Sinema Society: The World's Greatest Sinner
Friday, Nov. 22 - 8:30pm - Stevenson 101 - free
By William Barker
This Friday the ISU Cinema Society will present The World's Greatest Sinner (1962, 86 min.), a movie written, edited, directed by, and starring the late Timothy Carey, one of the most intriguing actors in film history. Before making his directorial debut, Carey had established a reputation as the ultimate scene-stealer in pictures like "East of Eden," "The Wild One," "The Killers," "Paths of Glory," and "One-Eyed Jacks." His supporting performances in these films, as well as in later films like Cassavetes' "Minnie and Moskowitz" are among the most memorable in American films. The World's Greatest Sinner is one of the most bizarre and audacious films of its time, particularly when considering the way it was made. Carey produced his film incrementally as funding for the project trickled in, a process which took about four years. It is a genuine labor of love and one of the first examples of an actor making his own movie his own way.
The movie itself works as fable and satire, telling the story of insurance agent Clarence Hilliard, who quits his job and begins spreading the Word with guitar accompaniment. After witnessing a raucous rockabilly show he puts on a silver-lame suit, adopts Elvis' moves, and renames himself God.
His charismatic stage shows attract a huge audience, and Clarence I mean God finds himself running for President of the United States as the candidate of the Eternal Man party, promising to turn every person into a superhuman. From there the movie gets a little strange. The film is also narrated by Satan, taking the form of a snake in Clarence's garden.
The World's Greatest Sinner, along with Timothy Carey's other independent work, was long unavailable until Carey's son, Romeo, reissued them on Absolute Films. Romeo has tentatively agreed to do a conference call interview as part of this presentation, and will answer questions from the audience about his father's work and about Absolute Films. Romeo has shown with his father's films to audiences all over the world, including Munich, Tokyo, and the restored Egyptian Theater in Hollywood.
More information about Timothy Carey can be found at www.timothycarey.com or www.absolutefilms.net.
ISU Cinema Society presents:
The World's Greatest Sinner
Friday, 22 Nov. 2002, 8.30pm, Stevenson 101. FREE!
