar (even had the original actress playing Nancy) that we just couldn't take it seriously.

 

I couldn't really see why it had originally been banned but then I guess audiences are a lot more desensitised to those sort of things nowadays compared to the 70s. There was only one bit that I thought would have come across as particularly disturbing, even though I wasn't bothered by it myself, and bearing in mind there is no way that i can describe the scene on a family forum, I will let you use your imagination as to which part I am referring to.

 

"Your mother knits socks in hell"

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I remember going with a mate to one of the midnight showings of this at the cinema at Ocean Village some time in the mid-90s during their 'banned' season.

 

The problem we both had was that we had both already seen Repossessed - the spoof with Leslie Nielsen - and it was so similar (even had the original actress playing Nancy) that we just couldn't take it seriously.

 

I couldn't really see why it had originally been banned but then I guess audiences are a lot more desensitised to those sort of things nowadays compared to the 70s. There was only one bit that I thought would have come across as particularly disturbing, even though I wasn't bothered by it myself, and bearing in mind there is no way that i can describe the scene on a family forum, I will let you use your imagination as to which part I am referring to.

 

That would be the quite graphic and bloody [in the un-cut version] use, by the young girl, of a Crucifix, on herself, while taunting her mother.

 

Films since have been far more graphic and obvious than The Exorcist. But it was the first of its kind, and wasn't ridiculously outlandish like its imitators. If you believe, as the film tries to portray, that the girl is young and innocent from the start, as 1970's audiences did, then it will affect you, possibly adversely. If you view the film as a relatively desensitised and cynical person of today [i'm not criticising people here when I describe them in that light] then the film is more likely to appear dated and farcical.

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Well, it was ok. I suppose I was a bit desensitised to it, but it's definitely worth watching if you haven't seen it. I can't believe it took the priest so long to be convinced enough to stage the exorcism. I wouldn't have been sharing the same postcode with that girl by then, let alone the same house.

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