MARJOE (Original Soundtrack LP)
Born in 1944 to fundamentalist Christian parents, Marjoe Gortner became famous as a child prodigy preacher and faith healer, beginning his career at the age of four and thrilling the faithful across America with dramatic fire-and-brimstone lectures on the wages of sin and the glory of God. As he grew into a man, however, Gortner had to face the fact that, despite his gift for oratory, he didn't share the beliefs of his followers, so he burned his bridges with the Christian world but good by allowing a documentary film crew full access to the cynical behind-the-scenes world of professional religion. The resulting film, Marjoe, won an Oscar for Best Documentary in 1972, and regardless of one's religious convictions it remains a pithy lesson on the ease with which false prophets can exploit a gullible congregation. This soundtrack LP provides the audio portion of key scenes, including Gortner's memories of his youthful career ("I never really tripped out and thought that I was some real miracle child"), candid confessions of how and why faith healing seems to work, and his dynamic "Hell With the Lid Off" sermon delivered at age eight. Essentially, Gortner views the church meeting as nothing more than a stage from which to entertain, and when the filmmakers capture him in contemporaneous footage at Southern tent revivals, he's all flash and glitter, pumping his congregations up into fever pitches of religious fervor. What's remarkable is just how effective Gortner is as a preacher; even after he soberly explains the gimmicks and tricks he uses to extract an ecstatic reaction from his audience, it's easy to get caught up emotionally once the charismatic young man starts performing. There are also a handful of good country gospel performances from some of Gortner's fellow travelers, plus two raucous, life-affirming spirituals recorded live in Detroit by a singer named June Samuels. Though not as complete and edifying as the film itself, the Marjoe soundtrack LP is a unique document for spoken word enthusiasts. As for Gortner, he followed his muse into the entertainment world and went on to star in many low-budget action, horror, and sci-fi films, including Viva Knievel! and Food of the Gods.

Watch MARJOE here on documentary-log.com.