The Ninth Configuration (1980)
Starring: Stacy Keach,
Scott Wilson, Jason Miller, Ed Flanders
Plot: Sometime in the 1970's, A large castle is being used
by the US Government as an insane asylum for military personnel. Among the many
patients there is a former astronaut, Billy Cutshaw, who aborted a moon launch
and was dragged screaming from the capsule.
My Review and Thoughts:
Really a shocking disturbing brilliant mind altering and
truly a film that touches on the inner emotions and mixes the idea with humor.
The insanity and the stain in the horror and the destruction of slowly and disturbingly going crazy. Today we call it post dramatic stress and a whole bunch of other names but
then they were just called insane or mental breakdowns. You have to
experience this film. For it is one that is a must see. One that is truly
tragic and very visceral.
Moments of darkness. Moments of comedy. Moments of laugh out
loud insanity, humor, but it's a dark humor. The manner of lost, shadowed with
death inside the mind. Shadowed with the turmoil and the torment of their war
years come full force in vivid detail.
The castle is used as an insane asylum for soldiers. These are lost
and have a non-clarity of thoughts. A group of men not able to rationalize. Not
able to understand what the problem is. Normal to them as everyday life of goofy
comedy and strangeness, twisted with actions.
This is a very thick drama, but has a mystery reality and the
idea of lost minds. Each man is vacant. Each one lost in their own ways.
Depression and anger, hate, delusion. There is a mixed bag of characters each
one acted thoroughly with brilliance and with stunning performances by top-notch
award worthy actors. Some of the greatest underrated actors of all time. Truly
tragically emotionally and beautifully acted throughout. The personas are so
thick, so dynamic, so awe-inspiring from comical to disturbing to sad, too
clearly depression and to private insanity. One person's actions leading to a
haunted past of mistakes.
There could not have been a better film. There could not have been better direction. There could not have been more of a brilliant story-line then
what this details. I think the best way to describe this is like One flew over
the Cuckoo's Nest mixed with Born on the Fourth of July and splashed with
Platoon. Truly a film that is overlooked in cinema history and is often not
talked about and that's a true shame. This is a film that should be
seen by everyone and should be talked about in cinema history. It's a
historical setting through the direction, acting, and the atmosphere. The
ultimate reality of what this movie details is shocking and brutal.
Brutal, fascinating film and an eye-opening experience. Mind-numbing
alteration. Truly a deep concept fitted with comical banter in the dark humor
style of knowing these men in irrational ways of losing their minds. The movie does a 360 in plot, taking you on another trip of devastation of the
mind, devastation of past actions.
The all-star cast include remarkable performances by the one
and only Stacy Keach. He creates a part that will long remain with you after
the viewing of the film. He comes to the castle to help and figure out the
patients. Soon the real reality and the mystery slowly unfolds for the viewer
as the story alters itself and changes the reality of the plot and also the
outcome. The shining role that I feel is a true masterpiece and award worthy
performance has to go to Scott Wilson who plays Captain Billy, an insanity
patient in the castle. Scott gives such an amazing reality to his character of
Billy that it bleeds off screen into the persona and reality of the viewer.
Scott Wilson gives a remarkable achievement in the reality of cinema. Jason
Miller as Lt. Frankie is something so comical and brilliant that it leaves a
lasting impression of acting genius. Jason Miller has stared in one of my
favorite films of all time The Exorcist which was also William Peter Blatty's.
Blatty wrote The Ninth Configuration and also directed it. He was the writer of
The Exorcist based on his book which also The Ninth Configuration is based on
his book by the same name. He also directed the third instalment of The
Exorcist based on his book Legion. Exorcist 3 is an awesome film that’s very
underrated.
Other brilliant performances the one and only master Richard
Lynch who is always a wonderful bad guy throughout cinema and this one is no
different. Master actor Tom Atkins who was a true stable of my childhood love
and obsession with horror films. The ultimate bad guy and personality master
the one and only Steve Sandor who plays the twisted part of the Biker leader in
this film which his performance is an eye opening and disturbing part that will
remain with you. There are so many stars in this the one and only Neville Brand
who I will always remember from 1977's Eaten Alive. Robert Loggia who I will
always remember in 1992's Innocent Blood. Loggia has acted in over an astonishing
200 performances in his long career, Moses Gunn who I will always remember him
in 1977's epic mini-series Roots. But the one and only character I grace my
thoughts with was the amazing childhood fantasy film and one of my all-time
favorite films 1984's The Neverending Story where he plays the character
Cairon. George DiCenzo I will always remember in a different way from his
countless animated voices. He was the one and only voice of cartoon character
John Blackstar in the animated series Blackstar 1981, also the voice of Captain
America and Cyclops in Spiderman and his Amazing Friends 1981-1983 and also the
voice of the character Hordak, in He-man and She-Ra Princess of Power fame.
He also was a returning character in the long running Murder She Wrote. Also starring Ed
Flanders who I will always remember in 1979's Salem's Lot. All of the cast are
amazing and create shining moments of cinema bliss on the idea of award worthy
acting that cinema history will remember.
The Ninth Configuration was nominated for Best Picture at
The Golden Globes and also won for Best Screenplay but not for best picture
The Ninth Configuration is a film that sadly is often
overlooked but never ages or grows old because of its acting, direction and
most of all twisted story-line. I love this movie and I feel that it’s a must
see for anyone calling themselves a movie buff. It's a true underrated piece of
cinema history that should always be watched and spread and talked about.
The brilliance of this film and story is that it creates
itself in two parts. The first is a comical style of acting and filled with
countless moments of laugh out humor (But in reality it’s sad because the
persons have lost it) and the second half twists into the deep dark persona of
suffering, pain and the idea of faith,
Now the film had a huge horrible time getting made. The
first writing was intended for William Friedkin to direct but they could not
find a studio that wanted it. Blatty after The Exorcist fame returned and wrote
a script of the film. No studio wanted it and everyone pushed it away. So
Blatty decided to raise the funds himself. He put up most of all the money and
then went about raising the rest of the funds. Blatty provided the 2 million
and then he got Pepsi Cola Company to provide the rest. Now Blatty had a hard
time because he had already been in the process of suing the big movie studio
Warner Brothers because they did not give him some of the funds from The Exorcist
fame. Now after the film was made which might I add Pepsi Cola demanded it to be filmed in Hungary because they had left overfunds, because they had a new plant there. Warner Brothers oddly ended up releasing for a period of time.
Now for all you Exorcist fans this movie plays with many
characters that are and where supposed to be in The Exorcist. Jason Miller
stars in The Ninth Configuration and who plays Father Karras in The Exorcist.
Ed Flanders who stars in The Ninth Configuration was originally supposed to
play Father Karras in The Exorcist. The Ninth Configuration stars Stacy Keach
who originally was supposed to play Father Karras in The Exorcist. Now Blatty
directed and wrote The Exorcist 3 which also stars from The Ninth Configuration
Jason Miller, Ed Flanders, Scott Wilson, George DiCenzo .
Now if you remember in The Exorcist, Regan's mother is
having a party. At the party is Lt. Cutshaw played by Dick Callinan, well that
is the main character in The Ninth Configuration played in The Ninth by Scott
Wilson. This is the same character and it is said that William Peter Blatty
considers The Ninth Configuration the true sequel to The Exorcist and then
followed by The Exorcist 3 or the book Legion. Regan warns Lt. Cutshaw in The
Exorcist not to go into space where she says: "Your going to die up there." and that is the basis of the character in The
Ninth Configuration. Cutshaw fears space, fears going to space. The whole fear
and insanity about space is the basis of the character that is explored, hint
the warning by Regan in The Exorcist.
The Ninth Configuration is something that explores the
recesses of the mind and the exploration of the idea of insanity. The mind,
actions and the haunting past of mistakes and brutality. It explores the dark
side of humanity and also the reality of the idea of faith and god and the afterlife.
Blatty has a clear hand in creating stories about questioning faith and the
horrors of the idea of the human persona.
A must see, must experience masterpiece.