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.

1981 was a very religious year for German filmmaker Werner Herzog. He shot two documentary movies of roughly 43 minutes each dealing with faith in Black and White communities in the United States. This one here is about televangelist Gene Scott and his approach to the issue of religion. I actually liked this one more than the other. One reason would be that it is not just 40 minutes of sermon, but actually elaborates on the issue of church and money a whole lot more than the other did. Another difference would be that Herzog narrates and translates in this one as well. And we find out a lot more about the central character. I knew absolutely nothing about Huie after watching the other, but I do know quite a bit about Gene Scott now. He is a fascinating character. Obviously he is struggling hard with some issues and that also brought him in trouble with the law. Herzog never tries to let you see Scott in a positive or negative light. It's all up to you what to make of this documentary, but it's almost impossible to have a neutral attitude towards Dr. Scott after seeing this one. The protagonist died 10 years ago, but thanks to Herzog we have an important and interesting memory about him, which also tells us about America in general in the 1970s and 1980s and also about American television back then. Another good thing is that you do not really need a religious background yourself to find this piece of filmmaking interesting. Good watch and I recommend it.

For a long time I was slightly disappointed with this documentary. I've had a semi-perverse fascination with Scott for many years, his degree from Stanford rather than from a bible mill, a somewhat scholarly approach to his subject on occasion which set him apart from his "peers" who merely disgusted me, and his lack of shame at appearing as a lunatic on the airwaves which set him apart much further from those who pose as the "status quo" keepers of morality and decency for average folks. This movie failed entirely to portray this essential difference. But it did capture what I now recognize as a very common underlying element to all of Herzog's movies I've seen, a character of mythic dimensions. Scott's quixotic nature to do battle with the FCC puts him on par with Aguirre or Fitzcaraldo. A living individual going all the way, taking it as far as he can, like the guy in "Grizzly Man." Herzog does something more deftly than any other director, create updated mythology for our era, and a portrait of a televangelist, even if it misses part of its subject is a very worthy part of this mythology.