The World’s Greatest Sinner (1962)
In what is quite possibly the strangest rock and roll film ever made, Timothy Carey plays Clarence Hilliard, a man who wants to be God. He quits his job as an insurance agent to pursue his dream. By preaching the promise of eternal life on Earth and using the energy of rock and roll, Clarence slowly begins to become more and more popular. He even changes his name to God Hilliard which his followers are all too willing to call him. The devil sees great potential in this blasphemer and shows up as a PR man (played by James Farley) to steer God Hilliard towards a career in politics.
In this outrageous and very strange film which he wrote, directed, produced, and distributed, Timothy Carey ridicules the hypocrisy and megalomania of politicians, religious leaders, and rock stars. When Clarence delivers a speech about how every human being can be their own God while absentmindedly standing on a pile of fertilizer is a very telling moment about Carey’s intentions for this film. The odd soundtrack is provided by Frank Zappa who combines trashy rock and roll with outlandish library music producing excellent and unique results.
Like a cross between Elvis Presley and Jim Jones, Clarence Hilliard is a heretic, a demon, and an undulating rock and roll Beelzebub. The scenes where he wildly plays guitar with his band in a completely out of tune and off tempo fashion while the people go bonkers (even girls trying to rip his clothes off) are hilarious. Taking potshots at Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis, this film mocks celebrities and the people that worship them.
I have always been disturbed by legendary character actor Timothy Carey. I first noticed him in John Cassavete’s The Killing of a Chinese Bookie and his malignant presence always creeps me out. The guy looks like a walking corpse whose skin is falling off of his buzzard-like head. Even Carey’s voice has an unnatural ring to it as though it’s coming from a somewhere other than his mouth. The man is completely unhinged and his mind is boiling over with insanity yet there’s a dark intelligence underneath it all.
So I wasn’t surprised at all when I found out about this intelligent and wickedly sardonic film. The World’s Greatest Sinner is a fantastic cult film with hints of experimental editing and documentary-style direction (partially due to budget constraints) that is way ahead of its time. With all the subtlety of a sledgehammer made of dynamite, this is a deeply religious film that exposes human beings as the pathetic beasts that we are while at the same time questioning everything sacred.
“I’m not a preacher and I’m not drunk! I’m just a politician!”