The Ninth Configuration
by William Peter Blatty
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Ed Flanders, George DiCenzo, Moses Gunn, SCOTT WILSON, STACY KEACHDirector: William Peter Blatty
Brand: KEACH,STACY
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Letterboxed, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 118 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2002-09-17
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Warner Home Video
Movie Reviews of The Ninth Configuration
Movie Review: The method to the madness of the human tragedy of war
Summary: 5 Stars
A brilliant mixture of witty humor, gothic settings, enigmatic characters and theological debates about the existence - or nonexistence - of God combine to provide a rare insight into men experiencing the onset of madness after suffering the horrors of war. Written, directed and produced by the author of 'The Exorcist', William Peter Blatty, 'The Ninth Configuration' is a challenging movie that not so surprisingly fails to make much sense to a first time viewer, though it makes a powerful impact on anyone who does see it. Set during the time frame of the Vietnam War, Blatty deftly melds a variety of psychologically puzzling characters, supplying them with the most spellbinding and eminently quotable dialogue you are likely to ever hear in a film and placing them in an eerie castle in the Pacific northwest being used as a military asylum. What follows is an undeniable cinematic masterpiece - densely macabre on the surface and slowly stripping away it's often shadowy foreboding layers until the incredible and shattering ending. A film that inevitably defies any sense of classification, it can be viewed as a drama, a mystery, or a thriller, but in the final analysis it most appropriately fits the label of a theological thriller like it's predecessor 'The Exorcist'.Simply put 'The Ninth Configuration' is a wow of a movie. Everyone is superbly cast and gives an unforgettable performance, especially Stacy Keach and Scott Wilson. There's never a dull moment after the credits run: we first see an astronaut abort his lunar launching mere seconds before take off, leading to his admission to the asylum; before a new psychologist arrives to assume command we are treated to a scene of the inmates gathering together in the castle grounds to welcome him and its here we are first introduced to them, their eccentricities and various states of mental condition; barely does the new head of the asylum get to his office before one of the inmates barges in, demanding to be evaluated for treatment, behaving quite bizarrely and sounding every bit like a lunatic. But all is not as it appears as we soon find out. Blatty proficiently weaves a deep mystery amidst the conversations the new asylum head has in various encounters with the inmates and also the Marine staff. Sidesplitting one-liners, raving solicitations for help, demented delusions, fantastic irrational rants and heartfelt pleas for mercy and understanding ceaselessly intertwine one another resulting in a chaotic conundrum that will soon take it's toll on the asylum head.
Through the years following since it's initial release (1980) the running times have varied from as short as 99 minutes to a lengthy 140 minutes; reportedly some even rarer prints run as long as three hours! Other running times still in circulation via countless video issues can vary between 109 - 119 minutes. This DVD version is the latest preferred presentation by Blatty who provides some enlightening commentary that is beneficial to ardent fans and newcomers alike. A Special Feature called "Outtakes" includes several deleted scenes that sheds some light onto sequences included in the final cut shown here, clearing up some quirky confusing dialogue; additionally there are two alternate endings within this area that subtlety change the film's ending. A cult classic immediately upon release, 'The Ninth Configuration' is a movie that benefits from repeated viewings; I'm guessing you'll find that repeated viewings will be impossible to deny yourself - in fact you are likely to find it habit-forming!
Summary of The Ninth Configuration
A stunning meditation on God?s existence in a form that might be best described as Catch 22 meets Spellbound, the film received 3 Golden Globe nominations, including Best Picture, and won the award for Best Writing against a field of nominees that included Ordinary People, The Elephant Man and Raging Bull.The lunatics are running the asylum... but are they really lunatics? Is Colonel Kane (Stacy Keach) really a noted psychiatrist, assigned to supervise patients in an experimental government clinic, or is he really "Killer" Kane, a decorated U.S. Marine who committed atrocities in Vietnam before going insane? And why did Captain Cutshaw (Scott Wilson) go berserk just seconds before a scheduled rocket launch? These are just some of the puzzles that will eventually be solved in The Ninth Configuration, a giddy and often brilliant drama created by William Peter Blatty, who wrote The Exorcist before directing this adaptation of his own novel, Twinkle, Twinkle, Killer Kane. A satirical study of war's traumatic aftermath, the film uses battle psychosis as the springboard for a delirious and scathingly intelligent human tragedy, laced with some of the wittiest dialogue you're ever likely to hear.
The movie boasts a veritable menagerie of crazy characters, all brought vividly to life by a stellar supporting cast. One patient is preparing a production of Shakespeare with an all-dog cast. Another is convinced he's Superman, and the resident doctor can't seem to find his trousers. But there's a method to this madness, and it takes a barroom brawl--one of the most memorable in movie history--to provide the harsh slap of reality to Blatty's elaborate group therapy scheme. When the true purpose of The Ninth Configuration is revealed, the film (and particularly the fine performances of Keach and Wilson) reveals a depth of compassionate sanity that may take you completely by surprise. --Jeff Shannon
Reviews
?Visually stunning, immensely moving and hugely entertaining, The Ninth Configuration stands as a landmark in American cinema history.?
--South Bay Magazine
?The finest largescale American surrealist film ever made. It belongs in a textbook for directors on how to build suspense.?
--Peter Travers, People Magazine
?Hilarious? with endlessly quotable dialogue and an amazing barroom fight scene that has audiences screaming from their seats.?
--Leonard Maltin?s Movie Guide
?The film is a masterpiece.?
--The Cincinnati Post
?It?s a cosmic love story, a Gothic war movie and a metaphysical murder mystery. You have never seen anything quite like it.?
--Santa Monica Evening Outlook
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