Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on the Exorcist Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on the Exorcist Blu-ray Movie Review

Entertaining as hell.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III April 26, 2021

During the last five decades since its release, William Friedkin's landmark thriller The Exorcist has been discussed and dissected by fans, non-fans, and the director himself. Featurettes on various home video releases have taken a closer look at its production and lasting impact, while a few full-length documentaries like BBC's The Fear of God: 25 Years of The Exorcist have gone into more absorbing detail. The most recent is Alexandre O. Philippe's Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on The Exorcist, a welcome excursion in which the controversial director sheds light on the film's production, his personal beliefs, and his directing career as a whole, which was strongly influenced by an early trip to the theater and a handful of films including Carl Theodor Dreyer's Ordet and the dazzling dramas of Ingmar Bergman.

Confession time: deep down, I don't like The Exorcist. Sure, I can certainly appreciate the craftsmanship of what many consider to be one of the greatest horror films of all time, and I've seen and enjoyed much of director William Friedkin's other work including The French Connection, Sorcerer, and To Live and Die in L.A.. For me, the film's fatal turn-off is a doggedly realistic approach to the ridiculous concept of demonic possession which, combined with its visceral imagery and dialogue, made it both a hotly contested film upon its 1973 release and an ironic beacon of hope in certain religious circles. After all, how couldn't Catholics support a film where two priests tag-team a literal demon?

The Exorcist's documentary-style cinematography and visual effects -- in both the original 1973 version and "The Version You've Never Seen", a (mostly inferior) director's cut first released to theaters and home video in 2000 -- are staggeringly effective at times. In fact, they're so effective that the end result is virtually identical to every exorcism ever performed in recorded history: pure theater meant to provoke attention from gullible onlookers, and nothing more. Nothing more. But the good news is that both are easily distinguished from reality in the right frame of mind, and The Exorcist can obviously be admired from a completely cinematic perspective. Unfortunately, its most stubborn religious supporters actually herald movie magic as some sort of tangible proof... and while this isn't necessarily the film's fault, it's an unavoidable byproduct of treating this phony concept as its narrative backbone.

Even so, I admire the showmanship of Friedkin, who expertly carved the film out of William Blatty's 1971 novel -- much to the dismay of the author, whose own screenplay was rejected by Friedkin -- and, against the studio's wishes, cast then-unknown playwright Jason Miller in the central role of Damien Karras. (The studio even had to pay off Stacey Keach who, up until that time, was under contract to star.) Music was another hurdle: a score by Friedkin's friend Lalo Schifrin, who presented it in person, was not met kindly by the director and their relationship never recovered. Stories like these are what make Leap of Faith an engaging watch for die-hard fans and even fence-sitters like me: Friedkin recounts these memories and more with great conviction, each a reflection on his early years and career during that successful era. And while other topics are more obnoxious than compellingly bittersweet -- including his double-down approach to the existence of real-life demons, as well as even less savory stories such as hitting a supporting actor in the face to get a more convincing performance out of him -- they're at least par for the course for the notoriously cantankerous Friedkin, who compares his actions to those of similarly abusive directors like John Ford.

To that extent, Leap of Faith is pretty much "what you see is what you get": it'll certainly score well enough with established Friedkin apologists, or at least those who have seen and enjoyed (?) The Exorcist more times that they can count. And, as mentioned earlier, even I enjoyed the hell out of this one; after all, a good documentary should draw in just about anyone, even outsiders. The difference, as always, is in the details: while a few pieces of Friedkin's astute thoughts and observations are partially repeated from previous featurettes, interviews, and audio commentaries, a lot of this material is new... or at least expanded upon in a way that makes it more captivating.

Billed as "A Shudder Original", RLJ Entertainment's Blu-ray makes this a pretty easy blind buy: featuring a terrific A/V presentation and a feature- length bonus interview featuring both Friedkin and director Alexandre O. Philippe, Leap of Faith is well worth checking out for anyone swayed violently by The Exorcist one way or another.

Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on the Exorcist Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Leap of Faith looks excellent on RLJ Entertainment's new Blu-ray, defying the odds to serve up a very consistent presentation in a genre not known for its consistency. The primary interview footage is shot for 1.85:1 and framed nicely, with a nice variety of angles and smooth, subtle camera movements to break up any traces of visual monotony. Not surprisingly, many clips from The Exorcist and other films are shown, from Bergman classics to other works by Friedkin including The French Connection, Sorcerer, and Cruising, each one framed at the correct aspect ratio of their existing home video presentations and further window-boxed when appropriate. These clips likewise look as good as their source material will allow, with most appearing very clean and crisp with good color saturation and a dense, film-like texture. Behind-the-scenes stills and other archival material, such as vintage magazine articles and Friedkin's hand-marked copy of Blatty's original novel, also look razor-sharp and are sometimes given a few splashes of visual enhancement (background collage graphics, selective focus) that liven things up without being overly distracting. All things considered, this is a very solid presentation that looked better than expected.

Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on the Exorcist Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Similarly, the DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio serves up front-loaded interview dialogue and movie clips that seem faithful to their best home video source material currently available on Blu-ray... or, in rare cases, DVD, such as the 1982 film version of Jason Miller's 1972 play That Championship Season, which led to his eventual casting as Father Damien Karras. Volume levels are balanced reasonably well between the film clips and interviews, with a handful of jump-scares providing occasional jolts while other scenes and detours, such as the film-ending recollection of Friedkin's life-changing trip to a Zen garden in Kyoto, offer a suitably serene atmosphere.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during the film, along with burned-in subtitles for foreign dialogue.

Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on the Exorcist Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a standard keepcase with attractive cover artwork, a matching slipcover, and a promotional insert. Only one extra is on board here, but it's nearly as long as the main feature.

• 2020 BiFan Masterclass with William Friedkin and Alexandre O. Philippe (87:50) - This extended -- and understandingly (but still annoyingly) Zoom-conducted -- interview between Friedkin and the Leap of Faith director mostly serves as a further retrospective of Friedkin's career, an extension of several themes touched upon during the film, and their separate directing processes. Originally recorded for South Korea's Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival last July, this split-screen conversation covers a decent amount of ground but, as expected, the disparate locations of its participants give it a less immediate effectiveness that takes a little time to get going. Even so, Friedkin is as opinionated as ever and makes some good points but comes across as extremely closed- minded towards the current state of American cinema by insisting that only superhero movies are being made these days. It's pretty much the equivalent of someone complaining about how their generation's music was awesome and all current music sucks. Yawn.

Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on the Exorcist Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Alexandre O. Philippe's Leap of Faith offers an excellent look back at William Friedkin's The Exorcist, with the director himself front and center every step of the way. It's loaded with terrific stories and Friedkin is as engaging and as ever, recounting personal stories with conviction while speaking at length about his own influences and other works. His film's enduring status ensures that a retrospective like this would be more than welcome in any year, even though it feels like it should have taken place a decade or two ago... or maybe even in 2023, when the film turns 50. Either way, the end result plays well and the Friedkin faithful are sure to enjoy this one; I'm not even a big fan of The Exorcist and still consider it time very well spent. RLJ Entertainment's Blu-ray offers a solid A/V presentation and a bonus interview with Friedkin that, while "virtual", is appreciated and runs nearly as long as the main feature. Recommended.