Elmer Gantry is a 1960 film following the religious teachings of Elmer and his female companion, Sister Sharon Falconer. The movie begins showing a page in a book stating that Elmer was drunk. It then transitions off of this to a small statue of baby Jesus and the wise men. This is where we first learn that this film is related to religion. It showcases a group of men at a bar talking, who are soon interrupted by two women trying to raise money for orphans. Almost all of the men blow off these two women, except Elmer. He takes the hat and convinces the people in the bar to donate. This shows us how easily it is for this man to convince people to do what they normally would not do. A woman at the bar is impressed, so he buys her a drink. The next scene shows the two in bed together, the morning after. She is still when he is awaken by a knock at the door. The mall tells him that he has a phone call. This is where the camera shows us a wide view of the room. The man is on the phone, and we see his shadow reflected largely on the wall behind him. We can also see the woman still asleep in the next room. As the man goes to leave, the soundtrack of the film instantly becomes suspenseful. The man travels around until he eventually meets a town and wanders into an African American church. I noticed a lot throughout this film that the man is often portrayed at the side of the screen with something of equal importance at the opposite side, such as through this scene, him on one side, and a sign relating to the church on the other. This church first seems hesistant to him joining, but welcome him with open arms once they realize that he shares the same faith as them. The church seems to be very dark and hidden but filled with people of all ages. As he is easily welcomed, this shows us that he is a part of a community, a religious one. In a later scene, he is on the phone with a woman. He is calling her baby but also mentions her having a husband. This shows us that the man is going against the values that he believes in. The next day, he joins a group filled with white people. This shows us that segregation is still going on. The church is very bright but the man seems more awkward in this one. He sees a woman who is preaching, and seems very demanding and passionate to meet her. This woman is Sister Sharon Falcon. As stated by Brenden Boyle, "Simmons demands the audience’s attention with the sternness of a schoolteacher, and the same level of authority." He does all he can to get close to her and to know all he can about her. She seems very hesitant and begins by ignoring him, but she slowly begins to open up to him. In every scene prior to this, Elmer is in the background while Sharon is in the front. He seems to be following in her footsteps. He opens up more with Sharon and discusses how truly unhappy he is with his job right now, and how he would much rather have a religious profession. The scene slows down and plays slow relaxed music while this scene is going on. Sharon seems to pity and feel for the man as the camera focuses on her face zoomed in on the center of the clip. The two eventually become a team, and Sharon allows him to join her in preaching. According to the Film Experience Blog, "Once Sharon and Elmer have joined forces, there's no stopping them. They develop a perfect good cop/bad cop salvation routine: Elmer provides the sweaty fire and shouty brimstone and Sharon swoops in later to offer the soothing sotto voce God is Love denouement". The man eventually speaks at church, and is very moving and inspirational to the crowd. Hes energetic and the crowd is excited. He seems to use his salesperson convincing tactics on the crowd. The camera seems to follow Gantry through this scene and remains very fluid. It also has many quick cuts to other characters to showcase their relations to his speech. After, he kisses Sharon, and she tells him that he cannot do that because that is against what she believes in and what she has chosen to teach. The next scene showcases the switching of Sharon and Elmer preaching at different gatherings. Sharon is told after church that Elmer has seduced many holy women before and that she should beware. Gender roles seem to be very prominent at the beginning of the movie as Sharon is the more shy, sweet, outspoken woman and Elmer is very loud and aggressive. As the movie progresses, we see the roles of the two begin to dissipate and switch into the other. I also noticed that he seems to be behind her and watching over her from a distance in a good number of scenes. This shows that she is the main religious leader and he is following in her steps. He is observing her and trying to learn from her. This can also show us that he is watching her because he sees her but she doesn't exactly see him or pay too much attention to him. In the next church scene, there seems to be violence and aggression among the crowd and the crowd is portrayed very dark. The camera cuts to a far away shot where Sister Sharon is shown in the dead center, wearing her dress of white, while everyone else is very dark. This can be used to portray holiness, as white is often a symbol for purity and religion. After this scene, the music becomes dramatic and suspenseful again, while the clip shows Sharon asleep in bed, and Elmer leaving a rose next to her in bed. This scene is filmed the same as one of the earlier clips where Elmer is leaving after a one night stand. By filming it the same exact way and the women sleeping the same, we can see the transformation in Elmer from a "dirty" man to a holy, religious man. We can also see the transformation in his feelings towards the women. We then see then music slow down in the next scene as Sharon reveals that Sharon isn't her real name, but a person that she has made for herself and someone that she has worked hard for and has became. She then touches his face, and he leads her into darkness, where we can only assume what happens. The next day, Sharon receives flowers, and is smiling like a young girl. She seems like a completely different person, and she doesn't stop smiling. I noticed that when she first interacts with him after that night, she is featured behind him in the scene, showing that shes now looking at him instead of him looking at her. She states that she wants to spend time with him, and seems very attached to him, which is not in character for her. She seems to become more lenient and becoming like Elmer, a man who doesn't stick to religious values too strictly. Elmer takes over her role by stating that they need to continue preaching. Elmer is then invited over to Lulu's place, a hooker who he had had many nights with. He seems very hesitant to go over, which is not in his character as at the beginning of the movie, he was calling a woman on the phone and who was married "baby" and asking when he would see her next. Lulu tricks him into kissing her, while the men outside her window photograph it. The next day, that photo is shown to Sharon. She asks to meet Lulu and we see an obvious difference in the two characters. Sharon is very put together, outspoken, and classy, while Lulu is dressed provocatively, is sarcastic, and is very loud. After this incident is released to the public, mass becomes extremely vacant while Elmer and Sharon are shamed by having eggs thrown at them. In the next scene, we see Lulu being slapped by a man multiple times, and Elmer steps in to stop the man, and the scene becomes very quiet. Elmer begins to drink again, and suggests to Sharon that they should get married and stop being religious. We then see the church filled with smiling people again, as Elmer's charges are cleared and Lulu admits that she framed him. In the final few scenes, we see a church full of people, and a miracle happens as a deaf man is able to hear again. The church eventually goes up in flames, and as everyone runs away, Sharon proclaims that everyone should wait and have faith that everything is going to be okay. The next day, the town announces that there has been no sign of Sharon, and Elmer is given her bible. This is symbolic of Sharon and shows us that he has become her, especially since she is not around anymore. He is approached by people in the town in their time of need, and he states that Sharon loved them all. He becomes a preacher in a time of despair, and takes over the role that Sharon had held. He eventually becomes just like her; a religious leader. Brenden Boyle: http://www.popmatters.com/review/186294-elmer-gantry/ Film Experience Blog: http://filmexperience.blogspot.com/2010/07/save-me-elmer-gantry-save-me.html
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