WISE BLOOD
1979 · dir. John Huston · 106 min
- Digital
- 15
- Repertory
Returning from military service to a transformed American South, Hazel Motes arrives in a small Georgia city determined to reject the religious convictions that shaped his childhood. Proclaiming himself the founder of the "Church Without Christ", he embarks on a furious campaign against belief, attracting a succession of eccentric followers, opportunists, and would-be prophets. As Hazel's crusade against faith grows increasingly obsessive, his attempts to escape spiritual certainty lead him toward acts of self-destruction that mirror the fervour he claims to oppose. Adapted from Flannery O'Connor's 1952 novel, Wise Blood occupies a distinctive place within John Huston's later work, combining Southern Gothic, black comedy, and religious allegory. Filmed in Georgia near O'Connor's home territory and closely preserving the novel's dialogue and structure, the film translates her world of preachers, charlatans, and spiritual seekers into a landscape where belief and disbelief become equally consuming forces. Anchored by Brad Dourif's remarkable performance, Wise Blood explores evangelical culture, American individualism, and the uneasy relationship between modernity and faith, resulting in one of the most unusual literary adaptations of the 1970s.
