Director: Sarah Kernochan and Howard Smith
Year Released: 1972
Rating: 1.5
Obvious 'exposé' of the shady, corrupt world of preachers, embodied by former child-huckster-turned-adult-huckster Marjoe Gortner. Free-thinkers (and the majority of the population) should realize that these people are crooks and liars and destined for one of the Circles of Hell, rendering this picture somewhat superfluous, while those who believe they can be saved (or save others) by throwing money at brazen con-men won't be bothered to watch it in the first place. Marjoe (a combination of Mary and Joseph - he's the product of two zealot parents who 'trained him' at an early age) is indeed charismatic and energetic, and his self-conflict at doing something he himself doesn't believe in is evident, but the picture neglects to explore anything but the ceremony of preaching itself - the core of the dilemma, namely what leads people to believe in people like Gortner (or are they just suckers trying to 'buy off God' in some way), is besides the point. He's a predator and they're prey - this much is obvious by the ten minute mark.
