Going Clear: Scientology & the Prison of Belief (2015)

A documentary looking at the inner-workings of the Church of Scientology.

Director:

Alex Gibney

Writers:

Alex Gibney, Lawrence Wright (book)

Stars:

Paul Haggis, Jason Beghe, Spanky Taylor

Won 3 Primetime Emmys. Another 4 wins & 31 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Paul Haggis	...	Self
Jason Beghe	...	Self
Spanky Taylor	...	Self
David Miscavige	...	Self (archive footage)
John Travolta	...	Self (archive footage)
Tom Cruise	...	Self (archive footage)
Lawrence Wright	...	Self
L. Ron Hubbard	...	Self (archive footage)
Marjorie Cameron	...	Self (archive footage)
Mike Rinder	...	Self
Tony Ortega	...	Self
Antony A. Phillips	...	Self (archive footage)
Hana Whitfield	...	Self (as Hana Eltringham Whitfield)
Kim Masters	...	Self
Sara Goldberg	...	Self

Storyline

A devastating two hour documentary based on Lawrence Wright's book of the same name. Scientology is laid bare by a film that skilfully knits together archive footage, testimonials from former high ranking officials and public, and dramatic reconstructions.

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Plot Keywords:

scientology | pseudo science | based on book | dianetics | year 2013 | 

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Genres:

Documentary

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Alex Gibney captured the footage of the Church of Scientology's headquarters by using an aerial drone.

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Goofs

(at around 8 mins) When Paul Haggis is discussing his beginnings with the church, a clip is shown claiming to be "London, Ontario." What is actually shown is a view of downtown Hamilton, Ontario, looking east from King Street and James Street. The bus clearly reads "West Hamilton". Also visible: Woolworth's, the Wright House, and Gore Park - downtown Hamilton landmarks.

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Quotes

Paul Haggis: I finally get to OT 3 and they give me the secret materials, which I've been hearing about all this time. They're hand written by Hubbard. You'd have to keep them in a locked briefcase, be very cautious because they would always say if this gets out it's dangerous to people. It can actually do them harm if they are not adequately prepared. And I read it and it doesn't make any sense... I think, I remember for one fleeting second thinking well maybe it's an insanity test. Maybe if we believe ...

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Connections

Features Homeland (2011)

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Soundtracks

Naz
Written by Phaedon A. Papadopoulos Phaedon A. Papadopoulos
Performed by Phaedon A. Papadopoulos Phaedon A. Papadopoulos

User Reviews

Fascinating summation of what's wrong with this "Church"

I've always wondered about Scientology, and its unique approach to "spirituality." I remember clearly the Dianetics commercials of the 80s with the Volcano, and almost picked up the book once or twice out of curiosity, but never did. Oddly, it was my own experience with a cult - Jehovah's Witnesses - and my research on the internet when I left that organization that lead me to the Operation Clambake (xenu.net) website years and years ago. The revelations in this movie are not new, but they are finally out from under the cloak of anonymous postings by scared individuals. It took celebrities and defecting top officials, who weren't cowed by the church's relentless "fair game" attacks to bring all of this out in the open. That's allowing the little guys to tell their story with less and less risk. Because now that the world is watching, the church's bullying and harassing is backfiring. Watch this documentary, then read Scientology's "reactions" (which are mostly "liar liar pants on fire" and "oh he's a big stinky head, I have a picture of him holding a BEER from years ago - that's right a BEER!"), then come back and watch this movie again. And you'll never fall for a "personality test" pitch at your local mall.

Details

Official Sites:

HBO Documentary Films

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 June 2015 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Going Clear: Scientology & the Prison of Belief

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$230,194

Company Credits

Production Co:

HBO Documentary Films, Jigsaw Productions, Sky Atlantic

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1