# Elmer Gantry (1960)

### reviewed by
Ted Prigge

    ELMER GANTRY (1960)
    A Film Review by Ted Prigge
    Copyright 1997 Ted Prigge

Director: Richard Brooks Writer: Richard Brooks (based on the novel by Sinclair Lewis) Starring: Burt Lancaster, Jean Simmons, Arthur Kennedy, Shirley Jones, Dean Jagger, Patti Page, Edward Andrews

It's truly queer when life imitates art, especially when the art has pretty much predicted what happen. Back in the 80s, televangelist Jimmy Swaggart committed adultery, and suffered a giant public embarassment, only to return to light with the public apology that he himself had sinned greatly. This, among other things, is what "Elmer Gantry" attacks, as well as the public's lack of integrity or individualism, and in a totally un-preachy and entertaining manner.

The Elmer Gantry of the title (played with intense brauvada by the late, the great Burt Lancaster) is a boozer, a womanizer, a liar, a seducer, an all-around sewer rat...and a preacher. One night in a bar, drunk out of his mind, he finds that he can seduce people into leaning towards a noteworthy cause just by preaching like Al Sharpton. He soon finds himself attracted to the word of evangelism when he wanders into a big church meeting set up to gain money for the evangelist Sister Sharon Falconer (Jean Simmons), and eventually becomes one of their big preachers, packing in the crowds, and helping the church business become more of a business than a religion.

If this sounds familiar, you're not alone. When I read the back of the box, I was instantly thinking of the anti-classic Steve Martin flick, "Leap of Faith," which became too sappy and preachy for its own good, weighing down the satirical edge. But "Elmer Gantry" is a smarter film than that. The film exposes a man who is trying to be a god to the simple folk for what he is: a flaming hypocrite. After all, the man is really in the biz just to make a lot of money, not to help people.

After awhile, his fame has become so big, that his past come back to haunt him. An old girlfriend/prostitute of his, Lulu Bains (played by Mrs. Partridge herself, Shirley Jones, although years before she was Mrs. Partridge), shows up to blackmail him, exposing him as the hypocrite that he really is. But the twist this film pulls is that our protagonist may or may not have actually changed for the better.

When we first meet Elmer, we know he must have had a religious background due to a phonecall to his mother, who seems to badger him about church. When he starts speaking, we know that he doesn't really believe what he's saying, and that he's just trying to make a buck out of it. But as the film goes on, and as he gets better aquainted with Sharon, we see him become less of the rambunctious, hyperkinetic liar he once was, and more of the selfless man he could be. But, like everyone else around him, we wonder if it's just an act.

But when he goes to see Lulu again, we know that he's in limbo between good and evil, with the good winning. When they expose him as a hypocrite, he has changed for the better, and was actually innocent of the crimes he was convicted of. The film, instead, seems to satirize the blackmailer over the victim. Like the woman Jimmy Swaggart slept with, or, in more recent news, Anita Hill or Paula Jones, she has chosen to wait until the man is in power, and to get some cheap revenge on him.

But the overall point of this film is that no one is a god, not even those who claim God talks to them. Elmer, who eventually becomes a believer in what he preaches, is still human, as he still lusts over women, although not like he used to. And since the bible says that we should not just lest we be judged and to basically forgive people, we should forgive the people who preach the word of the lord just like they were actual people. And the same should go for any kind of leaders, not just those in the church business.

"Elmer Gantry" was a big hit at the Oscars, despite the controversy (knowing what it was like back then, it's easy to see how this would be controversial, although I can see it being controversial even today). It won three Oscars: for Burt Lancaster, Shirley Jones, and Richard Brooks for his script. The acting from everyone in the film is amazing, especially from Jones, Simmons, and some great scene stealing from Arthur Kennedy, who plays journalist Jim Lefferts - an agnostic who covers Sharon and Elmer, taking a negative stance on what they do.

But Burt Lancaster walks away from the film, more than earning the Oscar he won. I've not seen many Lancaster films (the only other one to my recollection was 1957's "Sweet Smell of Success), but as the last time I saw him he played a very quiet, distanced character, it was unbelievable to see him playing such a flamboyant role. With his wild enthusiasm, a giant grin plastered on his face, and coaxing words for any situation, he seduces not only the characters in the film, but the audience into loving him, despite the fact that he's not a very good person. Because of Lancaster's deft performance, we like Elmer, and can therefore feel what we need to feel in the latter part of the film.

I've not heard much about "Elmer Gantry" as of late, but I can say that it's truly an American Movie Classic, and proof that Hollywood can take big gambles too. With a strong message, excellent satire, and even some heart, "Elmer Gantry" is an excellent film, and even a tad underrated.

    MY RATING (out of 4): ****

Homepage at: http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Hills/8335/

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