As ever with a Herzog documentary, the filmmaker doesn't try to preach or narrate his subject; instead he lets the subject matter speak for itself, and in this case the subject matter is a crazed tele-evangelist, Dr Gene Scott. In this 45 minute short, we witness Scott as he goes into his many angry rants, begging his viewers for cash and throwing childish tantrums when he doesn't get what he wants.
The narrative explores the true nature of American evangelism and those who front such shows. The segment in which Scott reads out the donations coming in is literally jaw dropping, you won't believe what you're seeing or how people can be so gullible. In fact, it's all so extreme that it feels like an absurd comedy, made all the more absurd by the fact that it's real. The surreal ending, with the toy music-making monkeys, brings to mind the glorious heights of the dancing chicken in STROSZEK.
The narrative explores the true nature of American evangelism and those who front such shows. The segment in which Scott reads out the donations coming in is literally jaw dropping, you won't believe what you're seeing or how people can be so gullible. In fact, it's all so extreme that it feels like an absurd comedy, made all the more absurd by the fact that it's real. The surreal ending, with the toy music-making monkeys, brings to mind the glorious heights of the dancing chicken in STROSZEK.