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Advice & More June 2015

Further Review

Good to Be Bad

By Tharon Giddens

As you’d expect, such tales have been longtime staples of films. Many are classics: There’s something about bringing a failed, flawed, or even evil member of the clergy to the screen that brings out the best in an actor or director.

We love our heroes flawed.

It’s an archetype common to all cultures and ages. Think Icarus in Greek mythology, who dares to soar too close to the sun.

You’ll find numerous examples in the Bible. There’s Adam and Eve (that darn apple thing), a drunken Noah, a murdering, adulterous Daniel, and the Apostle Paul who persecuted and sent people to their deaths for their faith before he had an interesting encounter on the road to Damascus.

We can relate to these flawed folk, and take heart in the fact that they frequently find redemption in spite of their indiscretions. As you’d expect, such tales have been longtime staples of films. Many are classics: There’s something about bringing a failed, flawed, or even evil member of the clergy to the screen that brings out the best in an actor or director.

In short, when it comes to films, it can be good to be bad. Here are five favorites worth a second (or more) viewing:

Night of the Hunter (1955, Google Play, Amazon, $2.99): My favorite Robert Mitchum role: He’s creepy, scary and fully believable as a sociopath who plays at being a preacher as he seeks out the hidden heist loot buried by a prison cellmate. Fine performances all around (especially Shelly Winters), and director Charles Laughton made great use of shadow and light in this black and white classic. James Agee is credited as the writer on the screenplay.

Night of the Iguana (1964 Google Play, Amazon, $2.99): Just like Night of the Hunter, this is another film that brought out the best in an actor, this time Richard Burton. He’s a depraved, defrocked and debauched man reduced to leading tours of God’s wonders in Mexico aboard a decrepit bus. There’s lots of fun dialogue, courtesy of Tennessee Williams’ play on which it was based, and stellar supporting roles from Deborah Kerr and Ava Gardner. One of director John Huston’s finest.

Wise Blood (1979, Amazon, Google Play, $2.99):  Georgia author Flannery O’Connor’s stark, sparse novel received a faithful adaptation from Huston in this low-budget critic’s favorite. The very Southern Gothic story seems to be a series of disjointed episodes and never quite meshes, but it has its moments, thanks to an intense performance by Brad Dourif, who has never been better. He plays Hazel Motes, an angry Army veteran just discharged from the service who returns to Georgia and becomes an anti-pastor, espousing his anger toward religion and life in general through his church of Truth without Christ.

Leap of Faith (1992, Amazon, Google Play, $2.99): Steve Martin’s turn as evangelist/huckster Jonas Nightengale is his best in a dramatic role. His caravan sells faith in a slick package and he’s unabashedly open that he’s a showman, not a true man of God. Can he find redemption in the aftermath of a real miracle? Nice supporting performances from Debra Winger as the conflicted director of this evangelistic sideshow and from Liam Neeson as the sheriff who seeks to expose the evangelical charade. Look for a young Philip Seymour Hoffman as a sideman in the traveling salvation show.

Carnivale (2003, free with Amazon Prime, otherwise $1.99 per episode): Here’s another traveling troupe with a convoluted hero, this time a slack-jawed Depression era kid with healing powers (Nick Stahl) who is set to do battle with evil incarnate in a cleric collar (Clancy Brown). Brown goes to town as the demonic villain in this HBO series, which started with promise but was cut short and saddled with a messy, unsatisfying finale. Still, well worth checking out for its quirky characters, masterful cinematography that gave this series its bleak, burnt look, and some downright chilling, disturbing storylines.

 

Further Review looks at films or television series worthy of a second viewing. What are your favorites worthy of Further Review? Contact Tharon Giddens at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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