The Devil and Father Amorth | |
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Directed by | William Friedkin |
Written by |
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Produced by |
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Starring | Gabriele Amorth |
Narrated by | William Friedkin |
Edited by | Gary Leva |
Music by | Christopher Rouse |
Production company | |
Distributed by | The Orchard |
Release dates |
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Running time | 69 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Box office | $20,449 [1] |
The Devil and Father Amorth is a 2017 American pseudo-documentary horror film directed by William Friedkin showing the ninth exorcism of an Italian woman in the village of Alatri [2] referred to as "Cristina", this time performed by Father Gabriele Amorth.
Mark Kermode, a British film critic and long-time admirer of Friedkin, was invited to assist in writing narration. [3]
The film premiered at the 74th Venice International Film Festival on August 31, 2017. [4] It had a wide release in the United States on April 20, 2018. [5]
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 44% based on 39 reviews, with an average rating of 4.88/10. [6] The website's critical consensus reads, "The Devil and Father Amorth sets out to interrogate age-old questions of faith, but fails to find enough compelling answers—or reasons for viewers to watch." [6] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 46 out of 100, based on 16 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [7]
Robbie Collin of The Telegraph wrote that the film "feels amateurish and arguably also exploitative [...] although perhaps that lends it credibility: in this context, too much polish would almost certainly be cause for suspicion." [8] Owen Gleiberman of Variety called the film "a rather tawdry charade." [9] Ignatiy Vishnevetsky of The A.V. Club gave it a C- grade, writing, "Mostly, Friedkin does the talking, never missing an opportunity to strain credulity or flaunt his credentials, which in this case begin and end at directing The Exorcist." [10]
William David Friedkin was an American film, television and opera director, producer, and screenwriter who was closely identified with the "New Hollywood" movement of the 1970s. Beginning his career in documentaries in the early 1960s, he is best known for his crime thriller film The French Connection (1971), which won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, and the horror film The Exorcist (1973), which earned him another Academy Award nomination for Best Director.
Exorcist II: The Heretic is a 1977 American science fiction horror film directed by John Boorman and written by William Goodhart. It is the second installment in The Exorcist film series and the sequel to The Exorcist (1973), and stars Linda Blair, Richard Burton, Louise Fletcher, Max von Sydow, Kitty Winn, Paul Henreid, and James Earl Jones. It was the last film to feature veteran actor Paul Henreid. Set four years after the previous film, the film centers on the now 16-year-old Regan MacNeil, who is still recovering from her previous demonic possession.
Gabriele Amorth was an Italian Catholic priest of the Paulines and an exorcist for the Diocese of Rome. Amorth, along with five other priests, founded the International Association of Exorcists.
The Exorcist is a 1973 American supernatural horror film directed by William Friedkin from a screenplay by William Peter Blatty, based on his 1971 novel. The film stars Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Jason Miller, and Linda Blair, and follows the demonic possession of a young girl and her mother's attempt to rescue her through an exorcism by two Catholic priests.
Mark Kermode is an English film critic, musician, radio presenter, television presenter, author and podcaster. He is the co-presenter, with Ellen E. Jones, of the BBC Radio 4 programme Screenshot and co-presenter of the film-review podcast Kermode & Mayo's Take, alongside long-time collaborator Simon Mayo. Kermode is a regular contributor to The Observer, for which he was chief film critic between September 2013 and September 2023.
Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist is a 2005 American supernatural horror film directed by Paul Schrader and written by William Wisher Jr. and Caleb Carr. The film serves as an alternative prequel to The Exorcist (1973) and is the fifth installment in The Exorcist series. It was intended to be the official prequel to The Exorcist before it was retooled into Exorcist: The Beginning (2004), as Morgan Creek Productions executives feared the already completed film would be unsuccessful. The film stars Stellan Skarsgård, Clara Bellar, Gabriel Mann and Billy Crawford.
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The Catholic Church authorizes the use of exorcism for those who are believed to be the victims of demonic possession. Initial guidelines were issue in 1614. In Roman Catholicism, exorcism is a sacramental but not a sacrament, unlike baptism or confession. Unlike a sacrament, exorcism's "integrity and efficacy do not depend ... on the rigid use of an unchanging formula or on the ordered sequence of prescribed actions. Its efficacy depends on two elements: authorization from valid and licit Church authorities, and the faith of the exorcist." The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: "When the Church asks publicly and authoritatively in the name of Jesus Christ that a person or object be protected against the power of the Evil One and withdrawn from his dominion, it is called exorcism."
The Exorcist III is a 1990 American supernatural horror film written for the screen and directed by William Peter Blatty, based on his 1983 novel Legion. It is the third installment in The Exorcist film series, and the final installment in Blatty's "Trilogy of Faith" after The Ninth Configuration (1980). The film stars George C. Scott, Ed Flanders, Jason Miller, Scott Wilson, Nicol Williamson, and Brad Dourif.
Are You Here is a 2013 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Matthew Weiner. The film stars Owen Wilson, Zach Galifianakis and Amy Poehler. The plot follows a bipolar man who inherits his estranged father’s fortune and must then battle his sister in court for it while simultaneously battling his psychological issues. The film premiered on September 7, 2013 at the Toronto International Film Festival under the title You Are Here, and released in the United States on August 22, 2014.
The Exorcist is an American horror media franchise that originated with William Peter Blatty's 1971 horror novel of the same name and most prominently featured in a 1973 film adaptation of the novel, and many subsequent prequels and sequels. All of these installments focus on fictional accounts of people possessed by Pazuzu, the main antagonist of the series, and the efforts of religious authorities to counter this possession.
Narco Cultura is a 2013 documentary film about the Mexican drug war in Ciudad Juárez, directed by Shaul Schwarz. The two main focal points of the movie are Edgar Quintero of the narcocorrido band Bukanas de Culiacán and crime scene investigator Richi Soto.
Abacus: Small Enough to Jail is a 2016 American documentary film directed by Steve James. The film centers on the Abacus Federal Savings Bank, a family-owned community bank situated in Manhattan's Chinatown in New York City which, because it was deemed "small enough to jail" rather than "too big to fail", became the only financial institution to actually face criminal charges following the subprime mortgage crisis.
Shaft is a 2019 American action comedy film directed by Tim Story and written by Kenya Barris and Alex Barnow. The film stars Samuel L. Jackson, Jessie T. Usher, Regina Hall, and Richard Roundtree. It is the fifth film in the Shaft series, a sequel to the 2000 film with the same title and was also Roundtree's final portrayal of the original eponymous character John Shaft Sr. before his death in 2023.
Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond – Featuring a Very Special, Contractually Obligated Mention of Tony Clifton is a 2017 American documentary film directed by Chris Smith. The film follows actor Jim Carrey as he remains in character as Andy Kaufman during the production of the 1999 film Man on the Moon, directed by Miloš Forman. It was released on November 17, 2017, through the streaming service Netflix.
Contract to Kill is a 2016 American action film starring Steven Seagal. It received a limited theatrical release in the United States, and was released via video on demand.
Friedkin Uncut is a 2018 Italian documentary film written and directed by Francesco Zippel. It tells the life and career of the film director William Friedkin. The film had its world premiere at the 75th Venice International Film Festival on 31 August 2018. It was released in Italy on 5 November 2018.
Lenny Cooke is a 2013 American sports documentary film directed by Josh and Benny Safdie. It tells the life of the former high school basketball player Lenny Cooke. The film had its world premiere at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival on April 18, 2013. It was released in the United States in limited theaters on December 6, 2013.
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