Glory! Glory!

This was regarded as British director's Lindsay Anderson first foray into television. Its a light satire on televangelism with Richard Thomas an anaemic evangelist taking over his father's ministry. His sermons go down poorly, funds begin to dry up and and he comes across a rebellious rock performer (Ellen Greene) who becomes Sister Ruth, makes her songs more religious and creates a storm rejuvenating the ministry but sex, drugs and rock n roll are never far behind.

This was an entertaining television two parter but you kind of think that L'Infant terrible of the British new wave cinema was holding back some of his punches.

It does have a Television movie sheen about it but Ellen Greene oozed sex appeal and Richard Thomas was in his element for this entertaining dig at some of the celebrity preachers of the time.

I can still remember watching this film back in 1989 - I was blown away by the vocal of Ellen Greene - The acting in this little know movie was great. The timing of this films release could not have been any better as it co-insided with the headlines of the day. Tel-evanglists were in the spot light and this made light of them, but also provided insight in to what can happen when you believe in yourself and others around you.

I have been trying to purchase a copy of this film since 1989 with out success. This movie is well worth your time to see and hear. The vocals of Ellen Greene are simple breathtaking.

Fair look at the inside of televangelists and their henchmen. It was presented tongue in cheek, but I believe that behind the scenes many of these so-called Godly men harbor a longing for more and more money....all in the name of The Lord, of course. The language in this film is very salty at times making me feel uncomfortable because the subject matter didn't mix well with such vulgarity. I can see a good bit of realism here by watching the lengths that many churches will go to in order to "up the attendance"....all in the name of The Savior, naturally.

This movie is absolutely top-drawer. It was released right around the time when there were numerous scandals in the news regarding TV evangelists. The acting was wonderful and the writing was stupendous. I recommend viewing this movie if you ever have the chance to see it. I have been somewhat dismayed, however, to find that there is apparently nowhere to purchase this movie... and I have tried just about everywhere. If anybody out there has any pull with anyone, please see that this movie gets another chance to see the light of day!

I would like to understand the status of this film. It one of the hardest to find. There must be something secretive about who is keeping this from getting any reruns. Richard Thomas' performance is engrossing and Ellen Greene shows how gospel can be sung like an angel! Her performance here belittles her incredible singing in Little Shop of horrors. She sings multiple songs in most episodes really showcasing her range and emotion. Really an encore class cast with many memorable performances. I wish you all luck in tracking down this masterpiece! I did find one VHS version of it on eBay for $75 but I prefer digital in this age.