In the current age of cinema heavy handed, message a dozen. Usually being released right around awards season; it mixes melodrama and message into something that after watching should make us reevaluate our lives. Sometimes these can be successful to an extent, Crash, and other times completely fail, like the illegal immigrant movie Crossing Over. Both can't quite escape their own heavy-handed message. What is surprising is that Hypocrites, nearly escapes the fate, an early example of truly thought provoking cinema. Directed by Lois Weber and released to much critical rave in 1915, Hypocrites follows the parallel stories of a monk in the eighteenth century and a modern day priest as they struggle to find truth and combat the hypocrisy of society. A beautiful nude see-through woman represents truth and is the desire of the monk. He follows her around and attempts to make art out of her. It goes without saying that them monk finds God's truth in the beauty of humans, which after all we were created in his image. Once the monk finishes the sculpture of the nude woman he wishes to present it to society. Once presented the society of the day are outraged by the nudeness, afraid to see the real truth, and chose to cover it up with cloth. Discouraged the monk makes the pound statement that the hypocrisy of society covers up the truth. And there in lies the problem of the film with me. While I really enjoyed the film and especially the work of the lead Courteney Foote, I felt that it was too blatant, the imagery alone should have been powerful enough for the audience to see the hypocrisy of the truth but instead Weber chooses to explain to the audience instead of interpret. While I understand that the medium was relatively new, modern filmmakers fall into the same problems, saying to much instead of leaving anything to the interpretation of the audience. In face I would argue that it is more common today where the studios make movies for the lowest common demeanor. That problem I found with the film is a quibble I would say instead of a real problem. The cinematography is gorgeous as are the sets. The message of the movie and imagery was enough to get it banned in some places, perhaps that is why the filmmaker felt the need to particle hit the audience over the head with the message, however nearly 100 years later it is still a message that resonates. Despite the heavy handedness of it all, Hypocrites is hard not to recommend to the film buff.
Review of Hypocrites
