Burt Lancaster dazzles in this movie. The scene where he sings with some African Americans in a church is one of the best moments on film. The words consummate and incandescent come to mind about his performance. The rest of the movie is actually quite dull, from photography to colors to everything. He is the sole highlight of the movie, which is okay because he excels. Strangely, Shirley Jones' hair color and texture come closest to anything I've seen to looking similar to Dorothy Stratten. From some angles when you just see the hair you would think it was Dorothy, plus there is some softness, some slight shape to her face that is similar. Jean Simmons gives a fair performance, but everyone dulls and becomes bland in comparison to the dazzling Mr. Lancaster. Anyone who has read extensively on film flam preachers can see that he became the part in full. I don't know why he did not get an Oscar for this role.
Review of Elmer Gantry
