|
Elmer Gantry
(1960)
Tell 'em,
Gantry... save 'em from sin... lead 'em to salvation...
tell 'em about everything -
but not about your whiskey and your women!
Director: Richard Brooks, rated Approved
  Starring:
Burt Lancaster, Jean Simmons, Arthur Kennedy, Dean Jagger,
Shirley Jones, Patti Page, Edward Andrews, John McIntire, Hugh
Marlowe, Joe Maross, Philip Ober
DML Rating:
★★★★★★★★☆☆
- great
"I have here in my
pocket - and thank heaven you can't see them - lewd, dirty,
obscene, and I'm ashamed to say this: French postcards. They
were sold to me in front of your own innocent high school by a
man with a black beard... a foreigner." -
Elmer Gantry
Why watch this?
Gantry is the ultimate grifter, using God's word as a cudgel on
the gullible.
Plot Summary: Set in
the American Midwest during the Prohibition era, the story
follows Elmer Gantry, a smooth-talking, opportunistic salesman
who stumbles into a revival meeting hosted by Sister Sharon
Falconer. Initially drawn by her charismatic presence and
potential for profit, he feigns piety and joins her traveling
show as a passionate preacher. Their successful partnership,
however, faces challenges when Gantry's past resurfaces,
threatening both their burgeoning religious movement and their
personal relationship.
| |
Dad's Preview:
This drama is Burt Lancaster's finest film, winning him the Best
Actor Oscar. He portrays a con
man always on the lookout for a way to line his pockets. His
gift? He's an incredible salesman, able to stand on the podium
and inspire the weak-minded. What better place to render his
wares than a traveling Christian tent revival. This film says a lot about the
mind of a ruthless narcissist. This type of person has no
boundaries and will tell any lie to perpetuate his own
success. They do not care who gets destroyed in the
process. |
|
Bernard
Smith; United Artists
|
