Literary Movie Churches: Wise Blood (1979)

There's a whole bunch of preachers in 1979's Wise Blood who talk about their churches, but you don't really see much in the way of churches in film; which might be just as well, because usually they don't seem like churches you'd like to see.

John Huston adapted the Flannery O'Connor novel, without losing any of its strangeness. It takes place in the gothic South when the "N" word is still sadly prevalent, almost as prevalent as talk about Jesus.

The opening credits of the film are shown over signage: there's a home painted sign that reads "If You Repent God has Forgiveness for You in Jesus Your Savior," and another that reads, "Whatever Enslaves You, Jesus Christ of Nazareth Can Set You Free, Call on Him Now." Even a Dairy Queen puts "Repent, Be Baptized in Jesus Name." The name of Jesus seems to be everywhere, which is not to the liking of the film's protagonist, Hazel Motes.

O'Connor's childhood church, not a Wise Blood type of church

Motes returned home from serving overseas, finding many changes -- such as a new highway running through town. He goes to visit his grandfather's grave, which is inscribed with the words, "Gone to Become an Angle" (perhaps someone believed in a strange kind of geometric reincarnation). Motes' grandfather (played by director, John Huston) was a traveling preacher, and we see flashbacks to his revival meetings. All the preaching we hear from him is hellfire and brimstone.

There’s a place for such preaching. Jonathan Edwards' "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" is one of the greatest sermons in the history of the Church, and warning of hell can be as important as warning homeowners of an approaching forest fire. But such preaching can be lacking in grace, which seems to be the case of this deceased preacher. In one flashback, we see young Hazel so frightened by a sermon that he wets his pants. So the church of Grandpa Motes receives our Movie Churches only one steeple.

Going to the city, Hazel comes across a street preacher by the name of Asa Hawks (played by Harry Dean Stanton) who claims to be blind. Asa happily shows people a newspaper clipping that tells of the dozens of people coming to the Lord when he promised to blind himself for Christ's sake. Asa doesn't show people the article about his chickening out of blinding himself, but he does tell Motes a very important thing: "Jesus is a fact. You can't run away from Jesus."

Asa is accompanied by his daughter, who hands out flyers that read, "Jesus Saves." His street sermon consists of "Give up a dollar for Jesus." I'm afraid I'll also have to give Asa Hawks’ ministry one steeple because we don't give less than that.

In reaction to the ministry of these two men and what he saw in his service overseas, Hazel Motes begins a very different kind of ministry. He stands on top of his car to proclaim the beginning of "The Church without Jesus Christ Crucified." He attracts a small crowd to proclaim the tenets of his new sect. "Where you've come from is gone, where you're going weren't never there, and where you are you should just run away from" is his doctrine, a homespun existentialism. He claims there was no Fall (into sin) so there's no judgment or need for redemption.

Motes claims have peace, but no one can see it in him. He claims he's no preacher, but everyone thinks he's a preacher. He also says that no one needs redemption if he has a good automobile. But what he claims is his good automobile is continually breaking down. "A Church without Christ" seems as useful as "Food without Nutrition or Flavor" or a "House that Provides No Shelter," so even though Motes has more integrity than almost anyone else in the film, his church in this movie gets just one steeple.

The huckster Hoover Shoates (Ned Beatty) sees potential for profit in "A Church without Christ,"

but when Motes rejects him, Shoates makes his own: "Church of Jesus Christ without Christ." He cites three benefits to his church:

1) Nothing foreign about the church

2) The church is right up to date, so no one will get ahead of you

3) It costs just a dollar to join.

Those are three awfully persuasive selling points, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to give this church one steeple.

So none of these Movie Churches are ones I'd like to join. But somehow, the more these churches exclude Jesus, the brighter He shines.

(Visiting Savannah, Georgia we were able to visit Flannery O'Connor's childhood home and see the farm from her later years)

Georgia films on the small and big screen

On the small screen
I'm afraid the film I chose for Georgia is set in Georgia but was actually filmed in Oregon. But what 1926's The General  does have going for it is being listed on lists of the greatest films of all time. Buster Keaton, a rival with Charlie Chaplin for the best clown in silent films, wrote, directed and starred in this comedy based on a true story of a Confederate train engine stolen by Union spies during the Civil War.

The story was retold by Disney in 1956 as The Great Locomotive Chase with Fess Parker and added color and sound but not nearly as many laughs and can't really be compared to the silent classic.

Of course, when most people think of a Georgian Civil War film, they think of Gone with the Wind, another movie that gets mentioned in greatest of all time lists. And a few scenes from that film were filmed in Georgia, but most of it was filmed in California. Both of these films, sadly, root for the losing side in the Civil War. Glory, on the other hand, was set and filmed in Georgia and features the winners in the war. Not just Union soldiers, but black Union soldiers fighting for the freedom of their people. It's a great film.

Gone with the Wind is problematic for the way it deals with slavery and race. But another film, Disney's Song ofthe South, hasn't even received an American video or DVD release because of its presentation of the life of black sharecroppers in Georgia as cheerful and carefree. Oddly, we did see a copy of the DVD for sale at the Uncle Remus Museum in Eatonton, GA. (Song of the South was filmed in California and Arizona.)

Things have changed some in the world of film in Georgia. One of the most successful independent writers and directors is an African American, Tyler Perry, whose Medea character consistently opens films such as Diary of a Mad Black Woman.

Another consistent money making production company in Georgia is a surprising one, a church. Sherwood Pictures, the production company begun by Sherwood Baptist Church, is responsible for big box office. Flywheel was their first film, but Facing the Giants surprised Hollywood and Firewood did even more. Courageous proved it wasn't a fluke. (Though these films aren't critically beloved, they at least are better theologically than a Hollywood church film like Joyful Noise.)

In fact, there are a remarkable number of Movie Churches in films set or filmed in Georgia, including one of the three great Christians made about faith which features Robert Duvall, Get Low. Based on the perhaps true story of a man who wanted to view his own funeral, it also features a laidback performance by Bill Murray as a funeral director.

If you want to see a truly great Christian film set and filmed in Georgia, see John Huston's 1979 dark comedy, Wise Blood, based on the novel by Georgia's very own Flannery O'Connor. It's the story of the "Holy Church of Christ without Christ," but the audience can't hide from Jesus any better the preacher Hazel Motes.

By my estimation, though, the best film ever set and filmed in Georgia is Deliverance about a canoe trip in the wilderness that goes terribly wrong. The film did for banjo music what Psycho did for showers.

Our last day in Georgia, we went to a Regal Cinema in Savannah. It was the first show of the day. No popcorn was popping yet, but they were selling popcorn from the night before. When the previews began for show, there was sound but no pictures. I reported it to someone at the snack bar who told me it was probably just the preshow. I assured him it was not and eventually convinced him. And I noticed that the doors hadn't been closed in another theater, allowing the Cloverfield monster from that film to loudly roam the hallways.

Sorry, Regal, not royal treatment of your customers.

On the big screen

The film we saw, Miracles fromHeaven, was set in Texas but actually filmed in Georgia. It is a story about faith, but though it's called a Christian film, Jesus doesn't get mentioned much. Based on the book by Christy Beam, it tells the true story Beam's daughter who was miraculously healed from a fatal disease. It is probably studio pressure that kept the minister in the film from ever quoting Scripture but it was still strange to see a minister confronted by a child's illness and who never mentions the pain God the Father went through when His Son died. But the church does have Third Day as their worship team, so that's impressive.