The Ninth Configuration (1980)

Director:

William Peter Blatty

Writers:

William Peter Blatty (novel)
William Peter Blatty (screenplay)

Release Date:

29 February 1980 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

How Do You Fight A War Called Madness?

Plot:

A new commanding officer arrives at a remote castle serving as an insane asylum for crazy and AWOL U.S...

Plot Keywords:

Castle | Insane Asylum | Army | Marine | Murder

Awards:

Won Golden Globe. Another 2 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Stacy Keach	...	Col. Vincent Kane
Scott Wilson	...	Capt. Billy Cutshaw
Jason Miller	...	Lt. Frankie Reno
Ed Flanders	...	Col. Richard Fell
Neville Brand	...	Maj. Marvin Groper
George DiCenzo	...	Capt. Fairbanks
Moses Gunn	...	Maj. Nammack
Robert Loggia	...	Lt. Bennish
Joe Spinell	...	Lt. Spinell
Alejandro Rey	...	Lt. Gomez
Tom Atkins	...	Sgt. Krebs
Steve Sandor	...	1st Cyclist (Stanley)
Richard Lynch	...	2nd Cyclist (Richard)
Gordon Mark	...	Sgt. Gilman
William Lucking	...	Highway Patrolman

Also Known As:

Twinkle, Twinkle, Killer Kane

Runtime:

118 min | USA:99 min (re-issue version) | USA:140 min (combined extended version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono | 70 mm 6-Track | 4-Track Stereo

Certification:

Netherlands:16 (DVD rating) | Australia:R | Finland:K-18 | Norway:18 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Budapest, Hungary

Company:

Ninth Configuration

Trivia:

Stacy Keach and Scott Wilson were last-minute replacements for Nicol Williamson and Michael Moriarty, who were originally slated to play the roles of Colonel Kane and Captain Cutshaw.

Quotes:

Captain Cutshaw: Can you prove there's a foot?
Colonel Kane: There are some arguments from reason.
Captain Cutshaw: Are those the things we use to justify dropping atomic bombs on Japan?

Movie Connections:

Spin off from The Exorcist (1973)

Soundtrack:

I'm Confessin' (That I Love You)

Fascinating

WARNING: SPOILERS

This is one film you'll never forget. A rare occurrence when a movie is better than the novel it's based on, director William Peter Blatty struck gold with this one. Nice to see it's finally getting the recognition it deserves. The whole story just draws you into another world. Not once was I bored, and this is a long movie. Save for that wicked bar fight, there's no action anywhere else in the film. What we get is bizarre yet intriguing dialogue and chilling flashbacks that'll leave you speechless. One scene midway through the film had me close to being hypnotized: Kane takes the astronaut to church and during the service, he stares at the altar boy who looks Oriental. That scene had me thinking maybe the Colonel was having a flashback to the Korean or Vietnam War. The cast is all-star and top-notch, with Stacy Keach giving an unforgettable portrait as Colonel Hudson Kane. Nice to see Joe Spinell in a bit role. I don't know where they filmed that castle they keep showing throughout the movie, but my guess would be West Germany, Switzerland or Austria. You won't find any castles like that in America, even though the story takes place in Washington State.

Score, 10 out of 10 Stars