Wise Blood (1980)

Yes, confusing, but so odd that it haunted me to the point that I had to watch it again. There are many things that dont make a lick of sense in this movie. The plot for one thing. (What was the plot again?) A crazy man running full speed around Georgia simply because he's crazy? Any number of movies could be made from that idea, and like this one, few would make any sense. And what about the period that this movie was supposed to represent? It looked like a cross between the 1950s and 1980s. Some cars, and most houses looked like the 50s, while other cars and microwave towers were obviously the late 70s when the movie was made. And what about Brad Dourif, who's acting ability is about average and a joy to watch, except in this moves he only had one facial expression throughout? Teeth gritted, lower jaw out, and a nervousness that makes Barney Fife look calm. Yes, fun to watch, but I'm still trying to figure out why?

Too many anachronisms to stomach, it looks like the 1970's instead of the years right after WWII. They did not spend enough money on production to make it believable. I mean, Afros, large sunglasses, modern skyscrapers, modern clothes? Really? The rented steam train does not come close to making up for everything else. That, and the bad acting did it for me. I have never read the book and I wonder if the screenplay is true to it: Flannery O'Connor is an excellent author, I can't believe she wrote it like this. That, and the anti-Christian subtext is very disturbing. My bride and I sat through about thirty minutes before we threw in the towel.

There isn't a likable Character to be found in this Existential, Philosophical, Film about Religion as seen through the Mentally Challenged. These Folks are not only unlikeable, they are for the most part, Retarded.It is a beautifully ugly Movie with these unattractive Participants set in front of even more unattractive Sets and Locations. Things are in decay, not only physically but Spiritually.This is an almost singular Film. It is Categorically undefinable and has never found anything more than a peripheral Cult Audience since released. No wonder. This is like a Sideshow Freak of a Movie. You gawk and gaze at amazement as these splinters of Humanity parade themselves openly in utter disregard of their inadequacies. Old Salt John Huston Directs from a bittersweet, relentlessly cynical, scathingly satirical Author. The Cast, led by an outstanding Brad Dourif, is an A-List of B-Actors, some who have made Careers of playing oddballs. This is not a Film that is easy to like, but you could admire, and is nothing if not evocative and provocative. A truly Underground piece of Subversive Art. It cannot be seen without some of the misanthropy melting your Mind as it inhibits your ability to comprehend what was just experienced.

This is not an easy movie to get a handle on, so I'm not surprised reviewers either love it or hate it. Now, I've neither read the O'Connor novel nor lived in the South nor read the Bible since Sunday school. As a result, I have to take the movie as just that, a movie, without benefit of outside comparison.I get the impression that underneath all the black humor and exaggerated characters, something profound is going on. But exactly what? Perhaps you need that outside reference to penetrate the subtext. Then again, perhaps the profound subtext is illusory, like Hazel's view of Christianity, such that the narrative amounts to little more than artfully eccentric entertainment, courtesy sly old John Huston.The following are what I hope are helpful interpretations, generally not emphasized by other reviewers, many of whose commentaries were, nonetheless, very helpful to me.Above all, Hazel has come to hate hypocrisy. His motto appears to be: If you own the Truth, then live it. For Hazel, Truth is the illusory nature of Christian metaphysics, (a disavowal that doesn't necessarily equate with atheism), and by golly he's going to live that truth in his own peculiar way. Thus, the hard-eyed obsessive stare, the refusal of commitment sex (Sabbath) but not commercial sex (an over-priced 4 dollars), and the rather heartless rejection of the pathetically friendless Enoch. In short, like his adversary, the true Christian proselytizer, Hazel is a driven man.The trouble is that he knows only one way of spreading his truth-- by preaching angrily on street corners. Worse, his gospel is one of pure and insistent negatives (perhaps why atheism has never been popular), for example,"when you're dead, you're dead!" -- not exactly a crowd-pleaser. Nor, for that matter, is he going to allow Preacher Sholes (Ned Beatty) to dilute that negative message with a crowd-pleasing brand of hucksterism. Hazel may be strange, but he is no hypocrite.Now, it's clear that the broken-down jalopy means more to Hazel than just another hunk of iron. He's always praising it, even as it coughs smoke and bleeds fluids. It's his chariot, and while it might not take him to heaven, it will take him to the next town to spread his Word. Note that he even uses it to slay the pathetic pretender who would take his place on the street corner. Moreover, it's not until Hazel loses that chariot (hilariously) that he takes on the role of the martyred prophet. After all, rejection now means he has no other place he can get to.For me, the most revealing part of the film is Enoch's (Dan Shor) pathetic efforts at establishing contact with another human being. Huston, of course, doesn't play up the sentiment, but it's there anyway. Also, this may constitute the most damaging perspective on the dominant Christian culture of the movie-- even more damaging than Hazel's centerpiece non-belief. After all, if Jesus' message is unconditional love, why is Enoch alone and abandoned in an empty world of nominal Jesus followers. Nor, for that matter, is Hazel's brand of soulless non-belief any help either.Then too, just count the number of happy smiles in the film-- practically none, except when the kids are reaching out to the fake human, Gongo the gorilla. Poor Enoch thinks that by donning Gongo's costume, people will finally reach out to him. But there's no such contact in this atomized world of social rejects. In fact, a dominant theme appears to be just that, rejection-- Hazel rejects Jesus, Sabbath, his landlady, Enoch, Preacher Sholes, while even the cop rejects Hazel's jalopy, at the same time, the whole seedy community rejects Enoch. Quite a commentary on an environment where Jesus is advertised on every big rock and sold on every street corner as a friend to the friendless.Now, I don't know if there is any particular moral to the foregoing, but if there is, I suspect it's not a comforting one. Anyway, the movie is full of colorful characters, offbeat situations, and is never, never predictable. So, like the film or not, I expect that it's one you're not likely to forget.