esrosedotblog

Today's documentary was an Oscar winner.

That is as much why I watched it as the subject, Marjoe Gortner, who made a considerable splash in the 70s as a tent-god preacher.

It is a bit of an expose which Gortner willingly participates in. A bit of honest testifyin'.

The style here is cinema verite' and it is totally absorbing.

Marjoe (1972)

How this game works, how Marjoe was able to work it from the time he was a 4 year old preacher until he disavowed, and how the people lap it up.

Somehow, even though we know the "plot" we are bamboozled all over again by the wizardry of this crowd hypnotism. Mass hysteria. Fainting, talking in tongues, gyrations and the like.

I have seen this kind of thing before but Marjoe is a master of the game and is so watchable I can't take my eyes off.

His honesty about what he does/did is really something. He does not seem to be at all sorry about it. But it was time to quit so he made the quitting good and, it must be said, lucrative.

I didn't come down to the altar but I sure admired the showmanship involved. I enjoyed this film very much! A 4 out of Netflix5.

Labels: films