Philadelphia Daily News from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania • Page 39

Philadelphia Dally News Monday. Nov. 14. 1 983 39 'Possession' an Exorcise in Futility I think it is safe to assume that the film's American distributor edited out everything except the excess and and frenzy. The missing SO minutes most certainly contains exposition, common sense and an explanation or two, quiet, introspective scenes that might have brought rationale to the excess and frenzy.

Complementing the stars and also suffering from the indiscreet editing (garroting?) are the contributions of cinematographer Bruno Nuytten and effects wizard Carol Rambaldi and Rarely has so much been so senselessly wasted. Parental Guide: for its violenre. worldly monster (which could be a demon or even a god). When. Adjani's character, Anna, isn't abusing her little ballet students, she's carving up herself with an electric knife or terrorizing her wild-eyed husband (Sam Neill), who also seems possessed.

Anna keeps her repulsive monster-child stashed in a suite of rooms in a decaying hotel in Berlin. Amidst a flurry of flashbacks, flashforwards and scenes involving Anna's demure alter-ego (named Helen), our madwoman and her evil ward spend their days killing off nosy intruders (and sutffing their entrails in a refigerator) and their nights making love. The lovemak ing scenes in "Possession" are fairly gross. Forum 22nd I KM. L0 7-0124 PLAZA CINEMA IMnrlan 227-8989 Plus FORUM ONLY SEX BOAT CONTINUOUS FROM It AM LAST Ff ATMSf 10 rH 61st trPASSYUtf KJUEJH JERRY'S CORNER 724-7002 TTr AIkIIN ftllll niii mwiaj AT DUKE DUCHESS 11:00, 12:00, 5:30, 6:25, 7:25, 8:20, 9:15, 10:15, DOORS OPEN 10:30 AM BIB RLE rrr Philadelphia FRISENTI3 IH 70 KM, 6-TSACX COMPLETE 3 I ADULT ft? veil 1 ADMISSION rA NOW OPEN 24 HRS.

7 DAYS i Lvo STREET 567-8779 Una, i i. I. WOMEN'S NUDE WRESTLING" .441 FRI. TO 111 Ml THIS AM i 1 I GERARD DAMIANO PRESENTS HIOHtSI KAI ING Genesis n. if ur I nlvin I 100 YD1K5 OF yrKONTROLLflPLt! W5T Sumnf SHARON MITCHEtt SHARON KANE 1605 CHESTNUT ST.

563-9981 nciii YOUR CHOICE OF FEATURE 12:50, 1:50, 2:40, 3:40, 4:30, S2.50 TILL 1 PM Tunh A1AOD COMMNV Rf 5J -1 1' Qrrrjfri $2.50 I tplH CHfSINUT STBEE IS Everyone in this Chevy Chase You'll love RICHARD Urtl" TIMES 1908 82.58 til I it. "Possession." A thriller starring IsabeTle Adjani, Sam Neill and Heinz Bennent. Directed and co-authored by Andrzej Zulawski from an original script by Frederic Tuten. Photographed by Bruno Nuytten. Music by Andrzej KorzynskL Special effects by Carlo Rambaldi.

Running Time: 78 minutes (cut from original 128 minutes). A Limelight International release. In area theaters. By JOE BALTAKE Daily News Movie Reviewer ny movie that has the gall to reach back to 1973 and attempt to redo "The Exorcist whose own imperfections can be reexamined on TV these days, deserves every odious comparison it gets. "Possession" is a boringly camp-elegante attempt by a group of reputable French, German and Polish filmmakers (most notably director Andrzej Zulawski) to find Art in the ooze and bile that monopolize most demonic-possession flicks.

All we end up with is a movie that's even more fatuous than most exploitation thrillers of this ilk. There's nothing on screen here that we haven't seen before. This is noi io imply mat possession is without its interests or curiositites. Not so. The film's history alone should command our attention: "Possession" is now get this 50 minutes shorter than the version that played the Cannes Film Festival two years ago and won star Isabelle Adjani her Best Actress award there.

In the seriously truncated version being distributed in America, nothing makes sense, least of all Adjani's babbling, incoherent and yet arresting portrayal of a woman who has given birth to some slimy, other Live (JI) Hated Nude Show $1 For Show Times Call 568-2262 NORTH AMERICAN MOTOR INN. 44 City le Avanu. fi 131 RATI 1 9 VfTRTHIS Al Color TV Rnlktm Louno Q7C-31C3 JOHN HOLMES "THE LITTLE FRENCH MAID" CHESTNUT AI SKOAD $TET So7 7C21 GUTTER FRENCH MASD 9:10 ALSO IT THESE BUDC0 THEATRES BUDC0 PLYMOUTH, RIDGE BUTLER PH. BU0C0 RITZ, 0AKLYN, HJ i l.llll...U,.U.l U.ittie iSinciUMaids I FRENCH I HOT I HEAT I PISTOLS 1903 MARKET AMATEOP, Contestants WANTED! INDIAN s.j: If LADY Reflectnns OF YOUTH and FACE TO FACE eh I I 1:00, 4:40 AND $3.50 TILl I PM NO PASSES ACCEPTED CHESTNUT ST. 567-0604 "Bad' AH Iki 12.10-3:40-7:10-10.45 -Aitln IlllUU- PM GATES OF HELL'' 1 35 6 1 1 1 OO "MAUSOLEUM" 20 "FUNERAL HOME" 3 OS-7 45PM r.

REGENCY $2.50 TIL 1 PM 12:15 2:45 5:15 comedy is plane crazy. uinTnum 2 bO 1 PM 12 TO 2 10 4:10 ffi 8 10 816 10 15 PALACE $2.50 TIL 2 PM Wehh FORGE KneolPiusaa Route iS.CImnWMal GCC ECHELON MALL 4 HorsePlt.Voo;hMS 1 1 1 GoCQGiciGCaoirD! 4L rS tWTiJIlY r-y yr- I 181 2 CHESTNUT STREET 496 0222 CMtSTNUT BBOAO SIBEET So; 70i1 Thsy TOOH It To Ttia Limit Starring Rhonda Jo Petty THE INTRUDER K0LLYW0G0 ELVD MY SISTER, MY WIFE jim st. SAMSOK A BEllLAH PA LACE GIRL DANCER VtoOSTESSeS AMC BUCKS COLOMAL 2 BUDCO 309 CINEMA 4 NCW JtRSfT TheMartPlareStiRia8iistletoiifilie 1 tmlM jWf.pwi BUOCOANOOKHA4 GCC NORTHEAST 4 I4mteS oOoKlnwiioi)t 611 RoostwK Mm UOCO CITY LME TWIN GCC VALLEY mhlbtylwAw. 36JHjlkt 12:30 8:30 I'll run I. ,1 in.