7.6 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Hard-living traveling salesman Elmer Gantry joins with tent-revival evangelist Sister Sharon Falconer to sell their boisterous vision of Christianity to the American people in the 1920s, but Elmer's womanizing past threatens his new career as a preacher.
Starring: Burt Lancaster, Jean Simmons, Arthur Kennedy, Dean Jagger (I), Shirley JonesPeriod | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.66:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Though she’s remembered today mostly by historians, Aimee Semple McPherson was a cultural phenomenon of almost unimaginable fame and influence for millions of devout believers who found in McPherson a preacher of profound impact and visceral intensity. Long before there was the “tele” part of televangelism, McPherson riveted a nation recovering from the horrors of World War I (and, later, the trauma of the Depression) with her faith healing revival meetings, attracting thousands at a time to what were often carnival like outings involving professions of faith and supposed demonstrations of God’s saving grace in action. Though McPherson hit her stride mostly in the 1920s, she continued to tour and preach throughout the 1930s and 1940s, until she was found dead of a suspected (accidental) overdose of sleeping pills in 1944. McPherson’s bizarrely charismatic personality provided at least some grist for Sinclair Lewis’ mill when he wrote Elmer Gantry in 1927, a satirical look at the “salvation industry” which featured a Semple-esque character named Sister Sharon Falconer, but which in fact focused more on a Falconer acolyte named Elmer Gantry, a fast talking hustler who basically drifts into Falconer’s inner circle and then proceeds to try to take over. It took decades for Lewis’ trenchant observational style to make it to the screen, and even then, Richard Brooks’ 1960 cinematic adaptation of Lewis’ novel jettisoned huge portions of the story, winnowing things down to concentrate on Gantry’s hucksterism, whether or not that proclivity was related to supposedly doing God’s work, or in fact merely the work of Gantry himself. The film took home three Academy Awards that year, including Best Actor for Burt Lancaster, Best Supporting Actress for Shirley Jones (in a role some found shocking for the squeaky clean Rodgers and Hammerstein chanteuse), and Best Adapted Screenplay for Richard Brooks.
Elmer Gantry is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber Studio Classics with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.66:1. While this release sports a bit more vivid color than some other recent Studio Classics outings, it still evidences slight but noticeable fade. That said, things are nicely saturated and despite some fluctuations in color space throughout this presentation, overall things look relatively accurate given a few limitations. Flesh tones can be both ruddy brown or pale at times, but other colors come through consistently, including greens and purples. The grain field here is fairly heavy at times but natural looking and untouched by any digital intrusion. Things are relatively soft looking throughout this presentation, including even midrange shots where detail is decent but not completely impressive. Close-ups fare better, with generally above average detail (see screenshot 5). Contrast is consistent. The film has a number of opticals, and those exhibit even more softness, grain and dirt, as should be expected. Age related damage is also at expected levels, with minor blemishes including minus density on display (see Simmons' cheek in screenshot 2). Brooks, who married Simmons shortly after this film's release in 1960, favors gauzy soft focus for his star, and some of Simmons' close-ups are on the hazy side as a result.
Elmer Gantry features a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono mix. There are some really grating speed fluctuations that afflict the opening credits sequence's theme by Andre Previn, but after that anomaly, things settle down and the rest of the soundtrack has no overt distractions. Dialogue comes through just fine, and Previn's Oscar nominated score (including several songs) sounds fine.
Lancaster simply inhabits the role of Elmer Gantry in this film, helping to make some of Brooks' shorthand with regard to Sinclair Lewis' original novel a bit more palatable. While Simmons seems to be riffing on her similarly naive but well intentioned goody two-shoes role from Guys and Dolls, Shirley Jones is revelatory cast completely against type as a scheming prostitute. Brooks keeps things moving along with a lot of energy, so that the film's lengthy running time never seems like a chore. There are some relatively minor issues affecting video and audio here, but generally speaking technical merits are very strong, and Elmer Gantry comes Highly recommended.
1947
Warner Archive Collection
1949
1975
1948
4K Restoration
1946
Warner Archive Collection
1952
1932
Sydney
1996
Warner Archive Collection
1962
1960
Limited Edition to 3000
1956
1958
1962
1951
1942
1967
1964
Limited Edition to 3000 - SOLD OUT
1974
1940
Limited Edition to 3000 - SOLD OUT
1949