I couldn't make heads or tails of this movie. First of all I think that John Huston is far better actor than he is a director, and apart from "The man who would be king","Asphalt jungle" and "Key Largo" I don't think he made a good movie, but I know he made some bad ones ("The MacKintosh Man", "The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean", "The Kremlin Letter"), so I approached "Wise Blood" with caution. I must say it surprised me in many aspects. It is a complex film that in my opinion is trying to show how religiously debased people can bring the apocalypse on themselves, first of all, and how the lack of faith causes inner destruction of human spirit. In showing this, it simultaneously ridicules the world of churches without Christ and false prophets that are the product of people without faith, who, ironically are their major followers. Hazel Motes is a product of this world, he was terrified of the way religion was introduced to his life, (shown by small but memorable scenes with "Jhon" Huston as the preacher, probably Motes' father or grandfather), and coming out of the war, he was even ashamed of being wounded in, he tries to find something else he could cling his beliefs on.
Huston does a surprisingly good job, but the movie goes places it never gets to. The introduction on seedy preaching characters of Asa Hawks (Harry Dean Stanton) and Hoover Shoates (Ned Beatty), are supposed to bring their colorful nature to front and show different ways religion is used as a scam, but it never goes there really, and the nature of Motes' relationship with his landlady or the outcome of his fling with Sabbath Lily (Amy Wright) is never revealed, although she tied her future with him. Anyhow, this movie is worth seeing, if for nothing else than for great acting and there are plenty, and a few funny scenes as well. Decent.
Huston does a surprisingly good job, but the movie goes places it never gets to. The introduction on seedy preaching characters of Asa Hawks (Harry Dean Stanton) and Hoover Shoates (Ned Beatty), are supposed to bring their colorful nature to front and show different ways religion is used as a scam, but it never goes there really, and the nature of Motes' relationship with his landlady or the outcome of his fling with Sabbath Lily (Amy Wright) is never revealed, although she tied her future with him. Anyhow, this movie is worth seeing, if for nothing else than for great acting and there are plenty, and a few funny scenes as well. Decent.