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). Thanks to Gantry's enthusiastic hellfire-and-brimstone sermons, Sister Sharon's operation rises to fame and fortune, enough so that Sharon realizes her dream of building her own enormous tabernacle. These ambitions are put in jeopardy when a prostitute (Oscar-winning Shirley Jones), a former minister's daughter who'd been ...
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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). Thanks to Gantry's enthusiastic hellfire-and-brimstone sermons, Sister Sharon's operation rises to fame and fortune, enough so that Sharon realizes her dream of building her own enormous tabernacle. These ambitions are put in jeopardy when a prostitute (Oscar-winning Shirley Jones), a former minister's daughter who'd been deflowered by Gantry years earlier, lures Gantry into a compromising situation and has photographs taken. It took several years for any Hollywood studio to take a chance with Sinclair Lewis' novel, and when it finally did arrive on the screen, producer/director Richard Brooks was compelled to downplay some of the more "sacrilegious" passages in the original. Also appearing in Elmer Gantry are Arthur Kennedy as an H.L. Mencken-style atheistic journalist, and Edward Andrews as George Babbitt, a character borrowed from another Sinclair Lewis novel. Hal Erickson, Rovi
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Add this copy of Elmer Gantry [Dvd] to cart. $6.24, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Movies rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2001 by MGM (Video & DVD).
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Burt Lancaster, Joe Maross, Dean Jagger, Edward Andrews, Shirley Jones, John McIntire, Arthur Kennedy, Philip Ober, Hugh... Very good. 1962 Run time: 146. Providing great media since 1972. All used discs are inspected and guaranteed. Digital copy/codes may be expired or not included. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of Elmer Gantry [Dvd] to cart. $6.46, fair condition, Sold by Seattle Goodwill rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Seattle, WA, UNITED STATES, published 2001 by United Artists.
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Add this copy of Elmer Gantry [Dvd] to cart. $6.99, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Movies rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2001 by MGM (Video & DVD).
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Burt Lancaster, Jean Simmons, Arthur Kennedy, Dean Jagger, Shirley Jones, Patti Page, Edward Andrews, John McIntire, Hugh... Very good. 1962 Run time: 146. Providing great media since 1972. All used discs are inspected and guaranteed. Digital copy/codes may be expired or not included. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
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Add this copy of Elmer Gantry [Vhs] to cart. $7.70, good condition, Sold by Half Price Books Inc rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1994 by MGM (Video & DVD).
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Add this copy of Elmer Gantry [Dvd] to cart. $8.91, good condition, Sold by Goodwill Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Hillsboro, OR, UNITED STATES, published 2001 by United Artists.
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Good. May have very light or no surface scratches. Case and cover artwork are included but may show minimal signs of wear. If applicable: Digital copy or ultraviolet codes may be expired or not included. Slipcover may not be included.
Add this copy of Elmer Gantry to cart. $9.70, very good condition, Sold by semra rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from New York, NY, UNITED STATES, published 2001 by MGM.
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Burt Lancaster, Jean Simmons, Dean Jagger, Arthur Kennedy, Shirley Jones. Very good in very good packaging. Language: English. Run time: 146 mins. Aspect ratio: 1.66: 1. Originally released: 1960.
Add this copy of Elmer Gantry to cart. $10.13, like new condition, Sold by Wonder Book - Member ABAA/ILAB rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Frederick, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2001 by United Artists.
Add this copy of Elmer Gantry to cart. $10.13, very good condition, Sold by Wonder Book - Member ABAA/ILAB rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Frederick, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2001 by United Artists.
Add this copy of Elmer Gantry to cart. $10.19, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Movies rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2014 by Kino Lorber films.
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Dean Jagger, Arthur Kennedy, Shirley Jones, Jean Simmons, Burt Lancaster. Very good. 1960 Run time: 146. Providing great media since 1972. All used discs are inspected and guaranteed. Digital copy/codes may be expired or not included. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
A friend recently wrote a review of Sinclair Lewis' 1927 novel "Elmer Gantry" which provoked substantial comment from many fellow readers and reviewers. The discussion prompted me to watch this 1960 film adaptation of Lewis' novel, which I hadn't seen before. The film changed the novel in many ways, as is appropriate for the difference in the medium. Lewis' novel was described by his biographer, Mark Schorer, as "the noisiest novel in American literature, the most braying, guffawing, belching novel that we have", a characterization that also fits the movie. This review is directed to the film version of Lewis' story.
The movie is set in 1928 and tells the story of the womanizing, drinking and charismatic title character who moves from the role of traveling salesman and huckster to the role of revivalist and evangelist. Elmer Gantry uses chance opportunity to ingratiate himself with a young woman evangelist, Sister Sharon Falconer, through his gift of public speaking and his ability to get along with people. Falconer in fact is a sincere believer in what she preaches. She and Gantry take their revival ministry from small rural communities to a medium sized middle-west town. The experience is difficult due to the opposition of some of the local clergy to the commercialization and vulgarization of religion and due to the religious skepticism of some of the townspeople, including representatives of the news media. The venture nearly comes off the rails when Gantry is framed by a former lover who has been reduced to working as a prostitute. Gantry and Falconer are able to put their professional and personal relationship back together before the film's heavily destructive climax and conclusion.
Richard Brook's Academy Award winning screenplay and dialogue works to focus this two and a half hour film, and it moves quickly. The acting is convincing throughout with Burt Lancaster receiving an Academy Award for best actor for his energetic portrayal of Gantry. Shirley Jones received an Academy Award for best supporting actress for her portrayal of Gantry's old flame, the ruined Lulu Baines. Jean Simmons offers a moving, sympathetic performance of Sharon Falconer. Arthur Kennedy portrays a skeptical newspaperman, Jim Lefferts, while Dean Jagger is Falconer's elderly manager, Bill Morgan.
The film captures the rawness and vulgarity of some parts of the revivalist movement which, in the language and action of the movie, equate Gantry to a circus and to a commercial, sports-like superficial United States. These characterizations also are mirrored in the moblike audience for the spectacle, which is captured in many scenes of the film. Even Gantry, however, has a decent side, as do members of the local clergy and some of the people of the town. Falconer's religion is sincere as is the religious devotion shown by participants in a small African American church service near the beginning of the film. The overall impression, however, is one of tumult, commercialization, and hypocrisy.
Andre Previn composed the musical score for "Elmer Gantry" and it has become deservedly well-known in its own right. John Alton's cinematography of the revivalists and of the town also is an integral part of the experience of the film.
Lewis' novel has been adapted into operatic and theatrical versions in addition to this celebrated 1960 film. I enjoyed watching this film at last for its story, acting, music, and visual impact. I was glad to have the opportunity to think about the film's portrayal of religion and American life.
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