Marjoe (1972) User Reviews

Award-Winning Documentary that Had No Effect on Americans

[mercuryix2003 · 8/10 · 2 April 2012]

Watching this documentary was painful; despite that fact that the audience wanted to be taken in, was only too willing to be credulous, it was no less painful watching them give away their intelligence and self-respect along with their money to believe the outrageous things that Marjoe does to demonstrate evangelistic hucksterism.

Marjoe's personal story is even more painful; his early childhood literally stolen from him by his cynical and cold-blooded parents, who used to smother him with a pillow or drown him under tap water until he agreed to do their bidding (they used this form of torture because it left no marks on him). He finally got away from them at age 17. His parents kept all of the money he made for them, by the way; it didn't go to charity or even to the church.

Marjoe courageously faces all of his demons, and recreates all the tricks he was taught as a child, to drive the all-too-willing audience into a frenzy of mindlessness as they throw their money at him in hopes of a personal miracle.

And what was the result of exposing the fraud? Nothing. Not one thing changed as the result of this fearless documentary. Evangalism continued to grow even bigger, its stars grew bigger, and when they were finally brought down by their own excesses, instantly replaced. The distributors didn't show it in the South because they were afraid of the outrage. Nice courage there, guys. They should have Especially shown it in the South. Maybe a few people's eyes would have been opened.

People want to believe so badly that there is a quick answer for them, that they will continue to throw money at fraud after fraud, despite being shown exactly how they are being bilked. So are the hucksters the only ones to blame?

Hmm... how do you do that "cross" trick again? Can I get an "Amen!"? How about your Visa number?

Great documentary

[kornsme182 · 8/10 · 4 October 2006]

This is good for so many reasons. First off it's just a well done and to the point documentary, but the main reason it is good is because it exposes the truth about these faith healers out there in the world.Some would say that its true that this film shows that marjoe was a fake but that doesn't go for all the faith healers out there. Here is why i believe it outs all the faith healers as fakes. Marjoe was able to do all the big things they do.He could Touch people and have them fall over and not only that but he had people shaking on the floor and speaking in tongues. Marjoe explains how to do all this. Its no different than a magic trick. Marjoe just proved that its easy to take advantage of desperate and ignorant people.

Right place right time kind of film...

[bodegamedia · 8/10 · 19 September 2010]

In 1948 Hugh Marjoe Ross Gortner of Long Beach, California became an ordained preacher for the pentecostal church. He was four years old. A gifted preacher, Marjoe reached some fame and notoriety in the American South and earned his parents an estimated $3,000,000 before the novelty had worn off in his teen years. It was around this time that Marjoe became part of the Hippie movement and took stock of what had happened to him, his childhood and the money he never saw. At twenty and struggling to get by, Marjoe fell back on his greatest talent and again began to preach. He wasn't a true believer, but they believed in him. They flocked to see his Jagger swaggering sermons and paid well for the privilege.

This documentary joins Marjoe in 1971 when he is 23 years old. A crisis of conscience has led him to not only give up preaching for good, but also to show us the preaching racket as it really is. We follow Marjoe for one final tour with a documentary crew under the guise of promoting the church. The film introduces the real Marjoe through a series of interviews interspersed with footage of the sermons he holds. The contrast between the two sides of his character is quite startling and to have this captured on film is quite special, some might say it's a small ironically occurring miracle. The content here was so powerful that at the time it wasn't distributed in many of the southern states. That didn't stop it taking the 1972 Best Documentary Oscar and although it did fade into obscurity for a while, in 2002 the original negative print was found and recaptured for digital release.

Marjoe is a charismatic lead, talking us through his life story and giving us a window into this world. He has an implicit understanding of preaching techniques and the lucrative business behind the scenes. What is shown here feels like full disclosure, we see Marjoe briefing the crew on how to act when in church or that they should cut their hair to fit in. We see his home life and relationships, his real life outside the church and his on stage persona. I read that he was looking to become an actor (and did, sort of) and to leave this life behind him and game some publicity this film was made. Utterly unique and as relevant as ever. Even today it embarrasses the born again crowd better than Jesus Camp and that's saying something. Of course when it comes to the religious right nothing has changed, it's only gotten bigger.

A rare find, and worth while

[Baroque · 10/10 · 5 June 1999]

Filmed before the televangelism phenomenon, this film, part biography, part expose, details the rise, fall, and self-exposure of Marjoe Gortner, a one-time child evangelist who became a church tent preacher. This film details the seamier side of what Gortner calls "the religion business", and even earned Gortner a number of death threats.

A rare find, if you can locate it, but a worthy viewing.

A benchmark in American documentary

[YesYesNo · 9/10 · 24 May 2007]

This is of the finest documentaries I've seen, and I've seen quite a few at festivals in recent years. Not only is Marjoe Gortner as intriguing as any of the great charismatics and eccentrics of documentary cinema, but the documentary technique is top notch. The cinematography in the church scenes is dynamic yet sharp and focused, and the editing keeps the momentum with a steady stream of insights and revelations, culminating in the more honest and confessional final act. It's a relatively long movie, and the goings-on inside the church take up a large proportion of the runtime, but they're shot so expertly, with brave intimacy and varying points of interest, that they never become unbearable. The music, while painfully dated, is totally authentic.

The strange interplay and connectivity between the mainstream youth counter-culture, exemplified by the film crew and Marjoe in his interviews, and the Pentecostal subculture provides most of the thematic interest. There's nothing novel about relating fervent religiosity to the kinds of drug use prevalent in the 70s, but Marjoe's embodiment of this cultural duality, and the ease with which he transitions from ecstatic evangelical to a paragon of counter-cultural values, suggests that these two polar inclinations in American culture are not as disparate as imagined. Marjoe would rather have been a money grabbing rock star like Alice Cooper, and might have been given a different upbringing, but this is as close as he can get. That he's manipulating the spiritual passions of his audience is a fact subordinate to the satisfaction of performing and connecting emotionally. And even as he spouts religious rhetoric that means nothing to him, and takes the money of those expecting miracles and salvation, is he not giving the people exactly what they want, performing the spontaneous and charismatic rites of Pentecostal Christianity in a manner that is skillful and respectful of the traditions and expectations of that faith?

I don't think I can find a single glaring flaw in the film, even as it approaches ethically questionable territory on account of its complicity in Marjoe's act and the necessity to mislead those who are being filmed or interviewed. Certainly, more interactivity with the Pentacostal churchgoers would have been welcome. One questions whether Marjoe is being completely honest in his interviews, but for someone for whom performance and chicanery are inseparable aspects of life, do the filmmakers really need to press the question? Even without a narrating voice, the point comes across with the utmost clarity.

Required viewing Religion 101

[Christi-9 · 30 September 1999]

I was fortunate to have a liberal minded college professor who showed this documentary in my freshman Religious studies course. Throughout, and after the viewing my classmates and I could not help but laugh at the TRULY strange character Marjoe is (the 70's garb helps). Some of us outright cracked up. Others were offended. He is so glib about bilking the masses. You find yourself sitting back at some point in the flick and saying, "See, I told you." Charisma is awesome and it is rarely seen as strong as Marjoe possesses it.

Would make a great double feature with RELIGULOUS.

[udar55 · 7/10 · 4 December 2008]

This film actually won the Oscar for Best Documentary in 1972 and profiles former child evangelist Marjoe Gortner as he re-enters the seedy world of preaching across the US for money. Gortner is very open that he is doing it for quick cash and exposes the tricks of the trade. The filmmakers make sure to hammer this point home by juxtaposing shots of dudes counting stacks of money with sermons. I would have preferred more on Marjoe the man as they barely scratch the surface. For instance, he speaks briefly about the relationship with his father (also a preacher) but the filmmakers never dig deeper. The sermons/preachings highlighted are overly drawn out as well, running 20 minutes at a time which makes them tend to get repetitive. The end has Gortner contemplating a move into acting, something he was able to do for the better part of the 70s and 80s.

"Would You Get Out Your Checkbooks Tonight"

[Lechuguilla · 9/10 · 16 September 2007]

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 of the last 35 years have shown that, for the most part, the answer is yes ... his message is credible.

Fascinating, though the film could have used a severe editing and more from the man himself.

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 23 October 2010]

"Marjoe" is an exposee apparently orchestrated by the evangelist, Marjoe Gortner, as a way to say goodbye to this life by tossing a figurative Molotov Cocktail into the traveling evangelist profession. He had begun his ministry at age 3 and worked in it, off and on, many, many years. With this film, he is declaring his independence and walking away from that life.

I thought it was a very fascinating but ill-focused film. Instead of talking about his fascinating life (which I wish we'd heard far more about in the film), much of the documentary shows Marjoe preaching at various venues--and there is way, way too much footage of this and the apoplectic reactions of many in his audience. It was interesting (especially for someone not too familiar with the Pentecostal movement)--but so much in the film seemed repetitive and slow. Because of this aspect alone, I am a bit surprised that this documentary won the Oscar in this category.

I think there is a lot people can take out of this film. Of course, there is some great first-hand information about the hucksters in the traveling evangelism business, but I also thought it was interesting to see these Pentecostal services in action as they are FAR removed from mainstream Christianity. Some might also just see it as a broad attack on Christianity and religion--thought I didn't take that from the film. Probably in light of my background in the mental health field, I thought the film was a great portrait of a very charismatic sociopath. I noticed that although Marjoe did this film to expose the industry, they sure showed him counting a lot of money! Later, he says how it's all fake and says he is sorry for deceiving people...though he did not, I notice, refuse to take all the people's money or offer to give any of it back! As a result, I was appalled by Gortner, as he seemed to be saying he was turning over a new leaf---yet still swindling people in the process--and probably laughing at them! I would love to have heard him explain this and when someone in the film asked him if he was a con-man (which, of course, he was) he didn't actually answer the question! This is, I think, the point that the film SHOULD have focused on--but as Gortner seemed to be running the production, this angle was not explored further. I would really love to see a followup film to both see where he is today and to explore his life and the way he used others. Interestingly, although he has given up this old life, he still seemed to have a strong need to be liked and to be the center of attention in this film--so maybe there is less difference between his old life and the new! Maybe Marjoe the professional actor of the 1970s and 80s isn't that much removed from the evangelist!

Worth seeing but quite flawed in its style and lack of clear focus.

Bad But Not Evil

[pniemeyer-47222 · 9/10 · 16 April 2017]

Marjoe Gortner was a child preacher. He came from a family of evangelists, and was performing marriage ceremonies and traveling the country telling congregations to give up their money to Christ before he was old enough to shave. As a teenager, he gave up that life for a while, then returned to it as a young adult because he needed the money. This film profiles him in those latter days of his preaching career, as he recounts his troubled childhood and exposes the tricks of his trade to the documentary crew.

Marjoe cuts a fairly sympathetic character for somebody who made a living manipulating gullible people into thinking that Jesus could heal their cancer. His body language while addressing the flock is closely modeled after Mick Jagger's, and after this film was released, he became an actor and had a decent run on Hollywood's B-List. Nowadays, he produces celebrity charity events. So his story is not without hope, but there are times at which this film verges on dark comedy, as Marjoe sells people again and again on the patently un-Christian notion that they can simply buy their way into Heaven.

For the record, when a man asked Jesus what he must do to be saved, he said, "Sell all your possessions. Then come follow me." The evangelism industry is still alive and well in America, which makes this film as relevant as ever. I feel for Marjoe. I hope that some of his followers might have eventually realized that what you do outside of church matters more than what you do in church. Highly recommended.

Lots of courage, but no salvation.

[fitforfaith-ministries · 6/10 · 16 March 2024]

This documentary is a hard, but necessary pill for us Christians. Especially for those who like Marjoe confess His name with great words and faked tongues, but have no substance in their faith.

This whole scandal comes as no surprise, but still surprises in its magnitude of insolence. We know about many false teachers and similar techniques, but it is enlightening to hear from the very mouth of one who deceived so many with simple salesman tactics and motivational talent.

Kudos to his courage to speak about him having been a con-man, but at the same time with sadness to see no true repentance of his acts which would have enabled him to find the true Christ, no matter how evil his past was.

Praise The Lord-ah!

[PaulPogues · 9/10 · 19 September 2012]

Watched this documentary for the first time last night after coming across Marjoe's name. I was laughing at videos of Jimmy Swaggart on youtube and then decided to look into other cases of Exposed Evangelist's. Obviously in this case though, The exposed has exposed himself! I could tell within the first 5 minutes i was going to enjoy the documentary a great deal, especially an early scene of Marjoe "prepping" all the film crew in the hotel before hand.

Overall, the film flows nicely with shots back and forth of "The Preacher" Marjoe & "The Real" Marjoe. I feel I could have two views on Marjoe as a person really. 1 is that I see him as a kind of Michael Jackson-Esq figure who's had his childhood basically torn away from him and this life forced upon him by his parents and that he cant be held responsible for his actions. Or 2, a very friendly conman as obviously later on in life he went back to preaching as an Adult and that was his choice knowingly ripping people off and taking their money. But, on the other hand as well, I personally don't believe in Religion and If you're blatantly going to just believe that good things will be blessed onto you by God just 'coz you've thrown $20 in a bucket then i think you deserved to be ripped off!

Personally, The one and only let down in this documentary (and if included would have been 10/10) is the fact that you don't get to see the reactions of his parents after hes admitted he doesn't believe what he is preaching. They probably knew all along anyway but i think it would have just added to the film. I've tried finding out about the aftermath online and cant even find anything so maybe they just declined any interviews or their views on the matter. Either way, a really good doc worth checking out!

A brief glimpse behind the "curtain"

[Delrvich · 6/10 · 7 June 2021]

I was expecting more of an inside story on his parents, himself, peers and friends etc ... instead of the brief commentary and several clips of religious performances.

It's a weird one

[itsChimpanzee · 5/10 · 20 October 2018]

On the one hand it's an interesting insight into the shady world of evangelism and the mind of a man who doesn't believe what he's preaching. But the film doesn't really go anywhere or tell much of a story. It just seems like a lot of footage of Marjoe evangelising inter-cut with interviews, all of which ends rather abruptly without making any real point or coming to much of a conclusion.

A sad film of a child's life taken away

[lambiepie-2 · 10/10 · 24 June 2003]

I saw this film on the now gone "Z" Channel in Los Angeles in the early 80's. At that time, I knew "of" Marjoe from when I was a kid watching TV. I didn't know his name, but his face and the really tense overacting he always did. Now I figured out why. It was sad for me to see what people do to their children under the guise of something...here it was religion. This documentary is NOT to show you "religion is bad" or "folks in religion are crooks" but just like in everything else in this world, there are the few that make a bad name for everything. Here, you see it in the manipulation of a child. I was stunned watching this. A must see documentary for all.

And let me add... its been 15 years since the wonderful "Z" Channel went off the air in the Los Angeles area and now with hordes of pay movie channels, not ONE has come to the level of "Z" showing all kinds of programming of movies, documentaries, international films, animations etc. I say that because I haven't seen Marjoe come up, as well as alot of others but they run the SAME films over and over again like none other were made! Take a note pay movie programmers and show these films again.

Hustling for Jesus

[Woodyanders · 9/10 · 17 May 2017]

Child prodigy evangelist Marjoe Gortner exposes the itinerant Pentecostal church tent revival circuit as a total money-grubbing scam after having a crisis of conscience and deciding to pursue an acting career in the wake of finishing one final tour across the country.

Directors Howard Smith and Sarah Kernochan do a remarkably vivid and compelling job of painting an intriguing and provocative portrait of a hugely likable and charismatic, yet deeply conflicted and cynical person who's more than happy to reveal such tricks of the trade as talking in tongues, making people pass out by claiming to channel the spirit of God and touching their foreheads, and collecting donations for worthy charitable causes as the complete shams that they are. Moreover, one not only has to admire Gortner for having the guts and integrity for coming clean about his being a slick phony, but also you even feel sorry for Gortner considering that his strict and overbearing parents forced him at the age of four to become a child preacher -- the archive footage of precious toddler Gortner officiating a wedding is simply incredible! -- and even abused him if he didn't do their bidding (they also eventually made off with all the money he made for them!). In addition, Gortner sure puts on one hell of an electrifying show as he preaches fire and brimstone sermons to the gullible God-fearing masses that he's contriving to bilk out of their hard-earned cash. A mesmerizing depiction of a sly huckster.

The Scam

[tedg · 26 January 2010]

Sometimes a film has such a powerful effect, via such a subtle and esoteric method that you wonder if the filmmaker knew what she was doing.

Superficially, this is an expose of a dirty business. It works at that level, because it has so many elements in it that have a cultural momentum of their own:

— Fundamentalists are all low class nut jobs who take solace in superstitious nonsense.

— Preachers are all con men who use fear and solace, lies and charisma to tease dollars, sex and loyalty out of these goobs.

— But the music is often good enough for us to want to be there; the energy is often mesmerizing and mass orgasm is not to be sneered at.

But scratch the surface only a tiny bit, and it is hard to know who is conning whom. Our hero is as smoothly glib when in the outer performance as in the inner ones. There is scant difference in how he cajoles us into a story, one that makes no more sense than the one he is exposing. In fact, the magic of this is that there is heavy tension between these two stories. One is a story about an earnest preacher, saving people in performances where he reveals the truth and empowers souls. The other, well it is the same with less strutting. One enfolds the other.

We've seen that before. But never have I seen it coming from, initiated and presented by a single soul. No, two should in one body, each believing the other to be an interloping demon. Joe fights Mar . Profound stuff that should be seen before you shape your own story and performances.

Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.

Marjoe Had A Conscience

[annette-pulliam · 7/10 · 28 October 2020]

I saw this when it was originally released in 1978. I had no idea this documentary was not widely distributed. It was shown on the base where I was stationed in Germany. A must watch for anyone interested in evangelicals.

It Left a Lasting Impression on Me!

[jswaim111 · 10/10 · 1 January 2008]

I saw this movie in 1974 when it first was released to the public and have referred to it many times over the years. Just ordered the documentary and have been thrilled getting reacquainted with it! On New Year's Eve, a girlfriend and I watched it together and laughed so hard we nearly cried. Can't remember when I last laughed that hard! Felt a little guilty laughing at those being filmed, though, as they were really into what they were doing.

A great look back at the'70's. Film footage from Marjoe's childhood added a lot to the film. I definitely feel deep sympathy for him. It's one of those movies that has left a lasting impression on me and changed me somehow forever!

Comes across as deeply authentic, and revealing more than meets the eye!

I love love love Marjoe- the movie and the man!!

[thismagicmoment · 10/10 · 13 May 2008]

Do yourself a favor and queue this movie in Netflix. It's exactly the kind of great documentary I was hoping it would be. Much better, actually since I wasn't expecting it to be so funny!

As for some of the comments here expressing sympathy for the so-called victims in the churches, please consider the possibility that we are all responsible for our own spirituality. I think Marjoe was right on when he said he wished they all could see that they don't need someone to put on a big show for them to connect with God.

I felt like the movie did have a transcendent effect, just to have witnessed Marjoe's way in the world. He was just as connected spiritually as he claimed to be under those revival tents, only in a way that the confines of that particular religious culture could never really recognize or acknowledge.

Kudos to Sarah Kernochan for making the film and also, it should be mentioned, for being the first female director to win an Oscar!

Beyond worth watching

[BandSAboutMovies · 10/10 · 31 March 2019]

Hugh Marjoe Ross Gortner first became known - way back in the late 1940's - as the youngest person to be ordained as a preacher. Just four years old, he possessed an innate ability to speak sermons and lead revival meetings. By the time he was sixteen, the Gortner family had taken around three million dollars from the faithful, money that Marjoe's father would run away with. From then on, Marjoe was a beatnik until he needed money in his early 20's and went back to preaching, basing his style on being a rock star like Mick Jagger.

He became famous for a different reason when he starred in this film, a behind-the-scenes documentary about Pentecostal preaching made just as Marjoe planned on leaving the faith for an acting career.

While this won the 1972 Academy Award for Best Documentary Film, it was a lost film for several years. That's because due to the fears of bad reactions to the film in the Bible Belt, it was not shown widely in theaters any farther south than Des Moines, Iowa.

The film finds Marjoe in what he claims are his final months of touring the tent revival circuit. That's why he offered the documentary film crew full and unrestricted access to his 1971 tour. The crew includes Howard Smith, who also directed the documentary Gizmo!, appears as a TV commentator in the original Dawn of the Dead and was also a famous DJ who conducted long-format interviews with stars like John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Lou Reed, Eric Clapton and Jim Morrison; his co-director was Sarah Kernochan, who would go on to write 9 1/2 Weeks and What Lies Beneath.

The film juxtaposes Gortner preaching, praying and even healing people in Los Angeles, Fort Worth, Detroit, and Anaheim while revealing to the crew backstage that he is a non-believer, while also showing them the tricks of the evangelist trade. Even more damning are the moments where preachers pull bills out of buckets, fold them and make huge stacks of the money they've taken from those that only want to be saved.

In an interview with Vice, Kernochan said, "I didn't warm to Marjoe. He was difficult to work with, very paranoid, and mistrustful, and tense. I'm not sure we were very good at relaxing him; maybe nobody could. I was concerned about him being likable. There was no point in making a film about someone who you never heard of that was portrayed as despicable. But when I saw the scrapbook, I realized that as long as people knew about his childhood, they would forgive him for anything because of what was done to him."

She also added that one of the great ironies of the film was that one of the camera operators, Richard Pearce, objected to how the movie made many of the worshippers look dumb. How is that ironic? Well, he went on to direct Leap of Faith with Steve Martin. She said, "After putting the film down for making religious people look stupid, he ripped off some things...I thought that was really hypocritical."

There's also a scene that she said was cut from the film, where an artist asked Marjoe if he was being used by Jesus Christ, even if he didn't believe in Him. The question disarmed him and twisted his already conflicted feelings.

Did they find any positive religious figures in all the time they filmed? Kernochan confessed, "I wish we had found a preacher that I felt was genuine, but we just never found one. They must be out there. But we didn't go out of our way to find crooks."

Even the release of the film only benefitted Marjoe, leading to a career as a rock star and releasing one album called Bad, But Not Evil, as well as being a correspondent for Oui magazine and starting his acting career. He appeared in the pilot for TV's Kojak, as well as Earthquake, The Food of the Gods and Starcrash.

After appearing on Speak Up, America!, an 80's reality show and Circus of the Stars, Gortner worked for charity organizations until he retired in 2010. He was married to Candy Clark (Q, the remake of The Blob, Cat's Eye and Buffy's mom in the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer) for about a year in the late 70's.

In the Nine Satanic Statements, LaVey put forth: "Satan represents undefiled wisdom instead of hypocritical self-deceit!" You can argue that the people at these revivals didn't know they were being lied to. Or perhaps the lie allows the psychosomatic mind to heal pain. Regardless, Marjoe and the men in this movie are profiting from them.

That said, Stupidity is at the top of the list of the Nine Satanic Sins. "It's too bad that stupidity isn't painful. Ignorance is one thing, but our society thrives increasingly on stupidity. It depends on people going along with whatever they are told. The media promotes a cultivated stupidity as a posture that is not only acceptable but laudable. Satanists must learn to see through the tricks and cannot afford to be stupid."

I think it's intriguing that right on the Church's Bunco Sheet, they encourage members to "develop the cold-reading abilities of a Carney, rather than the naïveté of the mark." Their biggest warning about getting involved with other groups outrightly states: "When someone claims to have a direct line of communication with Satan, watch out. Selling that kind of mysticism is exactly how Christianity has kept people enslaved in ignorance for centuries. It's one of the things we're fighting against."

Marjoe: blessed by the Devil

[rbrb · 5/10 · 23 January 2023]

This film, an apparent documentary, is 50 years old. It tells the story about an "evangelist" who lied, cheated and in effect stole money from people who were duped into believing he was blessed by God.

This crook- because that is who he is -decided for whatever reason to reveal his deception to the world.

He then went on to make plenty more money as a celebrity and to make millions.

What a despicable and horrid individual!

His early life as a child shows his thieving parents used him to make fortunes from him by his genius abilities as a child preacher. He was indeed gifted and yes, he was himself exploited.

But in my view, it is not a reasonable defense to use that exploitation for his later awful way he deceived the public.

Many people are treated badly as children. But most do not then become criminals.

He had more than sufficient intelligent as an adult not to use his so-called charisma to cheat and steal from others. But that is exactly what he did.

And I never saw any proper remorse from him for his trickery.

He and other crooked evangelists mock the gullible public and have no mercy when laughing and lying to them and taking their money.

He says he believes in karma so maybe in this life or the next one he will get what he deserves.

Whilst this film is engrossing the central character was given a free ride and the film makers ought to have properly exposed him as a real villain.

They did not.

5/10.

Well-done expose

[hawktwo · 24 June 2001]

I saw this in a theater when it was brand new. In 1972, it wasn't a new idea to do a movie about evangelism which is seamy, but in 1972, the idea of reality documentary was quite novel. (Think of "An American Family" -- a chronical of the Loud family done about the same time) The movie was well received. Marjoe Gortner received quite a bit of critical praise for the technical aspects associated with the movie as well as his acting ability. Marjoe got quite a bit of the "good" stuff in the movie by telling people he was filming a documentary -- the people didn't know the parts where they talked about how to do some scamming would also be in the final cut.

As a result of this expose, Marjoe was offered a significant role in the 2-hour kickoff to the Kojak series. He played a nervous rapist-murderer.

Great movie for people in Pentecostal/Charismatic Ministry

[BillyDSquires · 10/10 · 2 June 2005]

I don't think the average non church goer would even "get" this movie in its deepest sense. But, it should be required viewing for every Pentecostal/Charismatic leader. Why? Because Marjoe is warmer, more people oriented, a better communicator and radiates sincerity more than most of the top names in evangelism today. If you could take clips of his preaching and put them along side of any of the top televangelists today, and ask which is real and which is fake, Marjoe would come off as the real one every time! He is more giving, more compassionate and more warm than any of the top ones of today. He also has more integrity than most: He states in the film that he had better go one way or another, because he can't live two lives - he either needs to get in all the way and become "real" or go into acting, because he'd been acting all his life.

Nowadays, various leaders have no problem living adulterous or drunken lifestyles. They want to do what they want and still be in ministry. Hats off to Marjoe for having higher levels of integrity than that. He'd be welcome at our house anytime! Note to Pentecostal/Charismatic leadership: Watch this movie, and ask yourself if you'd have him at your church, based on his performances in church... you'd have him and you'd have him back. He's that good!

Marjoe the charismatic

[j72pete · 8/10 · 24 January 2006]

I guess Catholics are the only ones who can really be charismatic. Anyways. Totally great, powerful and engaging documentary. Thanks to the IFC Center in Manhattan for bringing out for a brief run.

Marjoe the person was totally excellent. Such a charismatic performer. That's what this film was was really about for me. The man gave an amazing performance. It's surprising to hear how lightly he takes the church, but the way he turns the act on, it hardly seems to matter. A reasonably thoughtful person with a powerful presence. He does seem incredibly sincere and impassioned compared to some of the current Lakewood Church, etc. zombies.

A fascinating period piece as well. It's funny to see the speaking in tongues, etc and the sometimes quite unfortunate early 70s garb.. I guess I went into it assuming the 'tent-revival' as a sham (and Christianity more generally as bunk and/or theater) which have been a bit more a radical concept 30-odd years ago and in certain circles. Kind of ties Pentacostalism and the circus together quite nicely. A terrific documentary.