The Ninth Configuration

The Ninth Configuration (1980)

Runtime: 118 minutes

Directed by: William Peter Blatty

Starring: Stacy Keach (RIP), Scott Wilson, Ed Flanders, Jason Miller, many others

From: Warner Bros. 

RIP Stacy Keach

When I was out of town, I heard this news & was bummed out. Whether it be him narrating various programs or appearing in films for decades, he's been enjoyed by me for many years now. Everything from Roadgames & Fat City to Up in Smoke & Body Bags has been a delight. The Ninth Configuration was watched by me... in my college days, meaning “more than 20 years ago.” As this also has a supporting role from Tom Atkins (who just turned 91 today; Happy Birthday to someone else awesome), there wasn't any better film to see today then post a review of now.

This film-the directorial debut of author William Peter Blatty-stars Keach as an Army psychiatrist who is assigned to an awesome old Gothic castle in the perpetually-rainy Pacific Northwest that hosts an asylum for those in the military “suffering from mental illness,” to use the parlance that people likely would describe the place now. The Vietnam War has caused a spike of these cases... are they faking it? Those patients are allowed to live out their delusions; expect acres of wild, unforgettable dialogue, spouted by one heck of a cast. A key character is Captain Billy Cutshaw, who in The Exorcist was the astronaut Chris MacNeil's party who was told by Possessed Reagan that he would die in space. This caused him to go crazy, resulting in his stay at the castle.

Where else would you hear lines like “Rudolph Valentino hated cabbage,” “Robert Browning had the clap,” “this man treats crocodiles for acne!”& “you green-soaked caterpillar-torturing bastard!” The Ninth Configuration is unforgettable, wholly unique in its plot, the storytelling, the dialogue, the surreal imagery, the shift from dark comedy in the opening half, to more sobering in the back half... I've never forgotten this peculiarity. This has a character in BLACKFACE singing an Al Jolson song, after all. I don't want to reveal too much more, but this also has a Bela Lugosi poster, religious imagery, Edgar Cayce, Hamlet (fitting, as Keach once famously played the character on stage), at least one biker who could have been in the film Cruising, & much more. The explanation for the movie's title is provided... it's high-brow & relates to the important themes here of humanity & life.

What a cast this has. There's also Neville Brand, Jason Miller, Scott Wilson, Ed Flanders, Moses Gunn, George DiCenzo, Robert Loggia, Joe Spinell, Alejandro Rey, and Richard Lynch; how can you go wrong with all those great talents? I understand why some would think this is too weird, too off-kilter, too bold from the opening minutes for them; fair, but thankfully this singular picture that was well-directed + had a fine score from Barry De Vorzon works for me. Technically, you probably will be reminded of a certain famous film that came out later, but no spoilers as that would reveal the plot of two motion pictures...

I was happy to have finally discussed this movie on Letterboxd. Configuration can be overwhelming at times but broaches serious, philosophical topics & is overall an unforgettable showcase for many talented actors, including Keach as the lead. It was a nice way for me to tip my cap to an actor I'll miss.