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

Sheila Nevins, HBO's president of documentaries, said "probably 160 lawyers" worked with them on the film to avoid litigation from the Church of Scientology.

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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

References The Next Three Days (2010)

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Soundtracks

Liebesleid
Written by Fritz Kreisler

User Reviews

Gripping and horrifying

I didn't know much about Scientology before, but been awaiting this documentary for all the publicity it generated. And I wasn't disappointed. It unfolds rather slowly, but reveals details and time line of Scientology in way that makes sense for someone like me who knows little about it. I just wished I had read up about Scientology beliefs before watching, as I didn't quite understand the whole aliens reference, and sci-fi beliefs they have as part of Scientology. I wondered if this was really part of their beliefs or the documentary was exaggerating it. Turns out it's all factual! The whole of 2 hours I was just going, 'wtf?!!', and the intensity only escalates as the time line and events unfold. It was occasionally borderline cheesy, especially when the interviewee emotions seemed a bit forced. But overall, it's well written and the interviewees do a great job of narrating their experiences.

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