The Ninth Configuration

Rating:
Summary: One of the greatest movies you've never seen
Review: Roger Ebert once said that Casablanca was the sort of movie that improves upon multiple viewings, because the first time we see it we're too involved in the plot, too concerned about what is happening and why; seeing the movie again gives us the chance to appreciate the nuances. Those comments certainly apply to The Ninth Configuration.

The plot is a good one, and people who enjoy thrillers and mysteries will find enough action and plot twists in the film to rival Hitchcock's best works. But what makes this movie so special are the terrific performances (by Stacy Keach, Scott, Wilson, and Ed Flanders), the witty dialogue, and the religious undercurrents. Too often movies treat religious belief with sentimentality or scorn, but the Ninth Configuration deals with faith and doubt in with a deftness and dignity that isn't patronizing to either side.

It's the sort of movie that you immediately want to talk about with someone...which could be difficult since so few people have seen it. Case in point: I host a movie party every Thursday night. Every time a new member joins, I ask him or her to compile a short list of movies that he or she has seen but thinks others haven't but should. These lists serve as our guide for film selections, and the attendees love movies and have broad tastes. But not one of them had seen The Ninth Configuration. My father recommended it to us, and we watched it last October, and thus far it remains the club's hands-down favorite, beating out classics such as The Sting or The Lion in Winter. Many of them have passed the title along to friends, who have also enjoyed the newly discovered gem. And it has provoked hours of conversation among us.

I can't think of a movie that would appeal so well to the casual viewer, the mystery lover, the film buff, the occasion bible study group for that matter.

Many movies are worth seeing. This one is worth owning.

Rating:
Summary: "You now have you're one Example."
Review: This is a very surreal movie about the enigma of God and sanity. A strange doctor comes to take over a castle of Vietnam soldiers absent of combat due to mental illness. Then later is labeled as crazy himself. A former astronaut, Cutshaw, becomes leery of the doctor which brings him closer to him. Then Cutshaw questions a supreme being's existence. There's even some hilarious scenes which emphasizes the insanity. Blatty's comic roots complete this masterpiece. Second in Blatty's religion triliogy. Similar to Kubric's style of dramatic issues created to be eccentric. My favorite movie of all time. Brilliant acting with memorable characters. And this is not another "Exorcist" Director's cut VHS version leaves out some good stuff. Probably not a Blockbuster or Hollywood Video title. Get your hands on the original from your local family videostore or from your library.
~This just in...I baught the DVD and the color is fine. I see nothing wrong with the transfer. Some reviewers here are really nitpicking. Some of the deleted scened have a yellow tint and off color black mats, but they're deleted scenes...and good ones if I might add. The commentary is very informative and the film itself has a few more extended scenes compared to the VHS versions, but nothing was taken out. I must say the DVD is the best presentation of this great story yet."You now have your one example."

Rating:
Summary: "My God, It's Full Of Stars" - But Is There Any Faith?
Review: With all of the uproar over The Passion Of The Christ, I immediately thought of this obscure, overlooked movie that tells a story of how anyone, even the most unlikely person, can be Christ-like & help to renew another's faith. It's definitely a "talkie" of sorts; not a movie that you'll get much from if you're not really paying attention . . but it is a fascinatingly funny & often moving cosmic love story about faith, humanity & God. If that doesn't sound like your cup o' tea, take a pass on it.

Cutshaw was an astronaut set to go to the moon, but freaked out during the countdown & has been placed in this desolate castle where ex-military headcases are treated & examined. He see's the universe as Godless, the world as being devoid of any selfless humanity. He feels that we are all alone. During one of their many discussion's on the existence of God, Kane tells Cutshaw(I'm paraphrasing)"the essence of suicide is despair . .the essence of giving your life for someone is love" . .that's really what this offbeat story is all about, and whether you believe Jesus was actually the son of God, God incarnate, who came to die for our sins, or if you believe he was merely a big-hearted, social malcontent who brought the wrath of the powers that be down on him, the essence of love of humanity & forgiveness was what he stood for. For Cutshaw, Kane becomes his "one example" of this.

For those who feel as though The Passion focused on the wrong aspect of Jesus' life, The Ninth Configuration is not to be missed. I would recommend this movie to those who question not only their own faith, but faith in general. The writing is sharp, many of the performances are brilliant, & there is plenty of biting, wry humor & wit ~ the scenes of Jason Miller casting the Shakespeare play with dogs always cracks me up. This is one of those movies that I seem to get something different, or notice a bit of dialogue differently, every time I see it.

Incidentally, for those not familiar with this at all, the title, The Ninth Configuration, is a complex cell structure that would've been required to appear from "nothing" in order for life as we know it to have begun on this planet. I've not studied up on this, but according to the movie, given what we know scientifically/biologically, it is all but impossible or highly implausible that such an event could've randomly occurred, hence the choice to instead believe that God must exist. See this one for sure.

Rating:
Summary: "My God, It's Full Of Stars" - But Is There Any Faith?
Review: With all of the uproar over The Passion Of The Christ, I immediately thought of this obscure, overlooked movie that tells a story of how anyone, even the most unlikely person, can be Christ-like & help to renew another's faith. It's definitely a "talkie" of sorts; not a movie that you'll get much from if you're not really paying attention . . but it is a fascinatingly funny & often moving cosmic love story about faith, humanity & God. If that doesn't sound like your cup o' tea, take a pass on it.

Cutshaw was an astronaut set to go to the moon, but freaked out during the countdown & has been placed in this desolate castle where ex-military headcases are treated & examined. He see's the universe as Godless, the world as being devoid of any selfless humanity. He feels that we are all alone. During one of their many discussion's on the existence of God, Kane tells Cutshaw(I'm paraphrasing)"the essence of suicide is despair . .the essence of giving your life for someone is love" . .that's really what this offbeat story is all about, and whether you believe Jesus was actually the son of God, God incarnate, who came to die for our sins, or if you believe he was merely a big-hearted, social malcontent who brought the wrath of the powers that be down on him, the essence of love of humanity & forgiveness was what he stood for. For Cutshaw, Kane becomes his "one example" of this.

For those who feel as though The Passion focused on the wrong aspect of Jesus' life, The Ninth Configuration is not to be missed. I would recommend this movie to those who question not only their own faith, but faith in general. The writing is sharp, many of the performances are brilliant, & there is plenty of biting, wry humor & wit ~ the scenes of Jason Miller casting the Shakespeare play with dogs always cracks me up. This is one of those movies that I seem to get something different, or notice a bit of dialogue differently, every time I see it.

Incidentally, for those not familiar with this at all, the title, The Ninth Configuration, is a complex cell structure that would've been required to appear from "nothing" in order for life as we know it to have begun on this planet. I've not studied up on this, but according to the movie, given what we know scientifically/biologically, it is all but impossible or highly implausible that such an event could've randomly occurred, hence the choice to instead believe that God must exist. See this one for sure.

Rating:
Summary: Green Soaked Caterpillar
Review: Superb film. Any fan, be sure to check out my resource site for The Ninth Configuration at http://tnc.xioflux.com!

Rating:
Summary: Awesome
Review: One of the best sleepers ever made. no one knows the title upon asking but without question a great movie

Rating:
Summary: One of a kind film
Review: I've seen my share of films that have been good and bad. I've also seen movies that could similar to others. When it comes to The Ninth Configuration, I now know that there can be films that are original and don't borrow from other sources. This movie is not only one of a kind, it is also very moving and philosophical. If not dramatic with some twists and turns. Even the scene involving a bar room brawl between Stacy Keach and various actors playing vicious bikers (who literally get their tail-ends kicked brutally and fatally by Keach)was very original, if not unique.

The Ninth Configuration examines the after effects of the Vietnam War on various veterans who have suffered from post traumatic stress syndrome and other various traumas. It also examines the various themes of religion and why the world itself is going to hell in a handbasket. It also points out the old question that many have often asked. Is there a God? And if so, why does he let evil get away with various things?

A cult-classic like Blade Runner, with elements of witty black comedy that are almost like those from the movie M*A*S*H, The Ninth Configuration is a moving drama and excellent masterpiece. Not only does it have solid acting from the likes of Stacy Keach, Scott Wilson (who won a Golden Globe for his role in the film), Ed Flanders, Steve Sandor, Richard Lynch, the late Joe Spinell, Will Luckling, Robert Loggia, Jason Miller (as a soldier directing Shakespearean plays with Dogs, a very original and enjoyable plot element), Moses Gunn, and Tom Atkins, it also has some very interesting and powerful moments. Especially the surreal scene where a NASA astronaut discovers THE crucifix on the surface of the Moon.

If you enjoy films that are original and touches upon serious themes, like faith and religion, and state of humanity, then you are in for a surprise when you view The Ninth Configuration. It is a movie that still entertains many, and still keeps asking the same questions that man is still seeking the answers to.

Rating:
Summary: Who are you? You're too human to be human . . .
Review: That's what Captain Cutshaw says to his psychiatrist. He continues:

" Maybe you're P.T Barnum. . . He put a panther and a lamb in a cage together and there was never any trouble. The public went lollypops! Look at that! A panther and a lamb, and they don't even argue!. . .but what the public never knew was that it was never the same lamb. That (expletive deleted) panther ate a lamb every single day at intermission and then they shot him for asking for mint sauce. . . Animals are innocent, why should they suffer?. . . Why should children suffer? "
-----------------------------------------------------------------

There's an in joke in Hollywood: You don't ask a director if he's seen " The Ninth Configuration ", you ask how many times.

It's a cult classic. A supernatural horror film without anything seemingly frightening or supernatural, set in an insane assylum, set in a gothic castle. It's a mystery, a Christian martyr movie (no,I'm not kidding), an ensemble production of superb actors speaking some off THE best dialogue written, it's --it's-- Wiliam Peter Blatty!

Who, after writing "The Exorcist" (another easy 5 stars) put out a couple of lame "sequels" until he gathered enough clout to write and direct what he considered the TRUE sequel, which has nothing to do with little girls possesed by demons, but still everything to do with Good vs. Evil.

It's Vietnam and a number of officers have gone psycho--or are they faking it? Due to the controversial nature of the war, it's being kept secret. At one of these bases--set in an abandoned castle in a remote forest, of course--top USMC psychiatrist, Colonel Kane (Stacey Keach) is sent to investigate.

Astronaut and head loon Captain Cutshaw (Scott Wilson) wonders if fellow officer/inmate Jason Miller (Father Karras in 'The Exorcist') may be right when he says " I tell ya he's Gregory Peck in 'Spellbound', he's sent to take over the assylum but he's crazier than all of us! "

For his part Kane is determined to help the men, especially their 'leader', Capt. Cutshaw.

The film focuses on the clash between these two bizarre and enigmatic characters.

Cutshaw: " You're on your way out! I'm acting on orders so to inform you. "

Kane: " Who ordered you Cutshaw? "

Cutshaw: " Unseen forces far too numerous to enumerate."

Their psychotherapy slowly becomes a metaphor on the ancient debate of the impossibility of God, given the reality of evil. Brilliantly scripted by Blatty.

Kane: "Perhaps we're all fish out of water...I mean if fish could survive, actually survive out of water, they'd all go crazy. Perhaps we're all meant for a much better place. "

Cutshaw: "You're so dumb you're adorable."

Naturally, more than talk is needed. The action in the film is the turning point upon which the author/director hangs the plot twist as to who among them--and among us --is really crazy.

The answer might surprise you. An amazing film.

Rating:
Summary: Finally, the real thing
Review: It has finally happened. After more than twenty years this film has been released with a few additional scenes that enhance the movie and with its original ending. This film is the second in a trilogy made by Blatty about the existence of and our relation with God. It is by far the best of the three (the other two being The Exorcist and Exorcist 3). There have been at least five versions of TNC since its theatrical release more than twenty years ago and none of them have been as good as the original film. As it turns out, most of the edits to the original were not done by Blatty himself but by the distributors who bought the rights. By the last release of the film on VHS it had been stripped of most of its meaning and given an ending that was inconsistent with the rest of the film. But in this version Blatty has kept his hands firmly on the helm and the movie shines in all its glory. The DVD also includes some interesting outtakes.

I can't say it enough, if you are familiar with this movie from its earliest days then this is your version. If you have never seen it then I strongly recommend it. TNC is one of the great films of all time.

Rating:
Summary: cult classic
Review: I'd just like to add my hosanna to one of the greatest cult films ever made. Whether you like it or hate it, it will provoke discussion, and will stick in your mind. I recommend seeing this with One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest or King of Hearts (1966), or perhaps John Carpenter's Dark Star, for a nice thought-provoking evening. I've only seen the director's cut on VHS, but I'd like to get the DVD with the deleted scenes and extras.