LEAP OF FAITH: WILLIAM FRIEDKIN ON THE EXORCIST

He recounts being blown away by Orson Welles' 'Citizen Kane' as a child, and later heavily inspired by Carl Theodor Dreyer's 'Ordet'. "Not the Taj Mahal has the power of a close-up of Steve McQueen," he states on the cinematic technique. Friedkin is fascinating to listen to - intelligent, articulate, and passionate. All of it is uncovered in such enthusiastic detail, and this eagerness oozes off of the screen and into the audience.

The combative side of his personality is also on full display. "I felt it was a travesty of his novel... and I told him that," he says of his reaction to reading Blatty's self-penned screenplay, before revealing how the author had offered him his entire percentage in the film just to play the role of Father Damien Karras himself. "The scene needed brass, not strings. I'll fly Ingrid Bergman in to direct this scene," he recalls telling Father Merrin's actor, Max von Sydow, who was struggling to generate the requisite energy at a key point during filming.

On the subject of sound, he refers to his film as "an experimental sound museum." Friedkin mentions how Jack Nitzsche rubbed his fingers over a wine glass to create the sound in the opening titles, the way he was influenced by music that builds in layers, like the works of composer Igor Stravinsky, and his falling out with his friend Lalo Schifrin (which continues to this day) over his rejected score for 'The Exorcist'. Bernard Hermann, too.

He also cites his favourite artists and how they influenced his work. These include Caravaggio's religious figures against stark black backgrounds, James Ensor's paintings of faces which inspired Regan MacNeil's demonic makeup, and the iconic image of Max von Sydow standing in front of the MacNeil family's house, which was based on René Magritte's series of paintings, 'The Empire of Light'.

Towards the end of the film, we see the bluff Friedkin tear up as he remembers a beautiful moment that he experienced decades ago in Kyoto, Japan. But the most touching moment occurs when he is speaking about Blatty. "Bill has... he had a tremendous love and sense of loss about his mother," he stumbles when talking about his friend and collaborator, who passed away in 2017.

The previous Philippe movie documentaries '78/52' and 'Memory: The Origin of Alien' give you some idea of how deep he'll go here. 'Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on The Exorcist' is beautifully stylised with smooth transitions from the interview, which is entirely focused on Friedkin in a palatial living room with a flickering fireplace, to the stunningly edited visuals. Philippe lets the audience see every piece of cinema as it is referenced in conversation. When the director talks about, say, casting Mercedes McCambridge as the dubbed voice of the demon, we get to see a large chunk of her filmography play out on screen, titled and dated. It's all meshed together with a pleasant soundtrack, which happens so organically you don't even think about the visual changes while they are happening before your eyes.

For those with a love for 'The Exorcist', but haven't read up on much of the behind-the-scenes details, this documentary will provide great stories and fascinating moments from the man who put it all together. But 'Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on The Exorcist' isn't just an analysis of Friedkin's finest work, or an uncovering of his influences and processes. It's a fascinating, no smoke and mirrors insight, an honest portrait that allows a legendary director to not only explain his magnum opus, but who he is as an artist and as a man.

'Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on The Exorcist' is available for streaming on Shudder ANZ.