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| Author | Topic: Fall From Grace |
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jmslsu01
Registered User
Registered:
6/9/2003
From:
northern VA | posted: 4/14/2004 at 11:17:50 PM ET
I have the video in my hot little hands! However,I doubt I'll watch it tonight. I have to prepare for a telephone interview (not my favorite kind,but it'll have to do) tomorrow (so why am I here?). I'll be able to watch it tomorrow,and all of you were promised a full report,so look it for it...soon. I'll put spoiler alerts-but aren't people generally familiar with the Bakker story?-just in case.
Jenn
| Karen
Registered User
Registered:
5/3/2002 | posted: 4/14/2004 at 11:26:07 PM ET
Great, looking forward to it.
|  moljul
Registered User
Registered:
4/2/2001
From:
New York
Fav. BP CD: I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
Fav. BP Song: Dublin Lady
| posted: 4/15/2004 at 10:23:57 AM ET
You will love all the gospel singing Bernadette does in the film, I'm sure.
| jmslsu01
Registered User
Registered:
6/9/2003
From:
northern VA | posted: 4/15/2004 at 11:54:57 PM ET
Well,I'll tell you. There's nothing like waking up in the morning and finding that your car has been burglarized and your CD/radio has been stolen.
With the police report and insurance stuff taken care of (for now),I finally got an estimate on when the glass company would be by to replace the glass. Sometime in the next 4-6 hours,I was told. I figured there would be no better time than to sit down and watch Fall From Grace,since I was essentially stuck in the house. And really,what better to mark April 15 than to watch the story of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker.
It was a bit slow going at first,but that could be due to my distance from the story. I figured that this movie was made not long after the scandals broke,and thus the audience would be more familiar with the particular details than I at this time.
I had read-somewhere-that Tammy Faye was not pleased with Kevin Spacey's performance (but was pleased with Bernadette's). I'm not sure with what she was unhappy,but I do think that his performance was uneven. His best scenes,IMO,were the preaching/on-air scenes and his scenes with Bernadette. His other scenes were not that compelling,even,strangely enough,the scenes in the empty church (where he discusses his adultery). Those were a little flat. But his preaching scenes were quite good-perhaps since he had access to videotape of Jim Bakker preaching and thus had some idea of his style and cadence. I don't know.
Now Bernadette-first of all,I knew that she sang throughout the movie,but not to this extent. Her gospel songs were extraordinary. I'm somewhat familiar with gospel,and I think she hit the style quite well.
The extras in the choir (during the first television preaching scene) were extremely distracting. Charismatics do not necessarily sway in a choreographed motion,even as a choir,since charismatic worship is quite individual worship. And the extras were,from what I remember,moving their arms from their elbows. Many charismatics sway their arms either from their shoulders or hold their arms up and sway from their palms. Swaying from the elbows without moving the rest of your body is a bit more unnatural (at least if you're worshipping in a charismatic style with which I'm familiar). And others don't sway as much-they barely move. So that was a bit distracting to me,but perhaps not so much to others. I'm probably nit-picking,but it was very noticeable to me.
The pledge scene was one of the more effective scenes in the movie-it juxtaposed the queasy relationship between televangelism and fundraising. Very,very good. Hit the nail right on the head.
Kevin Spacey had an excellent moment during the discussion of the Bakkers' bonuses. Very creepy.
The "asking Jesus for forgiveness"-wonderful. It could have easily gone into extremes (and not believable),but it was handled beautifully. Bernadette's "bad day" sermon-song was fantastic.
Kevin Spacey's scene after the "family day" scene was one of his weaker moments (when he says that he knows that Jesus has forgiven him). It was too flat a reading,IMO.
The "Jim and Tammy really need ya!" scene was one of the most striking scenes. Out of all the scenes in the movie,it showed that Jim was willing to use anything,even his wife's pain,to keep PTL surviving.
Bernadette's drunk dress fitting was,again,handled extremely well. This could have been a disastrous scene,what with the drunkenness combined with the fervent praising and begging to Jesus.
The best scenes between Kevin and Bernadette were when it was clearly shown that he was totally immune to her need for physical attention and love. I thought Kevin's best preaching scene was the "this is a healing place" sermon. He just seemed to lose that grasp of the man in the scenes in which he is not preaching or not with Bernadette.
How I wish I could have heard more of Bernadette's "Amazing Grace." However, her "I Know He's Watching Me" was spectacular.
Although I was pleased that the show did touch on the differences between fundamentalists and charismatics,the average viewer was really not made aware of the actual differences. Tammy mentions that they have different worship styles-yes,that is true,but there is never any explanation of the differences. However,there was a limited amount of time and the majority of the audience was probably not that interested.
I need to go back and find out who played Falwell. His televised denouncement of Jim was spot on. However,Kevin did not convince me that he felt disgusted and betrayed. He *acted* it,but he didn't feel it. And that was too bad.
The ending was a throwaway ending,but really,what else was there to do after the end of the PTL/Heritage Park,etc?
All in all,I was surprised how much I was moved by the show. I knew the basic details of the story (although I had parts of Jimmy Swaggart's controversies mixed up with the Bakkers,but Swaggart is local,so I'm more familiar with his story). Before I saw the movie,I wasn't sure why Bernadette took the part,and I'm still not exactly sure why. Perhaps it was simply a very different role for her,and that's why she wanted it. Either way,she was very believable and moving as Tammy Faye,and I understand why Tammy Faye was touched by her performance. She wasn't portrayed as a cartoon character or an empty-headed charismatic. She was real. Her accent was interesting,but it must have been hard to do,since Tammy Faye (who is currently battling cancer,and I believe it is thought to be terminal) is originally from Minnesota and went to school in North Carolina. I haven't heard Tammy Faye speak for a while (I know she was on Larry King Live a week or so ago,but I didn't see it),so I can't judge. But that's not the most important point. The most important part is that she obviously found something in Tammy Faye that was sympathetic and real,and not a joke. And I think that speaks very very highly of her. She has mentioned that this role was one of which she was most proud,and I have to say I'm proud of her for handling with such dignity and grace. Brava!
Jenn
| Karen
Registered User
Registered:
5/3/2002 | posted: 4/16/2004 at 9:37:04 AM ET
That's fascinating--so much of that I didn't know. Now I'm going to have to go back and rewatch while keeping in mind your thoughts on Spacey's performance. All I remember right now about Tammy Faye's complaints was her saying that Bernadette did her homework and Kevin didn't. Not sure precisely what she meant.
And how awful about the burglary! Hope it can be taken care of relatively painlessly.
|  Jean
Registered User
Registered:
6/7/2003 | posted: 4/16/2004 at 11:06:29 AM ET
Jenn-sorry about the burglary. I always wonder whether I'll have a car when I come back from a trip, since I usually leave my car at the airport. Luckily, I have a garage now at home and it makes me feel a lot safer.
Fall from Grace-thank you so much for your comments. When I get a chance I intend to watch it again, and will pay attention to some points I missed before.
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