Being a major fan of Bava and getting the DVD with both versions on it, I of course delved into the original Lisa version, which is being praised as loudly as the Exorcism version is being pulled down. The film seemed very confusing and not in a good way, and once it ended, I felt a bit embarrassed in front of some friends who had come along to view it. After the company left, I thought I'd have a look at the alternative version. All of a sudden it made much more sense. The fact that the poor girl is hallucinating, being fed (by the Devil) images of being stuck in the past, was vastly more interesting than the "ethereally surreal and dreamlike" (read: boring) straightforward story seen in the original version. I have no background information about what exactly happened and who cut, re-edited or added scenes to this film, but let me stand out as a lone wolf to champion the version many people tend to hate. It's bonuses are simple: fast-moving, structurally more diverse, and - last but not least - it gives major scenes for Elke Sommer to act! Whereas she simply looks good in the original, here with the added exorcism scenes she acts for her money's worth and does quite well. There's also the added sub plot of the tormented priest, told in flashbacks, which isn't bad either. In fact, the story gets really multi-layered, similar to films like Saragossa Manuscript, and creates a minor mind trip worthy of remembering.
Review of Lisa and the Devil
