Although he celebrated his physical grace and was not shy about appearing in action pictures, there was another side to his acting, right from the first. Elmer gantry stands as the final film credit for cinematographer john alton who won an oscar for an american in paris, but one gets the distinct impression this transfer doesnt accurately represent his work. With burt lancaster, jean simmons, arthur kennedy, dean jagger. The 1960 film of the same name starred burt lancaster as gantry and jean simmons as sister sharon falconer. Approx running time 2 hrs 27 min, color, not rated. Elmer gantry is a film that exposes hypocrisy and greed among religious leaders who seek to exploit gullible citizens looking for something in which to believe.
This abridged version of sinclair lewiss novel of the same name focuses on elmer gantry, a con man expelled from seminary school, and sister sharon falconer, a character loosely. Elmer gantry was a labor of love for brooks, who had dreamed of filming lewiss novel for more than a decade and spent two years writing the script, which won the oscar for best adapted screenplay. The mildewed methodists, episcopalians, and baptists are against me. Elmer gantry by sinclair lewis, first edition abebooks. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of elmer gantry by sinclair lewis. A controversial look at revivalist religion which, with the passing of the years, is unlikely to raise many eyebrows. A 1970 broadway musical adaptation, titled gantry, opened and closed on the same night, february 14, 1970. Lewis had long wanted to write a novel about what he called the religion racket. Gantry, a 1970 broadway adaptation of the novel elmer gantry. Burt lancaster shines as the titular elmer gantry, a revival preacher with a questionable past and uncertain motives, in the epic film that won oscars for lancaster, shirley jones as a hooker from gantrys past, and the script by richard brooks. The young girls continued suspicion of gantry coupled with the setting reflects an attitude likely from the director andor producers of essential difference between black and white.
Elmer gantry, a flawed preacher for the ages elmer gantry, the traveling evangelist who loved whiskey, women and wealth, was conceived by sinclair lewis. Another film, elmer gantry, has some great spirituals in the revivalist setting of the controversial book. Elmer gant ry is a satirical novel written by sinclair lewis in 1926 that presents aspects of the religious activity of america in fundamentalist and evangelistic circles and the attitudes of the 1920s public toward it. This film makes several strong allusions to the life of aimee semple mcpherson, a 20s evangelist and media star who fell from grace after her divorce and several bizarre incidents including her supposed kidnapping. The wouldbe censors were left fuming, but they did not stop. Burt lancaster as elmer gantry won the oscar the conflicted drifter and jean simmons as sister sharon falconer the evangelist. Elmer gantry in filming sinclair lewis contentious 1927 study of a scandalous evangelist, elmer gantry, richard brooks has framed a big story and bold religioso subject for the oldfashioned. His own experiences at oberlin college at that time overtly christian, the memory of a 1917 visit to a. In the 1920s, elmer gantry entertains a group of fellow salesmen in a speakeasy with his ribald jokes and easy charm.
Elmer gantry was nominated for five oscars, and won for best actor, best supporting actress, and writing. Elmer gantry has even been made into a new opera, with a score by robert aldridge and a libretto by herschel garfein, that recently premiered in nashville. Elmer gantry, is initially attracted by booze and easy money though he eventually renounces tobacco and alcohol and chasing women. Elmer gantry, american film drama, released in 1960, that was an adaptation of sinclair lewis s novel of the same name and featured academy award winning performances by burt lancaster and shirley jones. Stars burt lancaster best actor, jean simmons, and shirley jones best supporting actress. Written with an assured bite, gantry skewers that oldtime religion with a dramatic wit rarely seen in this era. Bethancourt, who recently watched a dvd of the 1960 film version of elmer gantry a role that earned burt lancaster an oscar, says he finds modernday gantrys on television and the internet.
In the film, elmer gantry sold religion with bravado and arrogance which was not the typical way of selling religion either. Elmer gantry is a charming, fasttalking con, working the road as a traveling salesman in the 1920s. In each work, religion is being sold but elmer is a more exciting and relatable character than bruce bartons jesus. Elmer gantry, american film drama, released in 1960, that was an adaptation of sinclair lewiss novel of the same name and featured academy awardwinning performances by burt lancaster and shirley jones. His orchestral scoring mixes gantrys bombast on main title with the rural setting of the story on the folkish do you believe.
There was a film by the same name starring bert lancaster and jean symonds but this only went as far as the death of sharon falconer, played by symonds. With the rugged features of a matinee idol and the physique of a trapeze artist, burt lancaster might easily have been typecast by hollywood. When brooks, at the time a marine, was then threatened with a courtmartial for failing to submit the novel to the marine corps for approval, lewis agreed to testify on his behalf. A fasttalking traveling salesman with a charming, loquacious manner convinces a sincere evangelist that he can be an effective preacher for her cause. Within six weeks, elmer gantry had sold more than 175,000 copies. Elmer gantry is a fasttalking, harddrinking traveling salesman who always has a risque story and a hip flask to entertain cronies and customers alike. Watch this scene from the awardwinning 1960 film adaptation of the book in which gantry incites the crowd to violence against a news outlet. Elmer gantry was made into a lively and impressive film in 1960 starring burt lancaster in a hellraising performance, and it was one of my dads alltime favorite movies. Elmer gantry never knew who set him thirty dimes, wrapped in a tract about holiness, nor why. The film makes gantrys denomination unknown, a way to disarm critics in religious circles.
Elmer gantry 1960 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. He had, in fact, got everything from church and sunday school, except, perhaps, any longing whatever for decency and kindness and reason. The title character of elmer gantry starts out as a greedy, shallow, philandering baptist minister, turns to evangelism, and eventually becomes the leader of a. He is immediately taken with sister sharon falconer, a lay preacher whose hellfireanddamnation revivalism has attracted quite a following. After collecting money from the patrons, gantry takes a drunken barfly back to his hotel room. Elmer gantry is a 1960 film about a con man and a female evangelist selling religion to small town america. Find out where elmer gantry is streaming, if elmer gantry is on netflix, and get news and updates, on decider. A bit late to the party, but i enjoyed matts take on the literary vs. Lancaster portrayed the title character, a charlatan evangelist who joins a ministry headed by. If there was a dollar to be made gantry would make it. There also were accusations of extramarital affairs, which were never proved.
Elmer ga ntry, is initially attracted by booze and easy money though he eventually renounces tobacco and alcohol and chasing women. Lancaster portrayed the title character, a charlatan evangelist who joins a ministry headed by sister sharon falconer played by jean simmons. I wanted to see more of the dark underbelly of gantry, more of his lustful or moneydriven motives. In 1960, a film version of elmer gantry was made, with burt lancaster, in the title role, winning an oscar for best actor. Unsurprisingly, the book and the author were not very popular. Adapted by director richard brooks, the film is based on the 1927 novel of the same name by sinclair lewis and stars burt lancaster, jean simmons, arthur kennedy, shirley jones and patti page.
Elmer gantry, stage persona of musician dave terry of elmer gantrys velvet opera and stretch band. An angry, intellectual, introspective side, that led him to give some of the best performances of. Elmer gantry opens with a short shot of chapter 1 of the novel, im not sure if this implies a loyal reproduction, but since one of the criticisms i heard of this film is that it vulgarizes the. Elmer gantry and a little about race studying religion. A full restoration would undoubtedly bring out the hues age has ravaged and clean up the marks that intermittently mar the frame. Elmer gantry burt lancaster, a drunken, dishonest street preacher allegedly patterned on billy sunday, wrangles a job with the travelling tent ministry conducted by sister sharon falconer jean simmons. This newspaper this newspaper says everybodys against me.
Elmer gantry, another adaptation, which premiered in 2007. Years later, groups like the catholic legion of decency and the new england watch and ward society still targeted smutty novels. Theres even a lusty if rather flat lancaster vocal on the hymn im on my way as an added bonus. Elmer gantry is a 1960 american drama film about a con man and a female evangelist selling religion to smalltown america.
Elmer gantry is a satirical novel written by sinclair lewis in 1926 that presents aspects of the religious activity of america in fundamentalist and evangelistic circles and the attitudes of the 1920s public toward it. Still, the film is impressive in the way it ramps up tension, keeping me hooked for the long 2 and a half hour runtime. Elmer gantry is a conniving, hipocrite much like many of the fundamental evangelists who are still doing the rounds today. Elmer gantry actually feels weirdly sincere in his sermons. That sums up sinclair lewis 1927 satire of scandalous fundamentalist ministers pretty well. Taken from the classic sinclair lewis novel of the same name, director richard brooks garnered an oscar for best screenplay for his adaptation, and burt lancaster won his sole best actor oscar for his performance as elmer gantry. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. Two years before adapting elmer gantry to the sceen, writer and director richard brooks, also adapted and directed the brothers karamazov 1958, which featured william shatner the original captain kirk in his first movie role, as the saintly brother alexei. Directed and written by richard brooks, based on the 1927 novel by sinclair lewis. Andre previns score for the great burt lancaster vehicle is an interesting extension of the film s character. Burt lancaster stars as the elusive gantry in this charismatic adaptation of sinclair lewiss 1927 novel. Elmer gantry is a 1927 novel by sinclair lewis elmer gantry may also refer to. In my copy of elmer gantry, one sentence is underlined six times. Burt lancaster on the biblethumping circuit, in richard brookss juicy and considerably watereddown 1960 adaptation of the sinclair lewis novel.
Pawley later of big town fame as elmer gantry and vera allen as sister sharon falconer. To reinforce my suspicions, a comparable image appears towards the end of the film. Thanks to this bestselling novel and the 1960 film, elmer gantry is synonymous today with the sort of evangelical huckster whos familiar to americans and the world, but when sinclair lewis wrote it in 1927, it shocked the country with its cynical depiction of american religion. No question that the 1960 movie from richard brooks bowdlerizes the lewis novel. Elmer gantry, novel by sinclair lewis, a satiric indictment of fundamentalist religion that caused an uproar upon its publication in 1927. Elmer gantry is an amazing film that does not seem dated at all, having lost none of its bite or appeal with the passing of time. When a salvation army worker enters, gantry shocks and moves the crowd with an impromptu, impassioned sermon equating god with love. But he found the sentiments in the tract useful in his sermon, and the thirty dimes he spent for lovely photographs of burlesque ladies.
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