Marjoe

• Directors: Sarah Kernochan; Howard Smith
• AMG Rating:
• Genre: Culture & Society
• Movie Type: Biography, Law & Crime
• Themes: Cons and Scams
• Release Year: 1972
• Country: US
• Run Time: 92 minutes
• MPAA Rating: PG

Plot

Marjoe Gortner, today known primarily for his acting roles in "B"-movies, was at one time a boy faith healer and evangelist. Wildly popular in the American South, he could fill huge tent revival meetings with his promises of eternal salvation and healing. What the people who came to his meetings didn't know, and what this documentary shows, is that he was a fake who was used by others to make money. ~ Brian Gusse, All Movie Guide

Review

This Oscar-winning documentary offers an eye-opening but rather judgmental look at the darker side of pre-television evangelism. Marjoe has two major strengths going for it. The first is its fascinating behind-the-scenes access to the world of ‘evangelism for profit’: it’s both mesmerizing and a bit depressing to see the film’s profit-minded preachers working the crowd into a frenzy, bilking them for every penny and then laughing as they count the dollars behind closed doors. It also reveals some intriguing tricks of the trade along the way, including how ‘speaking in tongues’ is merely nonsense-babbling used to work up the crowd and how Gortner incorporates moves borrowed from Mick Jagger’s concert dance routines into his own on-stage moves. Marjoe further benefits from the presence of its title subject: whether he is working the pulpit stage or calmly explaining his religious con games to the film’s crew, Marjoe Gortner manages to be charming and magnetic despite the criminal nature of his work. It’s no surprise that he went on to a prolific film and television acting career after appearing in this documentary. On the downside, Marjoe’s overall effect is hampered by the snide attitude of the filmmakers towards religion: their circus-show approach reveals contempt for both the preachers and the congregation and this undermines the emotional power of their material. They also allow the footage of revival meetings to go on too long and the film’s midsection loses focus as a result. Despite these problems, Marjoe remains worth a look thanks to its subject and high level of detail and is guaranteed to fascinate anyone interested in the business side of organized religion. ~ Donald Guarisco, All Movie Guide

Cast

Marjoe Gortner

Credit

Sarah Kernochan - Director, Howard Smith - Director, David Myers - Cinematographer, Richard Pearce - Cinematographer, Kenneth Van Sickle - Cinematographer, Ed Lynch - Cinematographer, Sarah Kernochan - Producer, Max Palevsky - Producer, Howard Smith - Producer, Sarah Kernochan - Screenwriter

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