Rating: 
Summary: A Little Dated, Now...
Review: ...in light of how corrupt many of America's pastors and preachers really are, but it is still one of my all time favorite films. Mainly because of how well Lancaster does his role. I also get a kick whenever I see Shirley Jones' turn as the 'bad girl' for a change...it is a great movie. Compare with "Leap of Faith" (Steve Martin), "Sweet Smell of Success" and "(PT) Barnum". Oh yeah, also "The Flim-Flam Man" and "Paper Moon"...
Rating:
Summary: As relevant today as when Sinclair Lewis wrote the story...
Review: A superb film. Simply profound. The sermons are as stirring today as when the screenplay was written.Words can't express how great Burt Lancaster is in this film. But like most truly significant movie classics, the supporting cast adds substance and strength to the overall impact of "Elmer Gantry." Shirley Jones is as sexy as any female that has appeared on the screen. Jean Simmons is spellbinding as Sister Sharon. The film's highlight for me was the meeting involving Sister Sharon, Gantry, and William Morgan with a group of ministers negotiating the terms of a planned extended tent ministry in the fictious city of Zenith. Distrubing and embarassing -- always thought provoking. A memorable film, worthy of repeated viewings and serious contemplation.
Rating:
Summary: " Im On My Way"
Review: An Oscar winning turn for Burt Lancaster and and Shirley Jones. Richard Brooks ,a terrific writer/director brings to the screen the saga of a bible salesman and all his tall tales. Its a period piece ..but if you look closer whats old is new. Human nature..being what it is has cycles...and Religion has its own time and eternal ways. You couldnt get a better cast that includes; Dean Jagger, Arthur Kennedy, and even the lighter Hugh Marlowe.( Edward Andrews) Elmer Gantry,s success in the revival business is jeopardized when a prostitute comes back into his life( how many times has that occured before in literature?) Richard Brooks superb screenplay..and Andre Previn,s riveting score add to the auroa of this fine film..with Lancaster ..playing ....himself.
Rating:
Summary: Move It On Over Kathryn Kuhlman, Kenny Hagin & Benny Hinn!
Review: Burt Lancaster as Elmer Gantry & Jean Simmons as Sister Sharon Falconer. Elmer is a slick salesman who falls head over heals (HA, pun intended) for the self ordained healing prophetess preacher woman who certainly must have been modeled on Amy Semple-MacPherson's Four Square Gospel Church in exsistence today. THE best Upton Sinclair novel in my humble opinion, with a top notch screenplay that follows the novel fairly well, given what you could actually film in 1960. The book itself is much more dicey & really delves into the character of Elmer and his weaknesses for booze, unfaithfulness of all kinds, and sex and is a great study into the mind of a master manipulator. This film has a timeless quality given the New WORD FAITH MOVEMENT goin on. Call it "Name It & Claim It" Message or The "Health & Wealth" Gospel but Elmer & Sister Sharon could go up against the 1950/60's Kathryn Kuhlman, 1970/80's Kenneth Hagin or Kenneth Copeland, or our new millenium savior, Benny Hinn, ANY OL' DAY! A TRUE GEM of a film, not to be missed! In MY TOP 25 FILMS of ALL TIME.
Rating:
Summary: masterful Lancaster performance
Review: Burt Lancaster dominates, but he always does because he perfected his craft early on. Elmer Gantry, Come Back Little Sheba, Trapeze are just a few of his best performances.
This one will be viewed alot if you own it.
Rating: 
Summary: Watch 1968's HOLY GHOST PEOPLE instead.
Review: Burt Lancaster's performance is riveting, but other than that this movie had nothing going for it. A FACE IN THE CROWD was better.
Elmer Gantry, played with devilish glee by Lancaster, is a silver tongued womanizing traveling salesman who trades in his vacuum cleaner for a Bible when he sees the bright lights of the revival tent.
I was hoping for some kind of Flannery O' Connor style Southern Gothic, but instead just dull scene after dull scene of Jean Simmons standing around with the sad eyes of a lost puppy.
The one bright spot outside of Lancaster's evil smile was Shirley Jones as an attractive ex-conquest of Gantry's who's out to blackmail him.
"He got to howlin' "Repent! Repent!" and I got to moanin' "Save me! Save me!" and the first thing I know he rammed the fear of God into me so fast I never heard my old man's footsteps!"
Check out the 1968 documentary HOLY GHOST PEOPLE instead. Now that's scary!
D: Richard Brooks - BRUTE FORCE, KEY LARGO
Sharon Falconer - Jean Simmons (SPARTACUS, FINAL FANTASY:THE SPIRITS WITHIN)
Elmer Gantry - Burt Lancaster (BRUTE FORCE, THE LEOPARD)
Rating: 
Summary: win heaven as you can
Review: Elmer Gantry is an impostor, lustful, drunk man. Summing up, until there, nothing unusual, but he's more than all these, because ordinary people, good or bad, doesn't pretend to make business from religion. Surely they haven't the necessary oratory talent, but Gantry surpass almost all in this, and in defrauding in these peculiar way he's a deliberate, qualified sinner. But perhaps Gantry isn't so bad. We see: he lies, but his public I think wishes to be deceived and in these strange way, he gives illusion and hope. No doubt the hope and illusion he gives are a fraud but however he does give these and in life there isn't much of all that. Elmer Gantry puts fire in his words it doesn't matter what these words says -usually nothing- but he has enthusiasm ad that ever has been a scarce quality. We truly don't know what is the Christianism of Gantry; these minuteness are irrelevant for him, but I think defrauding people is paradoxically the way he has to love these people and you know, one of the few things Devil can't do is to love. For that I think Elmer Gantry at last is a good man who has some bad habits, but, who has not some in this life? No human is perfect and Gantry is simply human and that is much.
Rating:
Summary: win heaven as you can
Review: Elmer Gantry is an impostor, lustful, drunk man. Summing up, until there, nothing unusual, but he's more than all these, because ordinary people, good or bad, doesn't pretend to make business from religion. Surely they haven't the necessary oratory talent, but Gantry surpass almost all in this, and in defrauding in these peculiar way he's a deliberate, qualified sinner. But perhaps Gantry isn't so bad. We see: he lies, but his public I think wishes to be deceived and in these strange way, he gives illusion and hope. No doubt the hope and illusion he gives are a fraud but however he does give these and in life there isn't much of all that. Elmer Gantry puts fire in his words it doesn't matter what these words says -usually nothing- but he has enthusiasm ad that ever has been a scarce quality. We truly don't know what is the Christianism of Gantry; these minuteness are irrelevant for him, but I think defrauding people is paradoxically the way he has to love these people and you know, one of the few things Devil can't do is to love. For that I think Elmer Gantry at last is a good man who has some bad habits, but, who has not some in this life? No human is perfect and Gantry is simply human and that is much.
Rating:
Summary: Lancaster delivers Gantry to the promised land
Review: Elmer Gantry is by far Burt Lancaster's best performance. Gantry's the consumate smooth-talking traveling salesman. But talk is cheap, and after a run of bad luck, Gantry's on the bum. One day, he has an On the Road to Damascus type conversion to Christianity via Sister Sharon Falconer (played by the Audrey Hepburn clone Jean Simmons). Gantry ends up joining Falconer's crusade, and (as Lancaster does with the film itself) takes it to new heights. Lancaster perfectly captures every nuiance of your stereotypical fundementalist preacher, and there isn't one scene that he doesn't steal. Without Lancaster, however, Elmer Gantry is a pretentious, lumbering period piece that would have been stuck in silverscreen limbo: a curious place where movies go that aren't flops, but aren't classics either. Thanks to Lancaster though, Gantry passes easily into the promised land.
Rating: 
Summary: A movie about bible thumping
Review: Elmer Gantry was a shifty movie that bounced around between religion and prostitution. The acting was great but the content was as exciting as watching paint dry. Over all Elmar Gantry is worthless hype.
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