Review: BOORMAN AND THE DEVIL – A Fascinating Look At A Cinematic Folly
Few films have the reputation of being as bad and ill-judged as John Boorman’s Exorcist II: The Heretic. The follow-up to William Friedkin’s massively successful The Exorcist, the film is notorious for being a total creative miscalculation by all involved. In fact, Friedkin – never a man to mince his words – called it ‘the worst piece of crap I’ve ever seen’.
However, with 50 years distance between its release and now – one needs to ask – is it actually that bad? Probably not (it’s exceptionally well made), but it didn’t help that it was a follow-up to a multi-Academy Award nominated film – which also just happened to be one of the most successful films of all time. It’s certainly not as bad as many of The Exorcist knock-offs which have been released – and it’s better than many official follow-ups in the franchise. Time heals all wounds, I guess.
Maybe if Warner Bros. had followed Boorman’s original plan and simply called it The Heretic, then it might have been better received. Ultimately, Boorman’s film is seen a a cinematic folly and that’s the perfect material for a no-holds-barred behind-the-scenes documentary on the making of the film – which is exactly what we get from David Kittredge’s Boorman And The Devil.
Kittredge digs deep into the making of Exorcist II: The Heretic – charting its development, troubled production and its disastrous release – where it was hastily recut cut by Boorman when it was still in cinemas. Boorman And The Devil also sets the scene with an overview of Boorman and his career. He was a director riding high after delivering the likes of Point Blank and Hell In The Pacific – but things hit another level following 1972’s survival thriller, Deliverance. We’ll skip over 1974’s Zardoz starring Sean Connery, simply because the sheer audacity of that film means it can’t be parsed easily (frankly, it needs its own documentary). Anyway, Warner Bros, was eager to get Boorman to make the Exorcist sequel and the wheels were set in motion to put the film into production. The fact that Boorman wasn’t interested in making the film didn’t seem to be an issue, but he was interested in tackling a more metaphysical manifestation of good versus evil and got the script tailored accordingly. To some that’s the root of where things went wrong, to others it’s what makes the final film so interesting.
Boorman And The Devil charts everything from actor contract negotiations, where Linda Blair scored a cool $1 million payday through attaching a viable leading man (Warners wanted Richard Burton who had ‘heat’ after a career comeback) to script rewrites by Rospo Pallenberg changed much of William Goodhart’s original screenplay. Boorman’s decision to shoot as many visual effects as possible in camera – as well as filming almost everything within the confines of a studio led to production delays and Boorman falling severely ill with a very nasty infection from the dirt used to replicate desert sand. It’s a calamity all told with unfettered honesty from Boorman, Blair, Louise Fletcher and others (even Joe Dante makes an appearance to offer insight). The film also covers how the film was received by its makers, studio and audiences. The fact it grossed over $30 million and turned a profit is often over-looked.
When it comes to brutally honest documentaries on the making of troubled films, then Boorman And The Devil ranks high. This is insightful and entertaining, featuring enough inside gossip and behind the scenes machinations to keep film fans captivated. Not only that, it will make want to go back and revisit Exorcist II: The Heretic. I can’t say if it will make you change your opinion on Boorman’s film – but it’s certainly enough to make you have an appreciation of the hard work and effort that went into making it.
