In his ever lustful sights is a voluptuous female preacher. External Reviews The acting and directing is superb to the point that it becomes difficult to remember that it is only a movie. Jean Simmons is lovely and convincing as as Sister Sharon Falconer, the charismatic female evangelist who wins Gantry's heart (and lust)as they team up to jump-start America's dwindling religious beliefs. The film is beautifully visual and as Elmer Gantry's past comes haunting again to tarnish the tent revival and watch Gantry and Sister Sharon fall again. I have long felt that Burt Lancaster often made movies great because his acting was much bigger-than-life, and he also helped degrade a few movies for this very same reason. If there was a soul to be saved—Gantry would save it … When hedonistic but charming con man Elmer Gantry meets the beautiful Sister Sharon Falconer, a roadside revivalist, he feigns piousness to join her act as a passionate preacher. This film is not only good; it misses being great by a narrow margin. Elmer Gantry the novel came out in 1925 and it took 35 years to get it to the screen. “Praying’s the cheapest first-rate medicine I know,” he says. It tells of people in troubled times trying to sort out life's essential challenges. Finally, the Elmer Gantry script is here for all you quotes spouting fans of the Burt Lancaster movie. Elmer Gantry (USA, Richard Brooks) ... (2003) stand out from the crowd, (step out from the crowded house), is that the movie is four seasons in one day. The movie provided Burt Lancaster, Shirley Jones, and Richard Brooks all with Oscars and it has become a classic. Gantry's entire repertoire is performed with encyclopedic thoroughness and accuracy. The ultimate salesmen are those selling Jesus. Many reviewers have already remarked on this terrific movie far better than I can, so this message is really for younger people interested in serious film. He really shines as a tarnished, immoral salesman who spends Christmas at a bar and leaves with one of the ladies during the Great Depression in the heartland. He just didn't do subtle very well, as his acting tends to magnify the focus on himself--which, once again can be either good or bad. Gantry turns out to be the perfect publicity compliment to Sister Sharon, who, unlike him, is a true believer. I give this movie a 10 only because there is nothing above that. Lancaster is absolutely mesmerizing as "Elmer Gantry." Elmer Gantry comes with a disclaimer at the beginning, urging viewers to make sure no impressionable children are allowed to watch. VAT no 918 5617 01, H Bauer Publishing are authorised and regulated for credit broking by the FCA (Ref No. User Ratings Find album reviews, stream songs, credits and award information for Elmer Gantry - Original Soundtrack on AllMusic - 1998 - Andre Previn's score for the great Burt Lancaster… . His energy, enthusiasm, and charismatic appearance made Gantry such a cool character. ... Elmer latches onto sincerely saintly Jean … The titular character starts out as a cynical small time hustler discovering a good scam joining up with a traveling revival show, and casting his eye to the charismatic and comely lady preacher leading it. As Granty flashes with his silver smile but he has a dark past . Movies; Elmer Gantry; Elmer Gantry Review. Shirley Jones won an Oscar for best supporting actress in her role as the woman who can bring Gantry down. Compared to this searing version of Sinclair Lewis' novel, movies like Leap Of Faith have been soft on hypocritical evangelists. Metacritic Reviews. "You're all sinners! | ", A thought-provoking look at revivalist religion in which includes the magnetic presence of Burt Lancaster, Burt Lancaster in all his "scene chewing" glory. Mel Gibson aside, you don't expect to see a sympathetic portrayal of religion in the movies; from 'Night of the Hunter' onwards, the dodgy preacher has been a more common character than the saintly one, and there's another kicking for the born-again movement in 'Elmer Gantry'. Although most entertaining when Gantry is actually preaching (mainly in the opening half of the film), the intelligent script moves on from it's basic premise (that Gantry is a charlatan) to explore wider questions of the nature of humanity and society. Awards Although it's difficult to know if Gantry's spiritual motivation is genuine or merely a ploy, throughout the film, one is kept guessing. Lancaster won an Oscar as the eponymous fire-breathing bible-basher, a heaven huckster who preaches a blue streak and then indulges in as many sins of the flesh as could be shown in a 1960 film. Taken from the classic Sinclair Lewis novel of the same name, director Richard Brooks garnered an Oscar for Best Screenplay for his adaptation, and Burt Lancaster won his sole Best Actor Oscar for his performance as Elmer Gantry. Discussion of characters and themes in the film written and directed by Richard Brooks. For all that, you also fear for a world in which the influence of modern-day Gantries shows no sign of diminishing. ELMER GANTRY (1960) Most authors, after selling their novels to Hollywood, complain when their work is altered and, in many cases, distorted by filmmakers. Elmer Gantry (Lancaster) first appears on the screen, roaring drunk, trying to mooch drinks while selling his own distinctive take on scripture with his remarkable gift of gab. well, after reading the other comments offered on this i have finally realized most of these writers must be students with an assignment to write reviews, instead of being told to take American Literature as a prerequisite...and anyone who thinks Citizen Kane is the greatest film of all time should be committed for not having considered this film more fully...the first scene is one of the best openers ever put on the big screen; as superior storytelling, it tells you everything you will come to learn about Gantry and his use of wit and charm, and the true goodness buried somewhere in the depths of his own condemned soul...i saw this in theaters when it was released and was as shocked when The Apartment won Best Picture as i was when Bush won his term thanks to the fix in Florida by his brother and campaign manager, turning the vote over to the Supreme Court (hmmm, wonder who appointed most of those folks--oh, that's right, Bush's dad)...okay, okay, i digress...none of the prior comments have mentioned the incredibly entertaining exchange of intellectual and jovial banter between Arthur Kennedy as the cynical reporter and Burt Lancaster's stunning performance as the sociopathic preacher, which is worth the price of admission all by itself, and runs as a side act through the entire film...as a celluloid excursion along Sinclair Lewis' main street of American small towns its a travel extravaganza supreme; just hearing them talk about getting to Zenith (the BIG city) is like thinking of completing a manned trip to Mars for the folks down on the farm. Richard Brooks. Later on , newspapers publicize ¨Preacher preys¨ and he becomes into a discredited preacher . Lancaster was the man before Elmer Gantry but it wasn't until after he won the Oscar that he went on a wild, enviable run of roles in the '60s. He is one haunted by his checkered past and his immorality. This is a film that has outlasted its time. Still the supporting cast is brilliant as well. The script by Richard Brooks , who also directed the film, was notable for its treatment of hypocrisy and opportunism while avoiding excessive moralizing. In fact, the film could be seen as prescient, as both religious revivalism, and celebrity-scandal driven journalism (another of its subjects), have arguably become more prevalent since it was made. Elmer Gantry the novel came out in 1925 and it took 35 years to get it to the screen. With a long line of charismatic cinematic rogues to his credit, Burt Lancaster pulls off a barnstorming performance as Elmer Gantry, the salesman turned opportunistic evangelist whose fast-talking pitch scarcely slackens, off-stage or on. Gantry great old-school film just the way I like it! Elmer Gantry is a 1960 American drama film about a con man and a female evangelist selling religion to small-town America. But it certainly was worth the wait. not to keep sucker punching Kane, which is one of the top ten films of all time, let's just say this is as electrically sizzling of an individual acting accomplishment that you'll ever see and is one, two, you pick 'em, with THE HILL in achieving what film and acting is supposed to be all about, which is art. Elmer is a traveling Salesman, a con man, drunkard and a bum, but this guy could sell a ticket to the slaughterhouse to a suckling pig, make that a seasons pass, he was that good. It starts out as a pretty broad farce, sort of Hot Fuzz, bulgogi style. And to think it almost didn't happen. Elmer Gantry is as lost as those who followed in the tent revivals that swept the country during hard times. Based on the muckraker Sinclair Lewis' novel, and superbly translated to the screen by Richard Brooks (In Cold Blood , The Professionals, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof), this story of huckster-ism by religion is a masterpiece. Excellent recounting based on the controversial Sinclair Lewis novel that got three Academy Awards . Bauer Media Group consists of: Bauer Consumer Media Ltd, Company number: 01176085, Bauer Radio Ltd, Company Number: 1394141, Registered Office: Media House, Peterborough Business Park, Lynch Wood, Peterborough, PE2 6EA H Bauer Publishing,Company Number: LP003328, Registered Office: Academic House, 24-28 Oval Road, London, NW1 7DT. 845898). Burt Lancaster plays the eponymous anti-hero as rogue of such charm that you almost want him to succeed; while the ambiguous character of his partner Sister Falconer (Jean Simmons), who doesn't seem to know herself whether is she a fellow-fraud or a genuine messenger of God, makes a perfect dramatic foil. The growth of fundamentalist Christianity in contemporary America is a source of bafflement to those who just don't get it; including, by and large, the movie industry, which may like to end its films with sanctimonious moralising, but which usually reserves the right to serve us substantial portions of sex and violence beforehand. Gantry is an over-the-top opportunistic traveling salesman who teams up with evangelist Sister Sharon Falconer (Jean Simmons) to promote religion in 1920's America. And while it seems pretty tame and almost naively cute in the modern world, it is a pretty dark, unrelenting story. You're all doomed to perdition! This item was very well packaged, arrived in wonderful condition and very promptly. Chicago? For some reason Richard Brooks seemed to think of himself as the man best suited to turning great novels and plays into films, but if the results were at best entertaining ("The Brothers Karamazov", "Cat on a hot tin roof") they tended to fall far short of the originals. Finally, in the summer of 2005 I took a look after seeing several Burt Lancaster films and being reminded how good an actor he was. With the rugged features of a matinee idol and the physique of a trapeze artist, Burt Lancaster might easily have been typecast by Hollywood. Within the sphere of a traveling troupe of bible beating, evangelicals on a religious crusade, the author's hero, one Elmer Gantry (supurbly played by Oscar wining Burt Lancaster) is as energetic as his tales. Elmer Gantry, too, is timeless; one can hardly turn on a television or radio today without seeing a grisly array of Gantrys plying their trade. Nominated for eight Oscars in his career, he was best known for Blackboard Jungle (1955), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958) Elmer Gantry (1960; for which he won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay), In Cold Blood (1967) and Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977). This script is a transcript that was painstakingly transcribed using the screenplay and/or viewings of Elmer Gantry. So, I'll give him the credit and assume he was just playing his role, not hamming it up too much as it often appears. Timeless classic!! Elmer Gantry (1960) is Burt Lancaster's movie. As Elmer turns an attractive and charming preacher with a large audience . Well, he didn't disappoint here, either, with a fantastic performance as those of you who have seen this already know. Brian W. Fairbanks reviews the 1960 film version of the Sinclair Lewis novel . This Week’s Review: “Elmer Gantry” Posted on August 28, 2020 For once, the Curmudgeon found a film about which he cannot spew venom even though it was the target of considerable vituperation in 1960, Burt Lancaster’s version of Sinclair Lewis’s “Elmer Gantry.” Elmer Gantry was made into a lively and impressive film in 1960 starring Burt Lancaster (in a hell-raising performance), and it was one of my dad's all-time favorite movies. The title-role character, a preacher with a weakness for wild women and whisky, is more believable in scriptwriter-director Richard Brooks' film than he was in the Sinclair Lewis novel; the part … Very much worth seeing. Sit down and take in everything this film is offering, you won't be disappointed. You're all sinners! Featured Movie News. He is so good that it is hard to tell the difference whether he's sincere or lying. But we sure view it differently … The book was made into a movie in 1960 staring Burt Lancaster as Gantry and Jean Simmons as Sister Sharon Falconer. Burt Lancaster's Oscar Winning performance in the title role was well-worth the accolades. Richard Brooks (May 18, 1912 – March 11, 1992) was an American screenwriter, film director, novelist and film producer. At times I wondered if he wasn't overacting, but his character called for a very animated salesman-type person. You'll all burn in hell! Have you made your decision for CHRIST! But it certainly was worth the wait. that would be in another galaxy far, far away; but not for Gantry...superior score, script and acting from the first to the last and we even get to hear Lancaster sing--did Orson Welles ever sing? Bill Morgan sees thru Elmer and tells Sharon that in 1917 he was expelled from the seminary for seducing the deacon's daughter. He is immediately taken with Sister Sharon Falconer, a lay preacher whose hellfire-and-damnation revivalism has attracted quite a following. | The protagonist, Dr. Reverend Elmer Gantry is a shallow, egotistical, self-centered, hypocritical womanizer who accidentally stumbles into a ministry career. Not many films hold up all those years after release. Then his past comes back to haunt him in the form of Lulu Bains (Shirley Jones) who is now a prostitute. | Burt Lancaster bigger than life, Shirley Jones is wonderful - - both deserve their Oscars! All registered in England and Wales. When he finally got the green light, it was United Artists that agreed to distribute the film. Movies: Elmer Gantry; By Kim Newman | Posted 1 Jan 2000. The target of his earthly desires is Beautiful Sister Sharon Falconer (Jean Simmons) a sincere, but fallible woman out to build a ministry. Of course, turmoil closes in on them as their inherent instincts of love overpower their adherence to the Christian principles they attempt to profess. In "Elmer Gantry," Burt Lancaster gives one of the all-time great screen performances. Too bad Jean Simmons and Arthur Kennedy weren't nominated. As Elmer (Burt Lancaster) is a saleman with a powerfully persusive tongue who joins up Sister Sharon Falconer (glamorous Jean Simmons) along with her colleagues , Sister Rachel (Patti Page) , William L. Morgan (Dean Jagger) touring grass-roots evengelist circus during the depressed twenties . He is a born salesman well versed with the bible. The film's slant may be predictable, and it also suffers from some common flaws of its era (an ugly, intrusive Andre Previn score, and occasionally wooden acting); but it's hugely entertaining nonetheless. A brooding look at revivalist religion in which the over-the-top acting of Burt Lancaster steals the show . Concerning about some preachers exact wealth and power from their congregration . ****. Richard Brooks spent years trying to bring ELMER GANTRY to the screen. I can't say I've ever seen anything quite like it. In order to conquer her, he must use his extensive repertoire of biblical quips, quotes and bawdy antidotes. Gantry is a believer, of a sort. In many ways, this movie is the ultimate Sales movie in that it perfectly incorporates the idea that Sales and Jesus are inextricably joined at the hip. It is the controversial telling of Sinclair Lewis' 1927 muckraker novel regarding the charismatically engaging, but scandalous Midwestern salesman turned preacher in the 1920s. "Elmer Gantry" is an amazing film that does not seem dated at all, having lost none of its bite or appeal with the passing of time. Bitingly satirical at first, with Lancaster prefiguring Steve Martin by making the awful Elmer almost bearable because he's so entertaining, this gets progressively nastier and winds up with an impressive hellfire finish. He becomes so successful that he becomes indispensable to Sister Sharon's roadshow. In fact, the film's theatricality can almost be seen as a strength, for it's constructed like a well-written play. There were so many great elements happening all at once especially the acting. The film is basically how Hollywood, in the late 1950s, viewed tent religion in the early part of the twentieth century. But we sure view it differently 80 years after the book and 55 years after the movie debuted. Burt Lancaster did a splendid job and was a perfect choice for the leading role of Elmer Gantry because he featured lots of honest to goodness acting. Honestly, I don't know where to begin because there were a lot of things that I loved about watching this film Elmer Gantry (1960). The movie provided Burt Lancaster, Shirley Jones, and Richard Brooks all with Oscars and it has become a classic. Earlier movies, from features like "Elmer Gantry" and "Uforia" to the documentary "Marjoe," have had an equally jaundiced view of barnstorming evangelists, but this is the first expose of the high-tech age, showing how electronics and computers are used to fabricate miracles on demand. Her main supporter is worldly William Morgan (Dean Jagger) who believes in Falconer, and sees Gantry and Lefferts for the opportunistic impediments they are. “Elmer Gantry was drunk,” the novel opens, and Lancaster is terrific as the boozing, womanizing traveling salesman. Elmer Gantry/Brian W. Fairbanks-Writer/Movie Reviews from Movienutz. It's the prohibition era. Good drama that had the potential to be one of the greats. . was bellowed by the terrifying Alec Baldwin, but no one joins Sales and The Lord better than Burt Lancaster in Elmer Gantry. The film isn't just about rural religion in the 1920s, or how media is exploited, or how sometimes clever hucksters can outwit themselves. ELMER GANTRY is one hopping good story of a fast talking appliance salesman from the Bible Belt who, back in the days of the Prohibition and Speak-Easies, cons his way up the steps of success and transforms into a fiery preacher who can agitate the masses in every direction he wants. I know, I know, I still need to get the cast names in there and I'll be eternally tweaking it, so if you have any corrections, feel free to drop me a line. Watch Exclusive 'Cosmic Sin' Clip: Suiting Up Read More; What to Watch on FandangoNOW and Vudu: ‘The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run,’ ‘News of the World’ and More Read More; This Week in Movie News: Michael B. Jordan to Direct ‘Creed III,’ Michelle Williams to Play Spielberg’s Mom and More Read More The two make a successful onstage pair, and their chemistry extends to … He badgers her until she allows him to preach. It's sophisticated script, complex characters, and wonderful acting opened a whole new world for me. Complex, Fascinating, Relevant; A Must See. He plays the title character, a charismatic but aimless hustler who becomes involved in a 1920's American religious movement. Burt Lancaster was at the top of his talents, the role of evangelist Elmer Gantry calling on everything Lancaster had to give as an actor. FAQ As the film progresses, we learned of Elmer Gantry's past especially his own previous desire to be a minister/preacher. Elmer Gantry is a satirical novel written by Sinclair Lewis in 1926 that presents aspects of the religious activity of America in fundamentalist and evangelistic circles and the attitudes of the 1920s public toward it. Voila! Burt Lancaster is bold and provocative as the title character who is preaching to you one moment and drunk and surly the other. Probably the most significant thing to know about this film is that the story is set in 1927. Where she is quiet and gentle with her manner of preaching, he is all fire and brimstone, literally throwing himself about the audience and inflaming them into repentance. It's a first rate film! Adapted by director Richard Brooks, the film is based on the 1927 novel of the same name by Sinclair Lewis and stars Burt Lancaster, Jean Simmons, Arthur Kennedy, Shirley Jones and Patti Page. A serious obstacle to her goal is Gantry, but more so is the cautionary and caustic pen of Jim Lefferts (Arthur Kennedy), a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist who questions the personal and financial motives of her entourage. Elmer latches onto sincerely saintly Jean Simmons and corrupts her crusade (and, of course, her) by invoking the Almighty as he chases the almighty dollar and preaching that the lion shall lay down with the lamb as he sets about laying down with anything in a skirt. Just watched it for first time in 20 years. What a loss to the film industry was his passing, I guess a debt we all must pay. Elmer Gantry, the traveling evangelist who loved whiskey, women and wealth, was conceived by Sinclair Lewis in a best-selling 1927 novel and continues to … Elmer Gantry has even been made into a new opera, with a score by Robert Aldridge and a libretto by Herschel Garfein, that recently premiered in Nashville. Jesus was a simple virtuous teacher, . We see Gantry the narcissistic conman, Gantry the philanthropist, Gantry the flamboyant showman. Sin, sin, sin! And fortunately for us, it gives BURT LANCASTER the kind of role that would rightly win him an Academy Award as Best Actor in 1960. From the exceptionally talented pen of noted author Sinclair Lewis comes this entertaining story of a fast-talking, yarn-spinning vacuum salesman with the natural gift of persuasion. The film is a triumph for Lancaster and Kennedy and for all those who wish to visit a confusing period of Americanna, when the word of God was infected by preachers, pushers and spiritual leeches. Elmer Gantry (Burt Lancaster) is a slick traveling salesman who is a boozer and a dog hound. Elmer Gantry is a fast-talking, hard-drinking traveling salesman who always has a risqué story and a hip flask to entertain cronies and customers alike. It took a long time before I watched this movie on VHS. He is taken with Sister Sharon Falconer (Jean Simmons) who runs revival meetings. The trouble is, he needed a good reason for his broad and over-the-top acting. As the good Sister employs him as a Bible-spouting person to expand the God Will and along the way he gets considerable success . You could even argue that Gantry is performing a kind of public service, meeting a need with maximum opportunism but without malice. The movie is based on the 1927 novel of the same name by Minnesota’s own Nobel Prize–winning author, Sinclair Lewis. If "Elmer Gantry" worked better than most was largely due to Brooks ability to tell a rattling good yarn at a cracking pace and to the performances of a superb cast. MONTCLAIR, N.J. A 1960 movie review in The New York Times of “Elmer Gantry,” based on Sinclair Lewis’s scathing 1927 satire about a womanizing preacher, noted that “the sleaziness of … Elmer Gantry was considered sexually provocative for its time, and, although no ratings system was then in place, the studio made it clear that the movie should be avoided by anyone under age 16. Lancaster's performance is so rich, so real, that the viewer knows this man, knows what Gantry smells like (sweat and eau de cologne) and what he eats (big slabs of beef). He manipulates his way into Sister Sharon Falconer (played brilliantly by the late Jean Simmons who should have won an Oscar for her performance in this role). Jean Simmons and Shirley Jones were great, too, exactly right as the true believer and the scheming whore, respectively. "Elmer Gantry" can be considered the quintessential exploration into the omnipresent duality existing between a person's religious faith and simultaneous character defects. Lancaster is at his scenery-chewing best here, with untamed hair and… His acting was most definitely my favorite aspect of the movie because his performance truly brought the movie to life. In the second movie, Elmer Gantry he really is Elmer Gantry! Given, too, that the film's production was 1960, we can say that "Elmer Gantry" does not reflect the current, 21st century, state of religious fundamentalism in America. I had boycotted it for years, thinking it was too anti-Christian to support with my money, either renting or buying it. but I have my doubts ", A Much Better Than Average Literary Adaption, Good drama that had the potential to be one of the greats, This is the movie Steve Martin was trying to make when he did "Leap of Faith", "Love is the morning and the evening star! | It's brilliant! Movie Review – Elmer Gantry (1960) TV Movie Reviews Movie Review – Elmer Gantry (1960) By UTV Press News 9 months ago I think she does a brilliant job but I wished that she had more speaking moments. She's a true believer. For all you quotes spouting fans of the Sinclair Lewis ' novel, movies like of... Of Burt Lancaster as Gantry and Jean Simmons and Arthur Kennedy were nominated! Been soft on hypocritical evangelists memorable performances, from writer/director Richard Brooks all with Oscars and it took 35 to... 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