Elmer Gantry
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Movie Reviews of Elmer Gantry
Movie Review: Elmer "where are ya now, when we need you" Gantry
Summary: 5 Stars
Ah yes, when men were men, and Burt Lancaster was the best of all possible men! He has always breathed a quality of three-dimensional life into the characters that he portrayed that made him almost mythical. But clearly this was one of Burt's best acting performances. The man embodied sheer brilliance.
In one scene Elmer (Burt Lancaster) walks into an all black Church, takes a place in the pews and starts singing "I'm On My Way" with the rest of the parishioners. Everyone stops singing... except Elmer. He singings from such a depth of heart that everyone in the Church soon after embraces him as a brother. That magnitude of passion is Burt being Burt. He was one of a kind.
As the jilted Lulu Baines, Shirley Jones is not only breath-takingly beautiful but also heart-breakingly real and emotionally genuine. If you can only remember Shirley Jones as Mother Partridge from "The Partridge Family" television series, then you definitely need to watch this film. She shows true talent and skill in this role. (She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.)
This film should be rated "M" for mature; it is made for an adult, clear thinking audience. If you are ready to put on your big girl panties (or big boy jockies) and deal with real world issues.... watch this DVD. You will be a better person for having done so. And that's something you can't say that about many films being produced nowadays.
If it is true that we have a panoramic life review when we die, then re-watching this film will be among the highlights of my current incarnation. In my next life I want to be the sister, Sharon Falconer, to Burt's Elmer Gantry. That would be a life and love worth living! And what is love but the morning and evening star...
Movie Review: Complex Examination of Faith and Humanity
Summary: 5 Stars
"Elmer Gantry" has entered the vernacular to be synonymous with charlatan preacher so I approached this film with some preconceived notions. What impressed me about the film was the complexity of it's characters with all their virtues and failings. Nobody in this film is initially what they seem from Gantry (Burt Lancaster) to the prostitute from his past(Shirley Jones). The thing that is most compelling about Gantry is we are kept guessing to the very end to his motives. The film starts with Gantry as a smooth-talking traveling salesman when opportunity presents itself and he soon finds himself in the tent revival show of Sister Sharon Falconer(Jean Simmons). Gantry and Falconer present an interesting contrast where he orates fire and brimstone and she preaches more low-key about the virtues of milk and honey. On the surface one could say that Gantry is a shameless huckster and that Falconer is his patsy, however, the film I think demonstrates that he has faith and that she has some ulterior motives that are more self-serving than spiritual. The film also contains an agnostic reporter, Lefferts(Arthur Kennedy), who would appear on the surface to be hostile to Sister Sharon's operation but that's not necessarily the case. Lulu Baines(Jones), the wronged woman from Gantry's past, could appear to be one-note but that character demonstrates compassion and elicits our sympathy. The cast is uniformly superb with Lancaster note-perfect as Gantry. Even if I believed him to be a complete charlatan, the force of Lancaster's charisma here would have me eating out of his hand. Director Richard Brooks is to be applauded for not only his work behind the camera but also his superb translation of Sinclair Lewis' novel to the screen.Movie Review: Give Me That Old Time Religion
Summary: 5 Stars
Can a man be a drunk and a womanizer and still love Jesus? Can a man love Jesus and still be a drunk and a womanizer? Those of us who have known the burden of fundamentalist guilt can feel a little envious of Elmer Gantry whose conscience seems to be as leathery as Bill Clinton's. François de la Rochefoucauld once said: "Hypocrisy is the homage which vice pays to virtue." If Elmer Gantry were introspective enough to think about it he would certainly agree.
Played by Burt Lancaster, Elmer Gantry is a defrocked divinity student expelled from his seminary for seducing Lulu Baines, the deacon's daughter. He is earning a precarious living as a traveling salesman when, flat broke and down on his luck, he attends a tent revival hosted by Sister Sharon Falconer. Jean Simmons as Sister Sharon is delectable enough to lure any man down her aisle seeking salvation, and Gantry soon falls. He immediately tries to gain her confidence. Sister Sharon sees through him, but she is tired of sanctimonious people, and she is attracted to Gantry who is a likeable rogue. Gantry soon becomes her left hand man, the right being occupied by Dean Jagger as the upright Bill Morgan. The unholy trio is taking the Bible Belt by storm until Gantry leads a raid on a brothel occupied by a scornful Lulu Baines, played by Shirley Jones. Then all hell breaks loose.
Burt Lancaster and Shirley Jones both received Academy Awards for their performances. Unfortunately Simmons was ignored although her performance was as good as Lancaster's. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, and I would recommend it to anyone. Be forewarned: true believers may be offended, and recovering fundies will have a hard time resisting Sister Sharon's alter call.
Movie Review: Elmer Gantry a Man of Faith
Summary: 5 Stars
If Elmer Gantry were merely a satire and an exposé of revivalism it would not be as powerful and subtle as it is. Gantry, as played by a brilliant Burt Lancaster, may be a hypocrite in that he does not practice what he preaches, but there is no doubt in my mind that he genuinely believes. This makes him a complex character for we are not altogether sure what his motives are. When he joins Sister Sharon's evangelical crusade it is unclear whether he does it because he is attracted to her, because he hopes to make money, or whether along with these motives he really wishes to spread the word. The characters in this film have all the failings of human beings. Jean Simmons, acting the part of Sister Sharon, makes her seem almost like a saint. In the end she comes to resemble Joan of Arc. However, her image of purity is mixed with other factors. She has ambition and she has desire. This mixture makes her a rounded and interesting character. It would have been easy to make a film where Gantry and Sharon were mere charlatans, but then we would not care about them. Instead the film presents a complex but ultimately sympathetic view of faith. Even Arthur Kennedy's sceptical newspaperman admits that he wishes he could believe. Gantry may have many faults but he is a good man. He is kind to the prostitute, played by Shirley Jones, even after she has tried to destroy him. Thus, despite his lapses, he shows the strength and the quality of his faith.
The print used for this DVD is presented in its original ratio, it is clear and has very little apparent damage. The DVD also includes the original theatrical trailer.
Movie Review: love is the evening and the morning star!
Summary: 5 Stars
Elmer Gantry, (Burt Lancaster), is a travelling evangelist with one eye on the Lord and one eye on the ladies! Elmer put's his amazing gift of the gab to use by preaching in tent meetings. Along the way he meets Sister Falconer, (Jean Simmons), who takes him under her wing, there working relationship soon turns personal.Elmer Gantry is one of the greatest, (in my opinion), movies ever made. Burt Lancaster won his only oscar for his dynamic manic performance as the charlatan with a heart of gold. His preaching style is bombastic, his personal life morally bankrupt. It's really eerie how he resembles a number of "Evangelists", that I have come across in person or on the television. Elmer Gantry truly represents a lot of the tele-evangelists that have come and gone over the last 50 years or so as does Sister Falconer.
Watching Burt Lancaster in full flight as he belts out his sermons and slides across the platform is a true joy to behold. It's a really great actor in his prime, and wonderfully entertaining.
All in all it's a great romp with fantastic dialogue, wonderful performances and it's controversial theme packs a punch even today when Tele-evangelist, whilst know less popular, are still racking in the big bucks and filling stadiums with willing followers. To the Christian, let this film be a lesson for all of us, there are wolves in sheeps clothing around.
Thanks for reading and enjoy and maybe be educated by this wonderful film.