The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Scott Derrickson

Writers (WGA):

Paul Harris Boardman (written by) &
Scott Derrickson (written by)

Release Date:

9 September 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Horror

Tagline:

What happened to Emily?

Plot:

A lawyer (Linney) takes on a negligent homicide case involving a priest (Wilkinson) who performed an exorcism on a young girl.

Plot Keywords:

Priest | Lawyer | Exorcism | Negligent Homicide | Trial

Awards:

3 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Laura Linney	...	Erin Bruner
Tom Wilkinson	...	Father Moore
Campbell Scott	...	Ethan Thomas
Jennifer Carpenter	...	Emily Rose
Colm Feore	...	Karl Gunderson
Joshua Close	...	Jason
Kenneth Welsh	...	Dr. Mueller
Duncan Fraser	...	Dr. Cartwright
JR Bourne	...	Ray
Mary Beth Hurt	...	Judge Brewster
Henry Czerny	...	Dr. Briggs
Shohreh Aghdashloo	...	Dr. Adani
Steve Archer	...	Guy in Bar
Arlene Belcastro	...	Praying Woman #2
David Berner	...	Karl's Crony #1

Also Known As:

The Exorcism of Anneliese Michel (USA) (working title)
Untitled Scott Derrickson Project (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for thematic material, including intense/frightening sequences and disturbing images.

Runtime:

119 min | USA:122 min (unrated version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Assyrian Neo-Aramaic | German | Greek | Hebrew | Latin | Aramaic

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS | SDDS

Certification:

Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Singapore:PG | UK:15 | Ireland:15A | Finland:K-15 | Australia:M | Taiwan:R-12 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Portugal:M/12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Netherlands:16 | Mexico:B15 | Indonesia:Dewasa | Germany:12 | Czech Republic:15 | France:-12 | Argentina:13 | Brazil:14 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Zurich) | USA:Unrated (DVD) | USA:PG-13 (certificate #41453) | Iceland:16 | Malaysia:18PL | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | South Korea:12 | Germany:16 (uncut DVD version) | Japan:U | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

D Block, Buchanan Building, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Screen Gems

Trivia:

There were two dolls constructed for this film. The first was where Emily Rose would lock her limbs. The other was during the dorm scene where she is on the floor in a twisted position. The director ultimately never used a doll in the dorm room scene because he found out that Jennifer Carpenter is double jointed, and decided that the positions she was able to contort herself into were more unsettling than what could be accomplished with the dummy.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: The stop button is pushed on the tape recorder during the courtroom scene, but the tape continues to play for a few more seconds.

Quotes:

Erin Bruner: Good morning. I'm Erin Bruner. May I sit down?
Father Moore: I brought the chair for my public defender. I guess they left it here when they decided that I wasn't going to kill myself with it.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in 2006 MTV Movie Awards (2006) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Prelude, Op. 3, No. 2 in C Sharp Minor

Wonderful ... What's Not to Like?

I just saw this movie today and thought it was wonderful.

The acting was excellent, from one end to the other. The scenes, the flashbacks, the drama, the horror, the faith vs doubt theme ... all were entwined in a back-and-forth web that maintained constant focus on the strongest feature of all: the Story itself.

And what a Story! I won't give it away except to say that the plots and subplots and intrigue and characterizations were all woven together to spin a simply riveting, terrifying, provocative, endearing, challenging Story.

I really liked the multiple depictions of What Happens and How the Characters React. You see Something Happen; and then feel Fear; and then watch the Face of the Character on hand experience Fear; and then perhaps the order is slightly changed: you see the Face of the Character experience Fear as the Character gazes in terror over the viewer's shoulder. Then you see What the Character is looking at. And experience Fear.

I also really liked the legal conflict ... and the way the Story honored both sides. There's no doubt, ever, where our sympathies lie: with the Laura Linney character. Yet, the prosecutor is not at all a "straw man." He is give a great opening, and is effective and believable throughout. This enhanced greatly the Doubt vs Faith conflict that reinforced the Story throughout.

And through all this, the Priest's insistence that the Story should be told, is what really drove the action above all. This gave a feeling of authenticity to the Story that both made it appealing, and frightening.

A wonderful, wonderful, movie ... !