Omen III: The Final Conflict
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| Omen III: The Final Conflict | |
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 Omen III: The Final Conflict movie poster |
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| Directed by | Graham Baker |
| Produced by | Harvey Bernhard |
| Written by | Andrew Birkin |
| Starring | Sam Neill Don Gordon Rossano Brazzi |
| Music by | Jerry Goldsmith |
| Cinematography | Phil Meheux Robert Paynter |
| Editing by | Alan Strachan |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
| Running time | 108 min. |
| Country | United Kingdom United States |
| Language | English |
| Preceded by | Damien: Omen II |
| Followed by | Omen IV: The Awakening |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Omen III: The Final Conflict is the third installment in a cycle of horror movies documenting the rise and eventual fall of the Antichrist. It follows The Omen and Damien: Omen II as the third film in the Omen series.
Released in 1981, the film charts the progress of the now-adult Damien Thorn to a position of earthly power (becoming United States ambassador to the United Kingdom with an eye on the U.S. Presidency) as a springboard for triggering the Apocalypse.
The movie was directed by Graham Baker. It stars Sam Neill as Thorn, with Lisa Harrow as journalist Kate Reynolds, and Rossano Brazzi as the priest Father DeCarlo, charged with the divine task of killing the Antichrist.
The movie tells two simultaneous stories: the rise of Thorn and his hold over his increasing flock of worshippers and the work of DeCarlo to kill him, set against the countdown to the Second Coming and the showdown between good and evil.
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[edit] Story
Damien Thorn (Sam Neill) is appointed Ambassador to the Court of St. James's, the same position his adoptive father held in The Omen, the first film in the Omen cycle. Unlike the two incarnations of Damien portrayed in previous Omen films, the adult Damien is entirely aware of his unholy lineage, and his destiny.
An alignment of the stars in the Cassiopeia region of the night sky (the traditional location of the stellar signal of the Second Coming) causes the creation of a super "star", described in the film as a second Star of Bethlehem.
Thorn realizes it is a sign of the Second Coming of Christ and he orders all male children in England born on the morning of March 24, 1981 (the morning when, in the story, the Cassiopeia alignment occurred) to be killed in order to prevent the Christ-child's return to power, as predicted in the Book of Revelation.
Thorn has also become involved with journalist Kate Reynolds (Lisa Harrow), a complex relationship which undermines his plans to dominate the world. Damien also focuses his attention on her pre-teenaged son Peter (Barnaby Holm), whom he takes as a disciple.
Ultimately, the relationship is his undoing.
Meanwhile, Father DeCarlo (Rossano Brazzi) and six other priests armed with the Seven Daggers of Meggido - ancient holy weapons; the only earthly weapons which can harm the Antichrist - hunt Thorn in the hope of killing him before he can destroy the "Christ child." However, one by one all the priests die until only DeCarlo survives.
Finally, in spite of Thorn's efforts, DeCarlo informs Reynolds that the Christ-child is "out of his reach" (a title card at the end quotes a passage from the Bible, saying that Christ's second coming will not be as a child, but as an adult) but that nonetheless, the task still remains to destroy Damien. In a final act of evil, Damien uses Reynolds son--now slavishly devoted to Damien--as a human shield against DeCarlo's dagger. As Peter lies dying, Damien tries to strangle Father DeCarlo to death. In a desperate bid to salvage his waning power, Damien calls out for Christ to appear before him. As he does this, Kate Reynolds steals behind Damien, stabbing him in the back with the dagger. Christ appears in a flash before a dying Damien and peace reigns over the Earth.
[edit] Cast
- Sam Neill ... Damien Thorn
- Rossano Brazzi ... DeCarlo
- Don Gordon ... Dean
- Lisa Harrow ... Kate Reynolds
- Barnaby Holm ... Peter
- Mason Adams ... President
- Robert Arden ... American Ambassador
- Leueen Willoughby ... Barbara
- Marc Boyle ... Brother Benito
- Milos Kirek ... Brother Martin
- Tommy Duggan ... Brother Mattius
- Louis Mahoney ... Brother Paulo
- Richard Oldfield ... Brother Simeon
- Tony Vogel ... Brother Antonio
- Arwen Holm ... Carol
- Hugh Moxey ... Manservant
- William Fox ... Diplomat
- John Baskcomb ... Diplomat
- Norman Bird ... Dr. Philmore
- Marc Smith ... Press Officer
- Arnold Diamond ... Astronomer
- Eric Richard ... Astronomer's Technician
- Dick Anthony Williams ... Vicar
- Stephen Turner ... Stigwell
- Al Matthews ... Workman
- Larry Martyn ... Orator
- Frank Coda ... Orator
- Harry Littlewood ... Orator
- Hazel Court ... Champagne Woman at Hunt (uncredited)
- Ruby Wax ... US Ambassador's Secretary (uncredited)
[edit] Retconning
In order for the story to be enacted in the then-contemporary 1981, the series timeline required substantial editing, moving events from the first two movies back in time. This allowed Thorn, a child in 1976 and a teen in 1978, to be an adult by 1981.
Though not commonly used, this is an example of retconning, where the "retrospective continuity" of an earlier story is changed in order to make a subsequent story consistent with the overall storyline.
[edit] Alternative Title
When first released in 1981, the film's original official title was simply The Final Conflict. Later, as often happens with video and DVD releases, the title was adjusted to Omen III: The Final Conflict in order to accentuate its link to the other two films in the cycle.
Today it is better known by its second title.
[edit] The Omen cycle
There were three original Omen films, of which The Final Conflict is the third and last. The Omen (1976), Damien: Omen II (1978) and Omen III: The Final Conflict (1981).
A fourth film, Omen IV: The Awakening (1991), was made for television and was part of a failed attempt by the 20th Century Fox studio to revive the films as a horror franchise in the style of Halloween and A Nightmare on Elm Street, or Friday the 13th Even though it was named as a sequel, it bears little resemblance to the sequel novel "Omen IV-Armageddon 2000"
A remake of the original, The Omen, was released on June 6, 2006.
[edit] Trivia
- Jack Nicholson, Marlon Brando and Gene Hackman were all considered for the role of Damien Thorn. In the end, it was decided that an unknown actor would fit the role best, hence the choice of Sam Neill, at that point early in his career.
- Stuntman Vic Armstrong performed the backwards one-hundred foot fall from the bridge. In Guinness World Records 2005, he described it as the most frightening stunt of his career. Most of his falls were less than 70 feet.
- Richard Donner, who helmed the original, was going to direct this film, but he was tied up with legal troubles with the Salkinds after Donner got fired from directing Superman II.
- Sam Neill, who played Damien, and Lisa Harrow, who played Kate Reynolds, dated during the filming of this picture and in 1983 they had a son, Tim.
- The crew did not go back to Subiaco to film the exterior location of the Monestary as in the first film as it only appears in two scenes in this film, they just used footage from the first film when Gregory Peck, who played Robert Thorn, and David Warner, who played Jennings, look over the Monestary.
- Director Graham Baker says Sam Neill based his earlier characterisations on the actor James Mason, including in this film.
- The location where the Ambassador, who takes his own life at the beginning of the picture, walks to the US Embassy building are from The Omen [1976], from Hyde Park to the Embassy building itself where the locations were shot.
- Future comedienne Ruby Wax has an uncreditied role as the Ambassador's secretary.
- Producer Harvey Bernhard plays the Ambassador's press secretary when the Ambassador calls him and says "I want a Press Conference, my Office..."
- The White House featured in the film is a stockshot from Superman II [1980],the same camera angle but without the visual effects. This picture was executively produced by Richard Donner, the director of Superman [1978] & Superman II. [75% of his original cut]
- Rossano Brazzi got his role as Father DeCarlo due to his statement of "He is a Priest with balls!" Graham Baker mentioned this in the commentary, along with his whistling interpretation of Rossano's role in South Pacific.
- Leueen Willoughby who played Barbara also starred in Superman II [1980], along with Tommy Duggan who was Father Mathius [The Priest who travelled across the Moors]. Leueen played Perry's Secretary and Tommy played the Don's Diner Manager. Tommy also appeared in the first film The Omen [1976] as the priest who appears at the funeral of the lead characters, Robert and Katherine Thorn.
- The evening party scene was filmed in Brocket Hall, just outside of London, which also substituted as Damien's residence.
- Barnaby Holm who played Peter is the son of actor Ian Holm.
- Kate, Damien & Peter walks from Hyde Park again to People Corner which now doesn't exist in London anymore. This scene was shot in the Summer - In the rain and dampness of London.
- Hendon Observatory in London substituted for the Fernbank Observatory for The Second Coming sequence.
- Paul Buher is mentioned when Harvey, played by Don Gordon, is talking to him about the birth of his baby boy on the telephone. Paul was played by Robert Foxworth in Damien: Omen II but did not return due to other movie projects.
- The Moors sequence was shot in Cornwall, with added visuals for the lightning.
- The Hunt score was director Graham Baker's favourite piece from Jerry Goldsmith composition.
- No animals were harmed in the making of the film.
- The Disciples Of The Watch sequence was shot at around 4-5am in one night in the Yorkshire Moors.
- The scene where Barbara saw a vision of her baby burned/dead was shot on slate 666 - and the camera jammed occording to director Graham Baker.
- When Kate is driving to Brocket Hall as Damien is turning Peter to his soul, in the novel Father DeCarlo tells Kate of all the deaths Damien has committed throughout the trilogy.
- The end sequence was shot at an Abbey in Yorkshire. Very cold and eerie, says Graham Baker in his DVD commentary.
[edit] External links
| The Omen Series |
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Original Films |
