“The Exorcist” The story of how a priest who lost his faith regains “God”

From “bottom” to “top”… “Ascension of Father Karras”

"Why was such a good girl chosen?"

"To make us despair. To make us feel like beasts, ugly at heart, and unworthy of God's love."

During the exorcism, Father Merrin and Father Karras have this conversation. The crow, who was experiencing a crisis of faith, must have felt that he was the one unworthy of God's love.

A rationalist, he takes a big gamble to regain his faith. This is a clinical trial to prove the existence of evil spirits by inviting Pazusu into one's own body. If there is a devil in this world, there must also be a god who is its counterpart. By risking his life for the experiment, he clearly senses the existence of God and is called to heaven as a ``servant of God.''

“The Exorcist” (c)2019 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved.

If you pay close attention, you will notice that the crow always rises from the bottom of the screen to the top. He climbs the subway stairs, climbs the stairs of his elderly mother's apartment, and climbs the stairs of the demon-haunted McNeil mansion. In the end, his body falls from ``above'' to ``below,'' but his soul finally reaches heaven and ascends from ``below'' to ``above.'' Friedkin depicts the salvation of the crow's soul as a visual motif.

Near the final scene of the film, Chris gives the medallion of Crow to Father Dyer. It's a St. Joseph medal, the same one Merrin unearthed in Iraq. Father Karras' spirit of faith, the spirit of good that triumphed over evil, is symbolized by this medal.

The man who once confessed that his ``faith was gone'' has finally regained the ``God'' inside him.

Text: Rui Takeshima

A pop culture writer who wants to be kicked by Hit Girl. Host of the web magazine " POP MASTER ".

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"The Exorcist"

Blu-ray ¥2,381 + tax / DVD director's cut version ¥1,429 + tax

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(c)2019 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved.