Marjoe (1972)

Directors:

Sarah Kernochan
Howard Smith

Release Date:

July 1972 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary | Biography

Tagline:

You Keep the Faith...Marjoe Keeps the Money

Plot:

Part documentary, part expose, this film follows one-time child evangelist Marjoe Gortner on the "church tent" Revivalist circuit...

Plot Keywords:

Evangelism | Business | Child Evangelist | Evangelist | Tent

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Marjoe Gortner	...	Marjoe
Sarah Kernochan	...	Herself

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Netherlands:12 | USA:PG

Company:

Cinema X

Trivia:

The film was not shown in most of the southern United States due to the distributor's fear of the outrage it would cause.

Quotes:

Marjoe: Can God deliver a religion addict?

Movie Connections:

Featured in Frisbee: The Life and Death of a Hippie Preacher (2005)

Soundtrack:

There's Victory In Jesus

"Would You Get Out Your Checkbooks Tonight"

Former child evangelist Marjoe Gortner lays it on the line, presumably, in this riveting true story of his life as a traveling Pentecostal preacher in the early 1970s, long before cable TV and the "electronic church". Gortner, a tall, charming, and charismatic guy talks to a documentary film crew of counterculture hippies about his techniques and tricks of the trade. "If you're going to get into big time religion, this is the game you gotta play ... you work it as a business ... The (preachers) who are successful ... they're just businessmen; they're like Madison Avenue PR men".

The camera follows Marjoe as he preaches in various settings, including an old fashioned big tent revival meeting. He shouts hallelujah a lot, prances back and forth in front of his prey, and spews out general gospel gibberish. And, of course, there's the inevitable request for ... "a love offering". At one meeting, he intones, earnestly: "Would you get out your checkbooks tonight; would some of you get out $5 or $10; bring what you would ... come on". After everyone has left, we see him sitting on his bed counting wads of cash.

The film's technical elements are fine, although there's a tendency to dwell too long in some settings. We get the idea; truly, we do.

To watch these swindlers is infuriating, in that their con is aimed at vulnerable people, those who are in varying conditions of physical and/or mental pain. Most of these victims are low-income, poorly educated folks who cannot afford to throw their money at flimflam artists. Accordingly, viewers must surely appreciate Marjoe's successful effort through this film to expose the motivations and manipulations of these "salesmen".

Of course, a performance is a performance whether it's aimed at true believers in some revival tent, or at an audience watching a film documentary. In "Marjoe", Marjoe puts on a good show. But is his message credible? I think events in the last 35 years have shown that, for the most part, the answer is yes ... it is credible.