Boorman and the Devil is ostensibly about the blighted and bloated production of Exorcist II: The Heretic, which was released in 1977 to a litany of horrible reviews. But as it weaves its utterly fantastic web we come to appreciate the plight of a filmmaker who finds himself caught in a maelstrom of bad omens and bad luck. The eyewitnesses who appear on camera look back on it as a unique experience in their long careers.
There have been other chronicles of failed projects, notably Lost in La Mancha, the saga of Terry Gilliam and his star-crossed attempt to make a new version of Don Quixote. Filmmakers Keith Fulton and Louis Pepe were fortunate enough to have Gilliam’s blessing to unfurl the whole sad story, just as David Kittredge was given access to John Boorman and footage from his movie. But everyone who speaks about the disastrous production makes it clear that they hold the British director in the highest esteem. He is candid about his work and doesn’t indulge in finger-pointing as to who caused his movie to spiral out of control. (He has also gone on to redeem himself by making a variety of personal films like Hope and Glory and The Tiger’s Tail.)
If you don’t remember Exorcist II: The Heretic, there’s a good reason. It wasn’t nearly the sensation that the original William Friedkin turned out to be, and Boorman didn’t want his very different, self-consciously “arty” story to be linked to it. But Warner Bros was footing the bill for this ambitious project and insisted on it, giving the director a wide berth to shoot around the world and set up camp on their soundstages in Burbank.
For box-office insurance Richard Burton was hired to star, but he was a shell of his former self and brought little to the proceedings. Costars Linda Blair and Louise Fletcher offer keen observations about him and the unpredictable, helter-skelter nature of shooting this misbegotten movie. Others who worked on the picture still marvel at the energy and expense that was all for naught.
You don’t have to have seen The Exorcist or The Heretic to enjoy this behind-the-scenes documentary. You do have to have a taste for gossip and a sense of humor. The film opens in New York at the Quad Cinema Friday August 4 and other cities to follow on September 4.
