DOMINION: PREQUEL TO THE EXORCIST
US, 2005, 117 minutes, Colour.
Stellan Skarsgaard, Gabriel Mann, Clara Bellar, Billy Crawford, Ralph Brown, Julian Wadham.
Directed by Paul Schrader.
Out on DVD, this is the first version of the prequel to The Exorcist. Towards the end of 2004, Exorcist: The Beginning, directed by Renny Harlin, was released. The producers had been unhappy with Paul Schrader’s film, not finding it box-office horror enough for the multiplexes, so they shelved it and spent more money on a script rewrite (almost all of it), a new director and reassembling most of the cast and adding new characters and more sensationalised effects.
Fortunately, for true Exorcist devotees, Schrader’s film is available, also with his commentary. (Unfortunately, the commentary is mainly about how he made the film rather than on the issues, which Schrader is personally interested in.)
The producers were quite right. This is barely a horror film. Rather, it is quite an intelligent drama about good and evil, about sin and personal conscience, about the demonic presence of evil in the world and its confrontation. A prologue shows Fr Merrin in Holland during the war, forced to select villagers as hostages to be executed by the occupying Nazis (which was also in The Beginning). The rational and religious explanations (with respectful and useful church and political background) of Fr Merrin’s being on sites in east Africa make sense. The part of Fr Francis is stronger in this film. He is played by Gabriel Mann who was not available for the re-make. Other priests and the archaeologist, Sarah, who becomes possessed in the other film are missing from this one.
Rather, the film develops quite logically: the unearthing of a church in Kenya (without the pseudo-historical background of the other film), the releasing of evil, an outcast cripple, cared for by Fr Merrin and a doctor, Rachel, a refugee from Poland, who gets healthier as the evil pervades, the British major who is uptight about empire, the sergeant major who is a racist bigot, and the locals who become more antagonistic to the British.
It is the cripple who is possessed. Attempts by Fr Francis to baptise him lead to his satanic manifestations (very restrained physically and in language from the originals) which challenge Fr Merrin’s guilt about Holland (allowing him a fantasy of what he might have done and what the results would be). The ritual is more ‘normal’ and the experience quite clearly enables Fr Merrin to complete a journey from disillusionment back to faith and to become the future Exorcist.
Stellan Skarsgaard is Fr Merrin (as he was in The Beginning) and he and his behaviour are far more credible in this version. In fact, this is a very interesting and credible exorcism film.
1.The history of this film? Paul Schrader making the film, the executives not being satisfied, not sufficient horror? The film scrapped, shelved and remade? The comparisons between the two versions?
2.The tradition of the original Exorcist: Father Merrin, his work as an exorcist, his background? (Exorcist II and his work in Africa.) The traditions of exorcism films established: the special effects, the sinister atmosphere, the language, the violence? This film not following exactly in this tradition? Transcending it?
3.The locations: East Africa, Kenya, the desert? The archaeological site? Nairobi? The village? The episodes in Holland and the winter? The interiors: the makeshift accommodation on the archaeological site and in the village? The exteriors and interiors of the church, the artwork, the statuary?
4.Special effects, computer graphics to recreate the archaeological site, the church? The experience of the exorcism? The musical score?
5.The linear presentation of the story, the attention to plausible details, Father Francis as a Maryknoll priest? The relationship with the Vatican? The British troops in East Africa? The refugees from the war and their work in Africa? The picture of the Catholic church? Authentic and straightforward?
6.The background of satanic possession, the presence of Satan on Earth, in a shrine like this church? The irony that this church was built to bury the presence of evil? The religious rituals, the quoting of the texts and the prayers? Holy water? Vestments? The ritual of exorcism and its repercussions?
7.Father Merrin, the prologue in Holland, the Nazi presence, the killing of the officer, the hostages in the centre of the town, the choice by Father Merrin of the hostages, his refusal? The brutality of the officer, killing the hostage? Father Merrin and his having to choose? The consequences for him, loss of faith, leaving the priesthood, going to Africa, his archaeological work? The Satan giving him the opportunity for an alternate course of action? His imagining it – his stronger attitude, yet the same massacre? A journey of faith, his experience of faith, scepticism? The encounter with Cheche, the healing, the possession? His decision to confront Satan, the ritual of the exorcism and its effect on him? The aftermath, his resuming his priestly vestments? His decision to go to Rome and continue his work? The preparation for the later Exorcist films?
8.The character of Father Merrin, his age and experience, his work on the site? Relationship with Father Francis? The friendship with Rachel and listening to her story? His care for Cheche and its having a healing effect? With Chuma and the translations? With the locals, the chief? His relationship with the British, going to Nairobi, Major Granville and the giving of permission? The troops present, his reaction to the troops? Major Granville and his shooting of the boy, Father Merrin confronting him? The troops and their helping in the crisis?
9.Father Francis, young, his training, Maryknoll missionaries? His work in Africa? Information, link with the Vatican, supervising Father Merrin? His personality, pleasant? His wanting to set up the school, the owner of the shop giving him the site, the two boys, the lessons, the boys coming later – but his discovering that they were afraid of Jesus and the harm that he could do? His concern about Cheche, Cheche revealing his past, the religious transformation, his wanting to baptise Cheche? The preparations, his getting the ritual? Discovering the possession? The effect on him, the violence, his death? Father Merrin at the end at his grave?
10.Rachel, her Polish background, her story of the war, her lies about herself and her giving in to save herself in the camps? Her work, skills? The doctor coming from outside and doing the operation on Cheche? Rachel and her care for him? The baptism, going into the church, her being trapped, released? Her becoming suicidal – but saved by Merrin and the exorcism?
11.Major Granville, the British presence in East Africa, the colonial attitudes, the racist attitudes of the men? His being liked by the men, his support of Father Merrin? The effect of the evil being let loose, its affecting him, the two soldiers and their robbery, their deaths, upside-down crucifixion and the beheading like John the Baptist? His anger, demands, shooting the hostage? His going mad, shooting himself after giving a message for Merrin? The sergeant-major, his attitudes? Racist? His keeping the peace, doing his duty? His final support of Merrin?
12.The local tribespeople, the chief? The local religion? The pregnancy of the wife, the difficult birth, the dead child? The reaction of the locals, turning against Father Francis, turning against the British? Major Granville and his humiliating attitude towards the chief? The rumblings and preparation for war?
13.The two soldiers, going into the church, robbing the jewels? Their deaths?
14.The presence of evil, its being let loose, the people going into the church, the statuary, St Michael, the discovery of the truth? The effect of evil as it permeated, the contrast with Cheche the outcast, the hospital, his healing? His transformation in language, wanting to be baptised, mouthing the Devil’s comments? Going into the church, his transformation – perfection? The confrontation with Merrin? The final word after the final credits: perfection?
15.Paul Schrader’s interest in religious themes? His career? His intentions of doing something different with the exorcism genre? His respect for religion? Themes of God, good and evil, Satan and the Devil, guilt, repentance, loss of faith, recovery of faith?
