The 1960 film of the same name starred burt lancaster as gantry and jean simmons as sister sharon falconer. Is elmer the same in the movie as he is in the novel, or have the filmmakers altered his character. In 1960, a film version of elmer gantry was made, with burt lancaster, in the title role, winning an oscar for best actor. He had, in fact, got everything from church and sunday school, except, perhaps, any longing whatever for decency and kindness and reason. In the 1920s, elmer gantry entertains a group of fellow salesmen in a speakeasy with his ribald jokes and easy charm. When a salvation army worker enters, gantry shocks and moves the crowd with an impromptu, impassioned sermon equating god with love. Studies suggest that people load their new ereaders with cheap classics, consuming them in. Watch elmer gantry 1960 full movie free online streaming. Elmer gantry ist ein usamerikanischer spielfilm aus dem jahr 1960 nach dem gleichnamigen roman des literaturnobelpreistragers sinclair lewis. 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. Charismatic burt lancaster as preacher elmer gantry. Elmer gantry, is initially attracted by booze and easy money though he eventually.
Bains in richard brookss 1960 film adaptation of sinclair lewiss elmer gantry. 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. The film makes gantrys denomination unknown, a way to disarm critics in religious circles. He thereby makes a defiant gesture, nonetheless, somewhat apart from his customary preoccupation with quixotic heroes whom he could admire for their protests, rebellion, and search for freedom. If you have never seen the movie elmer gantry, and live in the nyc area then get offline and watch the movie tonight saturday dec 25th on pbs at 9pm.
Elmer gantry burt lancaster, a drunken, dishonest street preacher allegedly. Released august 21st, 1997, elmer gantry stars burt lancaster, jean simmons, dean jagger, shirley jones the movie has a runtime of about 2 hr 25 min, and received a score of out of 100 on. Elmer gantry, novel by sinclair lewis, a satiric indictment of. Feb 21, 2017 find out where elmer gantry is streaming, if elmer gantry is on netflix, and get news and updates, on decider. 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. Financial analysis of elmer gantry 1960 including budget, domestic and international box office gross, dvd and bluray sales reports, total earnings and profitability. The title role was played by burt lancaster, who won an academy award along with costar shirley jones. The e book is yet another context for elmer gantry. Jan 17, 2010 this is the final scene to the film, elmer gantry.
Elmer gantry has been called the greatest, most vital, and most penetrating study of hypocrisy that has been written since the works of voltaire goodreads 3. 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. Will his charade collapse when an exlover shows up to settle a score. Jean simmons also starred as sharon falconer elmer gantry was once a college athlete who decided to. Brooks film than he was in the sinclair lewis novel. This was the apogee of his literary career, and in the period from ann vickers 1933 to the posthumously published world so wide 1951 lewis wrote ten novels that.
Sinclair lewis does not receive the recognition he deserves. 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. In 1998, richard rossi appeared on stage in his own adaptation of elmer gantry. Write a brief character sketch of frank shallard and describe. Elmer gantry should elmer gantry be considered an icon in. Elmer gantry script transcript from the screenplay and.
Discussion of themes and motifs in sinclair lewis elmer gantry. That said, its still an entertaining, intelligent movie, thanks largely to. 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. Good video quality,however the audio turned off intermittently, greatly reducing the enjoyment of watching. No question that the 1960 movie from richard brooks bowdlerizes the lewis novel. If the story seems familiar, its because with variations. I returned the dvd for a replacement which had similar problems, but at different points in the movie. If there was a dollar to be made gantry would make it. That sums up sinclair lewis 1927 satire of scandalous. Or else, she got it because as often happened there was some kind of grudge vs another actress that year. It did not hesitate in its condemnation of his charlatanry, his. Great movie and the book what was difficult to read when one was not yet on his way. A charming conman pretends to be a preacher and romances a roadside revivalist.
He won an oscar for his performance, and this was quite different from the naked city. Elmer gantry 1997 stream and watch online moviefone. 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 bit late to the party, but i enjoyed matts take on the literary vs. The outlines of the elmer gantry story are familiar from the novel and from its wellknown movie after listening to a new recording of an opera, elmer gantry by robert aldridge with a libretto by herschel garfein, i wanted to read the famous 1927 novel by sinclair lewis on which the opera was based. In our books change series, historians of religion consider books that have changed us or have themselves been changed.
Eighty years after the book and almost 50 years since the movie, elmer gantrys name still rises alongside the downfall of preachers and. A novel written by sinclair lewis and published in 1927, elmer gantry was brought to the screen by director and writer richard brooks in 1960. A fasttalking traveling salesman with a charming, loquacious manner convinces a sincere evangelist that he can be an effective preacher for her cause. Gantry displays many of the traits that americans define themselves by and we often see this in american politics. Lancaster portrayed the title character, a charlatan evangelist who joins a ministry headed by. I know, i know, i still need to get the cast names in there and ill be eternally tweaking it, so if you have any corrections, feel free to drop me a line. Elmer gantry is a 1960 drama movie about a con man and a female evangelist selling religion to small town america. Compared to them revival of old america folks was something else. He is immediately taken with sister sharon falconer, a lay preacher whose hellfireanddamnation revivalism has attracted quite a following. What are the major differences between the film and the novel.
Elmer gantry simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. If he is not completely redeemed at the films end, he indicates that his love for the. This study guide consists of approximately 22 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of elmer gantry. A 1970 broadway musical adaptation, titled gantry, opened and closed on the same night, february 14, 1970. Elmer gantry, best known to classmates as hellcat, had, this autumn of 1902, been football captain and led the best team terwillinger college had known in ten years. The book, it may be recalled, followed elmer gantry all over the country for a.
Performancethe crucial skill of the title character in sinclair lewiss satirical novel elmer gantryis at the heart of its film adaptation, which. Sinclair lewis 18851951 wrote the novel in 1927 as a satire of evangelist religion. Elmer gantry by sinclair lewis, first edition abebooks. Elmer gantry, then, is notable as the book in which lewis moved religion to the center of his critique of american values and declared it to have failed.
Jan 22, 2014 elmer gantry 1960 the guns of navarone 1961 the naked spur 1953 out of the past 1947 i chose elmer gantry as our second classic of 2014 as i dont recall seeing any other burt lancaster films. Rent elmer gantry 1960 on dvd and bluray dvd netflix. The first four references are part of the language. Elmer gantry, a flawed preacher for the ages elmer gantry, the traveling evangelist who loved whiskey, women and wealth, was conceived by sinclair lewis in a bestselling 1927 novel and continues. Finally, the elmer gantry script is here for all you quotes spouting fans of the burt lancaster movie. The title role was played by burt lancaster, who won an academy award along with costar shirley jones who played lulu bains and brooks screenplay.
Elmer gantry should elmer gantry be considered an icon. The romance of sinclair lewis by gore vidal the new. He was eloquently drunk, lovingly and pugnaciously drunk. Back then when prostitutes were almost never even featured in movie. Elmer gantry 1960 the best movies in cinematic history. It contains, what i believe, is one of the most important quotes ever written in the bible. Dec 25, 2010 if you have never seen the movie elmer gantry, and live in the nyc area then get offline and watch the movie tonight saturday dec 25th on pbs at 9pm. For the better part of a century, the title of sinclair lewiss phenomenally successful and often reviled novel elmer gantry 1927 has been a byword for religious fraud and bunk evangelism. The romance of sinclair lewis by gore vidal the new york. Elmer gantry trailer 1960 academy award for best actor golden globe award for best actor motion picture drama new york film critics circle award for best actor. His elmer gantry is a drunken carouser who falls into religion as a way of gaining riches and fame. 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. The book, it may be recalled, followed elmer gantry all over the country for a long period of time.
Adapted by director richard brooks, the film is based on the 1927 novel of. Elmer gantry 1960 is an entertaining melodrama with memorable performances, from writerdirector richard brooks. 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. Thanks to this bestselling novel and the 1960 film, elmer gantry is synonymous today with the sort of evangelical huckster whos familiar to. In 1930, following elmer gantry 1927 and dodsworth 1929, sinclair lewis became the first american author to be awarded the nobel prize for distinction in world literature. Consuming this version of the book meant distinguishing yourself from your neighbors for 25 cents. A controversial look at revivalist religion which, with the passing of the years, is unlikely to raise many eyebrows. Elmer gantry, by sinclair lewis inverarity livejournal. Directed by richard brooks, the movie is based on the 1927 novel of the same name by sinclair lewis and stars burt lancaster and jean simmons actor pat hingle was originally cast as elmer gantry. Elmer gantry was banned in boston on publication, and no doubt various school and library boards are still trying to ban it. Elmer gantry is a fasttalking, harddrinking traveling salesman who always has a risque story and a hip flask to entertain cronies and customers alike. 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. On sunday, actors like denzel washington and casey affleck will go head to head for.
Elmer gantry script transcript from the screenplay andor. In my copy of elmer gantry, one sentence is underlined six times. A con man burt lancaster joins an evangelist sister jean simmons in the 1920s midwest. Elmer gantry 1960 the guns of navarone 1961 the naked spur 1953 out of the past 1947 i chose elmer gantry as our second classic of 2014 as i dont recall seeing any other burt lancaster films. It is the classic tale of the end of the third great revival and turn toward secularism of the 1930s and 1940s. Nov 20, 2009 elmer gantry trailer 1960 academy award for best actor golden globe award for best actor motion picture drama new york film critics circle award for best actor. So much a product of its own historic moment, it turns out to be a book for our time as well, and probably for all times. He is a welleducated englishman in his early thirties with a. Personally i dont think there are any iconic characters in the book. On sunday, actors like denzel washington and casey affleck will go head to. Elmer gantry is a 1960 american drama film about a con man and a female evangelist selling religion to smalltown america. Find out where elmer gantry is streaming, if elmer gantry is on netflix, and get news and updates, on decider. A best actor oscar went to burt lancaster for his outstanding performance as a conmanturnedpreacher in this provocative indictment of religious corruption.
The 1960 film that dared to go behind the scenes of a fictional evangelical crusade. They had won the championship of the eastmiddle kansas conference, which consisted of ten denominational colleges, all of them with buildings and presidents and chapel services. Elmer gantry ist eine sehr beeindruckende darstellung eines wanderpredigers. A broadway play by patrick kearney opened on 7 august 1928 at the playhouse theatre, where it ran for 48 performances. After he was injured from a 54foot fall down an elevator shaft, the part was given. Elmer gantry by lewis, sinclair and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Rent elmer gantry 1960 starring burt lancaster and jean simmons on dvd and bluray. This satirical story about a biblethumping charlatan still annoys evangelical christians, because its still spoton. He leaned against the bar of the old home sample room, the most gilded and urbane saloon in cato, missouri, and requested the bartender to join him in the good old summer time, the waltz of the day. Will try to buy elmer gantry dvd from another source. Unfortunately, elmer gantry is not a staple of american literature. This script is a transcript that was painstakingly transcribed using the screenplay andor viewings of elmer gantry. 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.
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