Semi OT: Possession of Joel Delaney

[Gothick]

Thanks to a buddy with a netflix subscription, over the weekend I got to see some of the new DVD of The Possession of Joel Delaney (1972), starring Shirley Maclaine, Michael Hordern, and a very young Perry King.  I was intrigued because I had really wanted to see the movie back in the day but was too young (I think it was rated R).  Anyhow, I found out when the opening credits were running that our very own Lovelady Powell and Peter Turgeon have roles in the movie.

Check it out--the hairstyles and early Seventies clothes in the opening party sequence are a freak!  Shirley Maclaine has on false eyelashes above and below!

G.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

TPOJD is a rarity with me because I loved the book and I really like the movie. Quite often if I've read the book first, I'm not all that thrilled with the movie because few movies can ever live up to the reader's imagination. So I'm with Gothick in recommending the movie (even beyond the DS connection), and I definitely recommend the book. A word of warning though:the movie is a bit offbeat, even for the '70s. 

[David]

This is one SCARY movie~~far better than The Exorcist!
The Santeria ceremony sequence is unnerving as hell!

The film also has a social concious, working New York City's race & class barriers into it's script.

David

 

[ClaudeNorth]

When I first saw this film, the opening party sequence reminded me of the party sequence in HODS.  No surprise:  the cinematographer for TPOJD is Arthur J. Ornitz, giving the film a triple DS connection.

It's definitely an intense film, and not for all tastes.  The final sequence is rather shocking and would never get made today.