...a biography picture of the patronizing saint variety.
Billy: The Early Years (2008)
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Reviews Counted:3
Fresh:0
Rotten:3
Average Rating:N/A
Synopsis:
Most of us know Billy Graham as the self-assured and charismatic preacher who became one of the most important figures of 20th Century Christianity. Now, with the release of Billy: The Early Years,...
Most of us know Billy Graham as the self-assured and charismatic preacher who became one of the most important figures of 20th Century Christianity. Now, with the release of Billy: The Early Years, we meet Billy as the earnest and promising young man at the crossroads of faith and doubt, ultimately facing the moment of decision that launched one of history’s most powerful evangelistic careers.
Most compellingly, Billy: The Early Years paints its portrait of Graham against the backdrop of his relationship with Charles Templeton, another gifted young preacher who’s faith could not withstand the onslaught of scientific skepticism. He and Graham parted ways and in the film, Templeton comes to personify the rising tide of disbelief into which Graham launched his crusades.
Filmed in Tennessee, Billy: The Early Years captures the feel of the Depression-era tent revival where Graham heeded the altar call, and follows him through the doubt and resolution of the next decade. The film was directed by the versatile actor/director Robby Benson – the voice of The Beast in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. The movie’s power lays in its honest portrayal of Billy’s struggle with the ideas represented in Templeton’s eventual unbelief and shows how Billy’s faith, so dramatically portrayed in the film, goes on to change the face of modern evangelism.--© Official Site
Starring: Armie Hammer, Stefanie Butler, Kristoffer Polaha, Josh Turner
Starring: Armie Hammer, Stefanie Butler, Kristoffer Polaha, Josh Turner, Jennifer O'Neill, Lindsay Wagner, Martin Landau
Director: Robby Benson
Director: Robby Benson
Screenwriter: William Paul McKay, Jana Rutledge
Producer: William Paul McKay, Lawrence Mortorff, Martin Shiel
Composer: Scott Brasher
Studio: Rocky Mountain Pictures
Reviews for Billy: The Early Years
Hammer does a credible Graham impression, but if the script isn't up to snuff, none of the other stuff matters. And this particular screenplay is nowhere close to that.
That's the real shortcoming here. A bland leading man in a movie without much of a biographical spark to it makes for a dull sermon indeed.
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