vincentlynch-moonoi
I'm going to take the minority view here, although I see I am not alone...just outnumbered. I think this is an atrocious performance by Burt Lancaster...at least until the final third of the film. As several have pointed out...way over the top. More deserving of a Razzie than an Oscar. And, just for the record, there are lots of wonderful performances by Lancaster...this just isn't one of them.That's not to say this is a bad film. It's a strong script. All the more so in the last third of the film after things start going down for Mr. Gantry. And the closing scenes of the film are tremendous.But just as importantly, there are a number of wonderful performances here. In particular, I was impressed with Jean Simmons. And, I might add, it is rare that I am not impressed with her, even though her star has certainly faded over the years; but what a strong and impressive actress she was. Dean Jagger has long been a favorite character of mine, and no less so here. What a strong performance. The only miscasting I see is Patti Page; a wonderful singer, but a pitifully bland actress...as is reflected in her filmography of 3 titles; in reality, she's pretty much irrelevant here. Shirley Jones was quite acclaimed her, and although her performance is satisfactory, she's done much better in other films.This is a film that movie aficionados should watch...at least once.
DangerAwesome
Elmer Gantry (Lancaster) is two different people. There's the person he is when it comes to religion and then he is a completely different, very flawed, human being when it comes to everything else. You name it and he's done it. To quote the film, "and how do I know there's a merciful God? Because I've seen the devil plenty of times!" (The close up on that shot is amazing)There's a reason Burt Lancaster won an Oscar for his performance as Gantry. It's one of the finest I've ever seen by any actor ever. He convincingly switches between passionate preacher and sinner. There's never any doubt that he believes what he preaches, though his preaching itself is sometimes a total lie.Is he duping the people when he does that? Yes. But is he causing any harm? His faith is not in question, he gives other people faith, is any of that a bad thing? Is it bad simply because he, at times, is a bad person? Is duping them necessarily a bad thing? It's a triumph of the film the way that it portrays a character with such seemingly conflicting morals, and portray him in a way that seems very realistic.What is the message of the movie? His and Sharon Falconer's revivalism starts out as simply giving people morals to abide by and faith in love and God. "A bountiful God, a generous God." That is certainly never a bad thing. However it takes a turn towards vigilante when Gantry leads a religious mob to raid liquor stores and brothels. It takes an even further, perhaps harmless, turn at the end with faith healing. Harmless until Falconer attempts to convince her churchgoers to not flee the burning church, because God will save them.Is the message of the film that religion is good until taken too far? Did God burn the church down because he disapproved of faith healing? Where is the line between religion being helpful and religion actually causing harm? It is the sign of a great movie when at the end I find myself asking questions like that. It is a rare quality.
classicsoncall
I love it when the hucksters get their comeuppance, and as the title character Elmer Gantry, Burt Lancaster takes it to the shysters and con-men in all his flamboyant glory. The picture launches a direct broadside against the revival movement of the 1920's and those who would 'be the first to shake 'em up Jesus'. Lancaster is appealingly effective in his role as con-man, hustler, liar, thief and clown, a crude and vulgar show-off according to William Morgan (Dean Jagger). A single glance at revivalist preacher Sister Sharon Falconer (Jean Simmons) and Gantry insinuates himself into her congregation as the wayward messenger, a step up from bar room philosopher and itinerant alcoholic and womanizer.With present day progressives firmly entrenched in their war on Christianity and organized religion, it's interesting to take this half century step back in time and see how that era took it's unsubtle mocking of fundamentalism mainstream. There's a dichotomy though, Sister Falconer is genuinely entrenched in her faith and dreams of her own church one day. Gantry initially views her as simply another one of his romantic conquests, but is sharp enough to realize that the traveling religious sideshow can be a profitable business in it's own right. Preacher Gantry has the true believers swooning in their seats and the local churchmen eager and ready to capitalize on the resurgence of their congregations. Why is it that Edward Andrews is always the perfect choice for a character like George Babbitt? He can do them in his sleep.I first saw this film many years ago when the only television broadcast availability was in black and white, and I can't help think that the story might have been more effective if made in that format. The characters here had just too many shades of gray to be conveyed otherwise. You know, I just had a thought. Instead of colorizing old films, how about taking ones like this and redoing them in glorious black and white. "Elmer Gantry" would be a perfect candidate.
Syl
Burt Lancaster's Oscar Winning performance in the title role was well-worth the accolades. 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. As the film progresses, we learned of Elmer Gantry's past especially his own previous desire to be a minister/preacher. Elmer Gantry is as lost as those who followed in the tent revivals that swept the country during hard times. 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). 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. Shirley Jones won an Oscar for best supporting actress in her role as the woman who can bring Gantry down. I think she does a brilliant job but I wished that she had more speaking moments. Still the supporting cast is brilliant as well. It's a first rate film!
AD
