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9
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10 |
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10
= Highest Rating |
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Guest
Review by Troy
Howarth |
A
series of strange occurrences convinces a father (Gregory Peck)
that his adopted son, Damien (Harvey Stephens), is the Antichrist...
With its big name cast and slick production
values, The Omen has all the markings
of a 'classy' horror picture — yet, unlike so many that have
lost their edge while fumbling for respectability, it works
both as a genuinely suspenseful horror film as well as a popular
entertainment. Conceived by producer Harvey Bernhard as a cash-in
on William Friedkin's wildly successful The
Exorcist (1973), the film made the rounds at various studios
before landing at 20th Century Fox. In the hands of veteran
TV director Richard Donner (The Twilight Zone, Kojak),
David Seltzer's somewhat crass screenplay was transformed into
a much more satisfyingly ambiguous mystery thriller. Just as
Roman Polanski had done with Rosemary's
Baby (1968), Donner used his atheistic leanings to the
film's advantage, refusing to buy into the supernatural elements
and leaving it up to the viewer to decide whether the protagonist
is insane or if there really are demonic forces at work. If
a series of progressively inferior sequels have robbed the film
of this ambiguity, it pays to look at the film for what it is
rather than for what its success subsequently wrought.
The
story sensibly steers clear of imitating The
Exorcist and Rosemary's Baby
(the two films it is most often lumped in with) and is basically
structured as a mystery-thriller. The gradual accumulation of
clues is skillfully done in such a way as to encourage doubt
in the viewer —
every death can plausibly be written off as an accident, and
nothing overtly fantastic is thrown in to ruin the balancing
act. Damien is depicted as a normal child, the implication being
that he is still unaware of his power, if indeed he has any
at all. The omen of the title alludes to a peculiarity that
crops up in photos of those who die in horrible accidents, yet
even this is done in such a way as to be plausibly explained
away if one resists the supernatural angle of the story. In
writing the script, Seltzer took his inspiration from the Book
of Revelation, and the film's success has been credited with
entering its hellish prophecies and symbolic 666 (the "Mark
of the Beast") into the pop culture lexicon.
Cast after Charlton
Heston, William Holden (who ironically top-lined the 1978 sequel,
Damien: Omen II) and Roy Scheider
turned the role down, Gregory Peck is absolutely vital to the
film's impact. A long-established star best known for his portrayal
of comforting authority types —
just about any kid who has seen him in To
Kill a Mockingbird (1962) envisions him as the ideal
father figure —
Peck made his first (and arguably only, unless one counts his
cameo in Martin Scorsese's 1992 remake of Cape
Fear) foray into the horror genre with this picture.
His very presence adds an air of tremendous weight and gravity
to the proceedings. If the story still bears traces of its schlock
origins, Peck is enough to make the viewer believe it all implicitly.
As his character goes through a gradual transformation from
rock solid integrity to growing paranoia and fear, the film
deepens and attains a palpable creepiness. It's impossible to
imagine the film having quite the same impact with another actor.
In securing the veteran star's presence, the production was
able to assemble an impressive supporting cast. Lovely Lee Remick
(Anatomy of a Murder) is perfectly
cast as Peck's wife. The role doesn't allow her a tremendous
amount of screen time, but she plays the character's gradual
mental disintegration very well. David Warner (Cross
of Iron) gives an excellent performance as Jennings, a photographer
who stumbles on an odd phenomenon that puts his life in danger.
He adds a great deal to a character that surely didn't have
much weight on the page, and his chemistry with Peck is strong
and believable. Billie Whitelaw (The
Flesh and the Fiends) is appropriately sinister and
chilling as the proverbial nanny from Hell, while Patrick Troughton
(Scars of Dracula)
makes a vivid impression as a fire and brimstone priest who
warns Peck of impending danger. Leo McKern (The
Day the Earth Caught Fire) and Martin Benson (Night
Creatures) shine in small, cameo-length roles. Most
memorable, however, is little Harvey Stephens as Damien. With
his angelic looks, Stephens is the picture of innocence and
he proves surprisingly adept at handling the different facets
of the character.
It's difficult to
believe that The Omen marked Richard
Donner's feature film debut. Surely his experience on television
gave him the background he needed to bring such storytelling
muscle to bear on the project, but he also shows a tremendous
flair for visual craftsmanship, as well. He has acknowledged
that veteran cinematographer Gilbert Taylor (Dr.
Strangelove) encouraged him to shoot the picture in Panavision,
and together they make inspired use of the wide frame. His sensible
approach to the story prevents the film from becoming crass
or exploitative, and even the celebrated death scenes (including
an impalement and a slow motion decapitation) are handled with
taste and restraint. In addition to getting fine performances
out of his actors, Donner paces the film with special care —
it doesn't move so fast as to lose the mood or tension, but
it never slackens to the point of distraction. In many respects,
Donner —
whose admirably varied output includes such hits as Superman
(1978) and Lethal Weapon (1987)
—
remains a sadly underrated craftsman. It's easy to imagine this
film, in particular, being a complete fiasco in lesser hands
—
yet it is precisely his thoughtful approach that makes it work.
Viewers who've been put off by the sequels and a pointless 2006
remake would be well advised to revisit the original. It remains
a potent blend of suspense and horror as well as an extremely
well-crafted film in its own right.
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what you will about the recent remake (and judging from the box-office
figures, not much is being said at all), its release has prompted
Fox to issue a swanky 2-disc collector's edition of the original.
The 2.35/16x9 transfer is an improvement on their previous single-disc
SE, offering stronger colors and crisper detail. Print damage
is limited to a few barely noticeable nicks and scratches. Audio
options include the original mono track, as well as a new 5.1
mix. Both tracks are strong, so the choice will likely be determined
by how much of an audio purist the viewer is. French and Spanish
tracks are also included. Extras include all the bonus features
available in the previous release, as well as some new goodies.
Disc one includes two audio commentaries — the first is the same
found on the old release, featuring Donner and editor Stuart Baird;
the second is a newly recorded track with Donner and screenwriter/fan
Brian Helgeland. Quite why Helgeland was selected to carry the
track with Donner is unclear, but it's a lively and informative
discussion that goes well with the older Donner/Baird commentary.
There is inevitably some repetition between the two tracks, but
fans of the film should find the anecdotes of interest, notably
how Peck's own personal tragedy (the suicide of his son before
the script came his way) affected his demeanor on the picture
and led to some flare-ups with the director. A brief featurette,
Curse or Coincidence, is ported over from the first release;
it essentially plays up the so-called "Omen
Curse", which Donner dismisses as a load of bunk, while apocalyptic
born-again Christian Robert Munger, the film's "religious
advisor", hawks it as absolute truth. The original, highly
effective theatrical trailer rounds out the first disc.
Disc
2 includes the documentary included in the original release, as
well as a newer, feature-length doc produced for the American
Movie Classics network. The new documentary is narrated in appropriately
dramatic manner by Jack Palance (whose daughter Holly famously
commits suicide in the film) and incorporates some interviews
with the likes of David Warner and other cast and crew members
(sadly, both Peck and Remick are no longer around to contribute),
but it suffers from the maddening tendency to recap the events
of all three films in great detail, padding out the action with
an insane amount of clips. All told, the older documentary is
stronger and more informative. Also included is a never before
seen cut scene showing an alternate demise for the demonic Mrs.
Baylock. Donner sensibly cut this over the top sequence from the
perfectly pitched climax, but it's interesting to see it in rough
cut form — it was never completed and mixed, so the scene is presented
MOS with commentary by Donner and Helgeland. Next up is another
featurette ported over from the previous release, focusing on
Jerry Goldsmith's remarkable score. The veteran composer, who
has since passed away, discusses his process and how he developed
some of the film's most memorable themes; the score remains one
of the finest ever written for a horror film, and it won a well-deserved
Academy Award. The newly produced Screenwriter's Notebook
gives writer David Seltzer a chance to discuss the film's complicated
road to success, and he is admirably frank about doing the film
out of financial desperation rather than having a burning desire
to tell such a story. Also newly produced is a nice tribute from
director Wes Craven, who discusses the film's peculiar strengths
and makes a convincing argument for it as one of the great horror
films. The still gallery includes a nice mix of portrait shots
and behind-the-scenes stills; a sparse booklet rounds out the
package.
7/05/06 |
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