Woodyanders
Child prodigy evangelist Marjoe Gortner exposes the itinerant Pentecostal church tent revival circuit as a total money-grubbing scam after having a crisis of conscience and deciding to pursue an acting career in the wake of finishing one final tour across the country.Directors Howard Smith and Sarah Kernochan do a remarkably vivid and compelling job of painting an intriguing and provocative portrait of a hugely likable and charismatic, yet deeply conflicted and cynical person who's more than happy to reveal such tricks of the trade as talking in tongues, making people pass out by claiming to channel the spirit of God and touching their foreheads, and collecting donations for worthy charitable causes as the complete shams that they are. Moreover, one not only has to admire Gortner for having the guts and integrity for coming clean about his being a slick phony, but also you even feel sorry for Gortner considering that his strict and overbearing parents forced him at the age of four to become a child preacher -- the archive footage of precious toddler Gortner officiating a wedding is simply incredible! -- and even abused him if he didn't do their bidding (they also eventually made off with all the money he made for them!). In addition, Gortner sure puts on one hell of an electrifying show as he preaches fire and brimstone sermons to the gullible God-fearing masses that he's contriving to bilk out of their hard-earned cash. A mesmerizing depiction of a sly huckster.
udar55
This film actually won the Oscar for Best Documentary in 1972 and profiles former child evangelist Marjoe Gortner as he re-enters the seedy world of preaching across the US for money. Gortner is very open that he is doing it for quick cash and exposes the tricks of the trade. The filmmakers make sure to hammer this point home by juxtaposing shots of dudes counting stacks of money with sermons. I would have preferred more on Marjoe the man as they barely scratch the surface. For instance, he speaks briefly about the relationship with his father (also a preacher) but the filmmakers never dig deeper. The sermons/preachings highlighted are overly drawn out as well, running 20 minutes at a time which makes them tend to get repetitive. The end has Gortner contemplating a move into acting, something he was able to do for the better part of the 70s and 80s.
BillyDSquires
I don't think the average non church goer would even "get" this movie in its deepest sense. But, it should be required viewing for every Pentecostal/Charismatic leader. Why? Because Marjoe is warmer, more people oriented, a better communicator and radiates sincerity more than most of the top names in evangelism today. If you could take clips of his preaching and put them along side of any of the top televangelists today, and ask which is real and which is fake, Marjoe would come off as the real one every time! He is more giving, more compassionate and more warm than any of the top ones of today. He also has more integrity than most: He states in the film that he had better go one way or another, because he can't live two lives - he either needs to get in all the way and become "real" or go into acting, because he'd been acting all his life.Nowadays, various leaders have no problem living adulterous or drunken lifestyles. They want to do what they want and still be in ministry. Hats off to Marjoe for having higher levels of integrity than that. He'd be welcome at our house anytime! Note to Pentecostal/Charismatic leadership: Watch this movie, and ask yourself if you'd have him at your church, based on his performances in church... you'd have him and you'd have him back. He's that good!
Baroque
Filmed before the televangelism phenomenon, this film, part biography, part expose, details the rise, fall, and self-exposure of Marjoe Gortner, a one-time child evangelist who became a church tent preacher. This film details the seamier side of what Gortner calls "the religion business", and even earned Gortner a number of death threats.A rare find, if you can locate it, but a worthy viewing.
AD
