La nona configurazione

Upon my initial viewing of this film I found it extremely difficult to really sit down and review it. To the point where it may have been impossible. I was not ready for this film. I received a film I was not expecting. I was quite excited to see it as it is highly rated here on this website to go along with a great cast and William Peter Blatty writing and directing it. I hated the first and second acts, but the 3rd act I loved. I was torn. So I gave it about 6 months and rewatched it. In the end I found it to be a great film and there is much to digest from it. Also extremely difficult to just pigeonhole into one genre. It has strong comedy going on, but can be very dramatic and has elements of horror as well.

Blatty throws away much of the mainstream ideas of filmmaking in his quite impressive directorial debut as he brings his 1966 novel TWINKLE, TWINKLE KILLER KANE to the screen. I have not read the book, but what we get in the end it may have in fact been difficult to have the big studios understand what he was bringing to the screen. I think Martin Scorsese's SHUTTER ISLAND has a bit to thank this film for.

An insane asylum is being run by the US government for those who were in the military. The setting is excellent as a old abandoned castle is where it is set. A new psychiatrist is coming on board Col. Vincent Kane (wonderful performance by Stacy Keach). We are introduced to all of the inmates of the asylum and each give great performances (including Jason Miller, George DiCenzo and Moses Gunn to name just a few). Kane becomes quite involved with former astronaut Capt. Billy Cutshaw (Scott Miller) and in turn leads to thoughts on sacrifice, faith and God.

To me Keach puts in quite an amazing performance and the scene near the end where Capt. Cutshaw goes to the bar and gets involved in a bar fight with a rough and tough bike gang (that includes Richard Lynch) to me is an extremely powerful scene. Blatty even has an extremely funny role as Lt. Fromme. Also starring Ed Flanders, Neville Brand and Tom Atkins.

I'm always looking for a hidden gem, something I haven't seen before that hasn't been hyped to death on the internet. This film by William Peter Blatty (writer of The Exorcist) might be such a gem. I certainly never heard of it before. I was intrigued by the title and the cover (an astronaut on the moon with Jesus on a crucifix...what on earth could this be about?). This is the plot synopis from IMDb: 'A new commanding officer arrives at a remote castle serving as an insane asylum for crazy and AWOL U.S. Army soldiers where he attempts to rehabilitate them by allowing them to live out their crazy fantasies while combating his own long-suppressed insanity.' Sounds good to me. First of, the dialogue of these insane people is written brilliantly. The actors really go all the way in portraying these nut jobs. It's really funny to watch. But the film is a mix of a lot of different styles. It might start out as a comedy, it also contains horror like elements, drama, surrealistic and tragic parts. It's best not to know to much about this movie beforehand. So just check it out. You might not love it, maybe even hate it but it certainly will be like no other film you've seen before and in these times of cookie cutter productions that is a welcome relief.

The Ninth Configuration (1980) was William Peter Blatty's directorial debut. He adapts his own novel for the big screen in this bizarre film about an astronaut (Scott Wilson) who's reached his breaking point and a military doctor (Stacy Keach) who's trying to reach out to him. The cast has a who's who of Hollywood cast-offs (William Peter Blatty has a cameo himself as one of the patients).

This is a strange film that'll cause you to think (if you don't enjoy these type of films then I suggest you look elsewhere). An interesting movie about things that aren't as they seem, soul searching and seeking redemption through honor and self sacrifice. I liked the way these people have to look into themselves and see who or what they really are. I wished that William Peter Blatty made more movies and Hollywood should have gave Stacy Keach more film roles like these. He was quite impressive.

I have to to highly recommend this movie. But if you're expecting some mainstream popcorn nonsense then look elsewhere.

William Peter Blatty will be better known to most as the writer of 'The Exorcist', and here he makes his sterling directorial debut with what is (once the abomination of 'The Exorcist 2' is exorcised) the spiritual sequel to that consummate horror. Having said that, lest the reader get the impression that you're in for more supernatural shenanigans (and pea soup) it should be said that this movie is a million miles away from the horror genre. What's more, 'The Ninth Configuration' is virtually unclassifiable as far as traditional genre categories go and will leave you reeling from the barrage of bizarre images, comedic one-liners, theological debates, and a bar room brawl to end them all!

William Peter Blatty wrote 'The Exorcist' as the first part of a trilogy of novels, the other installments being 'Twinkle twinkle killer Kane' and 'Legion'. 'Twinkle twinkle killer Kane' was adapted to the screen by Blatty as 'The Ninth Configuration' and where 'The Exorcist' explored the argument for the existence of God through the palpable presence of evil, 'The Ninth Configuration' continues the argument through exploring the presence of good in a universe purported by science to be empty, blindly deterministic, and amoral.

At the start of the film we are introduced to a motley band of members of the military who, in the course of the Vietnam War, have all suffered various kinds of mental breakdown and for their treatment have been sent to a reconstructed European castle in some remote American mountains (the film was actually shot in Hungary). Chief among these is the astronaut Capt. Billy Cutshaw (Scott Wilson) whose illness is seen as somehow key in that it is clearly not feigned due to cowardice as he was never scheduled for combat. This introduction sets the tone for the first part of the film and the portrayal of mental illness is somewhat zany and comedic and continues as we are introduced to the other main character, the psychiatrist Colonel Kane (Stacy Keach). Col. Kane, with the support of fellow psychiatrist Col. Fell (Ed Flanders), then institutes an unorthodox treatment which indulges the fantasies of the inmates in an attempt to invoke a catharsis…which is when all (comedic) hell breaks loose and it is against this anarchic backdrop that Cutshaw argues with Kane for the absurdity of believing in God in a world in which undue suffering proliferates.

The light-hearted whacky tone gives way in the second half as Kane and Cutshaw's arguments become more penetrating (although not completely, as Cutshaw's choice of wardrobe to a Christian Mass will testify!) and the climax of the film is a double-whammy of a plot reveal that casts the performance of Ed Flanders as Col. Fell in a pathos infused light (which can only be fully appreciated with repeat viewings), as well as a bar room fight that will have you stuck to your screen as the tension builds and builds to an explosive finale.

Unfortunately, owing to the fact that a theological tragi-comedy is not the stuff the popcorn and soda crowd really go for, 'The Ninth Configuration' has fallen into the "cult" film category, which is a shame as another film with as fine a plot carried off by as fine a cast (not to mention a wealth of quotable one-liners) you are unlikely to see. However, while the film clearly deserves wider recognition (especially given it's conceptual relationship to 'The Exorcist'), those that seek it out, or fortuitously stumble upon it , are in for a real treat!

Everybody's got their own list of overlooked movies that they can't believe aren't recognized as classics. I have several contenders but this brilliant movie must surely top the list! William Peter Blatty of 'The Exorcist' fame adapted his own novel for his debut as writer/director and came up with a mind-bending classic. I only know a handful of people who have even heard of this movie, but everyone who gets to see it becomes an instant raving fan. Yes, it's THAT good.

Colonel Kane (Stacey Keach, 'The Long Riders', 'American History X') is sent to a top secret facility full of military personal suffering from breakdowns, delusions and other mental problems. While attempting to find some way to cure them he becomes particularly concerned with a tortured astronaut, Captain Cutshaw (Scott Wilson, 'In Cold Blood', 'The Way Of The Gun'), and the two form a special, odd relationship. However things are not what they first appear to be, and to give anymore plot points away would be criminal. All I can say is that you're in for one hell of a ride!

Keach and Wilson are both outstanding in two of the best roles of their careers, but what really makes this a must-see is the superb supporting cast of character actors who are all equally good, and spout some of the freshest, most memorable dialogue you'll ever hear. Some of them include Robert Loggia ('Lost Highway'), Jason Miller ('The Exorcist'), Tom Atkins ('Maniac Cop'), Moses Gunn ('Rollerball'), Neville Brand ('Eaten Alive'), Joe Spinell ('Maniac') and Richard Lynch ('Open Season'). This movie is heaven for b-grade film buffs, and I can't recommend it highly enough. An unforgettable experience.