Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on The Exorcist
Alexandre O. Philippe sits down for a long, insightful chat with the legendary filmmaker in Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on The Exorcist. (This review is part of our coverage of the 2020 Sundance Film Festival.) Memory: The Origins of Alien, Doc of the Dead, The People vs. George Lucas -- Alexandre O. Philippe has built quite the reputation as a chronicler of the history and sociology of genre film. His documentaries hew more toward the style of the cinematic essay, straightforward but insightful interrogations of his subjects rather than narratively-structured tales in their own right. Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on The Exorcist is no exception: from a distance, it's less of a fully-featured documentary in its own right and more the kind of bonus feature you'd find on an Exorcist Blu-ray. But within those confines, there's plenty of insight to be found, both on the film it's discussing and on the sensibilities of one of Hollywood's most idiosyncratic (and old-school) directors. Continue Reading →