Retrospective: The World's Greatest Sinner (1962)

[Jerry Saravia]

THE WORLD'S GREATEST SINNER (1962)
Reviewed by Jerry Saravia
RATING: Three stars and a half

I don't think I have seen or will see anything remotely like "The
World's Greatest Sinner" again in my lifetime. This is one zonked-out,
hyperactive, jumbled though very effective film that is hard to
forget, and should be harder to resist. I don't know how else to
describe it except if Elvis Presley had ever done a movie where he
played a cult leader, it might look like this.

The late Timothy Carey ("The Killing," "Paths of Glory") plays
Clarence, an insurance agent who is sick of his job, gets fired and
doesn't seem to care. He has a family to support but he gets a vision
of being something more - a messiah for the masses where he can speak
the truth, though what that truth is escapes me (something about how
life is hell and how to become a superhuman being). He recruits anyone
who is willing to join, regardless of race, creed or color, and goes
so far as to call himself God! Sacrilege! Clarence goes even further
by seducing an elderly woman to finance his group! All the great
leaders must have some facial hair, so he adopts a fake goatee (and
eventually grows his own). He sings rock' roll tunes (all written by
the late Frank Zappa before he became famous) wearing a silver,
glittery suit while he gyrates like Elvis and James Brown and screams,
"Please, please, please!" He alienates his family when his developing
cult group begin wearing arm bands with the letter "G" on them (uh,
oh). And eventually, Clarence makes a deal with the Devil himself to
break into politics and run for President of the United States. Things
can only get worse in this Faustian tale.

I have heard of "The World's Greatest Sinner" for years - some have
declared it awful and overly theatrical, while others see it as some
sort of work of inspired genius. I agree with the latter. Timothy
Carey's strange performance of histrionic body language, hypnotic
drawl, and occasional trademark of closing his eyes while speaking and
listening echoes an erratic energy that is tantalizing to witness (all
I can say is that he is the precursor to Nicolas Cage). He is the star
of this movie, and is about as berserk on screen as any actor can
humanly be.

"World's Greatest Sinner" is haphazardly edited and directed by
Timothy himself, but that is acceptable since the bizarre nature of
the material go hand in hand with the filmmaking. If nothing else,
this movie serves as an indictment of cultish leaders (we have seen
our fair share since 1962 which is when this was filmed) and the
corruption of the human soul where one thinks they can test God's will
(that is the actual Almighty and not the main character). Love it or
hate it, "World's Greatest Sinner" is unforgettable, riveting
underground cinema.


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