Elmer Gantry - Page 2© David Macdonald
Page 2
Oct 22, 2001
The movie was quite risque for its time, especially involving Gantry's past. Back in the 40's and 50's, I'd doubt that filmmakers would be allowed to depict a supposedly religious man's dalliances with prostitutes and other forms of carnality (unless, maybe, that man experienced genuine salvation in between his carnal period and his preaching one, but Elmer does not seem to have had that experience). This movie makes it clear that Gantry has screwed a few people in more ways than one, and even implies that his shell of religious fire allows him to creep into women's affections. As the prostitute (who is the daughter of a preacher) says about Gantry, that "he rammed the word of God into me so hard", and you know exactly what she means by that! And Gantry does much the same thing to Sister Sharon (who oddly doesn't object too much, so how seriously does she take her faith?), as he makes a little play for her inside the tent, before frequently expecting a romance between them. The shot that reveals the sexual release Sharon experiences is when Gantry kisses her inside the tent, and her jacket falls from her shoulders. In this striking moment, we see only the heads and shoulders of the two in this shot, and the kiss releases the jacket, revealing her bare shoulders, so it appears for a moment as if she is nude. The revivalist scenes are little different from what a modern viewer is used to seeing on religious TV. The only difference is that Gantry speaks inside a tent, while Jimmy Swaggart, Benny Hinn and others speak in stadiums. Actually, I'd say that Burt is doing his Swaggart impersonation - Gantry is definitely a stranger to restraint. The weirdest thing is how much of his material sounds so familiar to us. Gantry uses a lot of sports metaphors, the best one being at the first when he describes how Jesus would make a great football player (and this is before Elmer even joins the revival!). Later, he makes his speeches about the evils of booze and other naughty things (his funniest line -- "I have here in my hand obscene, lewd, filthy, and... I'm ashamed to say it... French postcards!!") All of these speeches are very funny in their own bombastic way. Lancaster is a very intense actor, which only adds to the fun (yea, it's a good performance too, naturally!)
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