Wise Blood (1979)

Fresh out of the army, Hazel Motes attempts to open the first Church Without Christ in the small town of Taulkinham.

Director:

John Huston (as Jhon Huston)

Writers:

Flannery O'Connor (novel), Benedict Fitzgerald (screenplay)

Stars:

Brad Dourif, John Huston, Dan Shor

5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Brad Dourif	...	Hazel Motes
John Huston	...	Grandfather (as Jhon Huston)
Dan Shor	...	Enoch Emory
Harry Dean Stanton	...	Asa Hawks
Amy Wright	...	Sabbath Lily
Mary Nell Santacroce	...	Landlady
Ned Beatty	...	Hoover Shoates
William Hickey	...	Preacher
J.L. Parker	...	Karl
Marvin Sapp	...	Raymond
Richard Earle	...	Jakob Winslow
Herb Kossover	...	Jacob Wood
Betty Lou Groover	...	Leora Watts
John Tyndall	...	Loki Martinson
Gillaaron Houck	...	Stranger #1

Storyline

US Army war veteran Hazel Motes may not be a believing Christian, somehow observations like the state of a run-down country church, meeting the ridiculous frauds on the streets and memories inspire him to take up, after initially fierce refusal, the part of a traveling preacher when a cab driver insists he looks like one in his new hat. He starts his own new Church of Truth, without the crucified Jesus, his first disciple being an 18-year old simpleton with a 'prophetic gift'...

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Plot Keywords:

pretending to be blind | church | preacher | disciple | gorilla suit | 

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Taglines:

An American Masterpiece!

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was made and released about twenty-seven years after its source novel of the same name by Flannery O'Connor had been first published in 1952.

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Goofs

When Sabbath is complaining to Hazel about the mummy being thrown out the window, her position relative to the wall changes from the rear shot to the front shot.

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Quotes

Enoch Emory: She was ugly. Her hair was so thin it looked like ham gravy trickling down her skull.

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Crazy Credits

Director John Huston is credited in all the titles as "Jhon Huston". Producer Michael Fitzgerald later explained that, wanting to have a child-like look to the credits, they had an actual child write the names. The child misspelled Huston's first name, but they liked it and kept it, as a metaphor for the artificial, off-kilter tone of the story.

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Connections

Referenced in Fahrenheit 451 (2018)

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Soundtracks

Simple Gifts
(uncredited)
Shaker hymn written & composed by Joseph Brackett

User Reviews

Weird Film with a Strong Dourif Performance

Vignette styled look at southern towns, corruption, hypocrisy, and the hidden 'evils' of evangelism. Has a atmosphere that is so thick you can almost taste it.

Dourif's performance is so good, so solid, and so powerful that it literally propels you through the story no matter which avenue it takes (and it does take some strange avenues). His performance should have won him the Academy award and shows just how poorly used he has been. This is for all those who think Chucky in CHILD'S PLAY is the best thing he has done.

Although never completely satisfying, the final 20 minutes do have some rather 'odd' twists that may stay with you even after it's long over.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 February 1980 (USA)

Also Known As:

John Huston's Wise Blood

Filming Locations:

Confederate Monument, Cotton Ave and 2nd Street, Macon, Georgia, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Anthea Film, Ithaca

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1