Elmer Gantry

Composite Score: 82.77

Starring: Burt Lancaster, Jean Simmons, Arthur Kennedy, Dean Jagger, Shirley Jones, Patti Page, and Edward Andrews

Director: Richard Brooks

Writer: Richard Brooks

Genres: Drama, Religious

MPAA Rating: Approved

Box Office: $64 worldwide

Why should you Watch This Film?

                Elmer Gantry is the film adaptation of Sinclair Lewis’s novel of the same name, chronicling the rise and fall of a fictional evangelist in the revival movement of the 1920s. The film avoids the blatant pessimism of Sinclair’s novel and instead levels a critique against certain types of charismatic evangelical preachers, focusing on the contrast between the greed and immorality of Gantry, played artfully by Burt Lancaster, and the sincere desire for betterment of Sister Sharon Falconer, his partner on the itinerant circuit, played by Jean Simmons. For better or worse, the film portrays the highs and lows of revivalism, evangelicalism, and fundamentalism with sincerity, empathy, and authenticity.

Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?

                Over the last sixty years, the evangelical movement has steadily declined from the sincerity of Sister Sharon’s faith into the depravity and greed of Gantry’s. Unfortunately, since this film portrays Sister Sharon in a sympathetic light and has her as part of the same movement as Elmer Gantry, anyone who might have benefited from taking the critiques of this film to heart has a different character to empathize with and point to as their own equivalent. By allowing Sister Sharon to be such an effective and sincere representative of the faith, the filmmakers provided an easy substitute for any evangelicals who might actually be more like Gantry. Rather than encouraging self-examination among the evangelical movement, the film allows church members and even church leaders to hide behind Sister Sharon’s goodness without engaging with the wickedness of Gantry, which has become far more prevalent among the Evangelical/nondenominational/missionary church movement. The film’s message becomes muddled by the era that it comes from, which required that it did not completely vilify the church and church leaders. Personally, I think a modern adaptation of Lewis’s novel would bypass the film’s shortcomings and present a far more effective critique of modern Evangelical practices.

So wait, why should you Watch This Film?

                If you can engage with the critiques offered in the film, they remain pointedly relevant in the modern age. Gantry is a womanizing drunk who utilizes guilt-tripping, fearmongering, and sheer charisma to grip his congregations and convince them to “be saved” and then (more importantly for him) to give money to his ministry. Rather than condemning drink or prostitution for any kind of moral reasons, he does so for photo opportunities and because the “people” seem to be leaning that way. All of his biblical references are either misquotes or one-liners taken out of context. Even his defense against the secular reporter, Lefferts, is based not on any actual empirical evidence but on the very fact that Lefferts doubts the literality of biblical text – an ad hominem attack that ignores the issues in question. At the end of the day, Gantry is an ideal example of everything wrong with the Fundamentalist or Evangelical or nondenominational movement. He has no credentials or oversight from any legitimate place of biblical scholarship; he practices sensationalism to keep his audiences’ attention; he is an outright hypocrite, drinking and womanizing while condemning alcohol and sexual immorality, and he gives preferential treatment to wealthy donors and business owners while ignoring the needs of the poor in his community. All of these flaws represent legitimate gripes with large swaths of the Christian community in the modern era, particularly of those in the Evangelical and adjacent movements, which need to be addressed and fixed.

                Consequently, Burt Lancaster’s Oscar-winning performance as the film’s lead is more than deserving, as he portrays the deplorable Gantry from start to finish with a slimy charisma that the audience can’t help but root against. He plays the part so well that, by the film’s end, the audience even begins to root for Gantry to find legitimate change through the work of Sister Sharon, hoping against hope. His work is supported by great performances from both Jean Simmons and Shirley Jones. Simmons plays Sister Sharon with an almost innocent sincerity that makes even her flawed ministry seem authentic and ordained by the lord. By contrast, Jones’s Oscar-winning portrayal of Gantry’s ex-lover turned prostitute, Lulu Bains, is so over-the-top and jaded that Gantry’s negative influence comes through undeniably even in someone that he has not seen in years.

                The valid criticisms of the Evangelical movement introduced by Elmer Gantry are brought home by the strong performances from Burt Lancaster, Jean Simmons, and Shirley Jones in a way that makes the film a flawed but effective member of the Greatest Films of All Time. Though it stumbles somewhat on its way to being a fully effective critique, its message remains undeniably relevant more than sixty years after its release. This film is not currently available to stream anywhere, but if you can find it, it’s definitely worth a watch.