The Apostle

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The Apostle
The Apostle film poster
Directed by	Robert Duvall
Produced by	Robert Duvall
Written by	Robert Duvall
Starring	Robert Duvall John Beasley Farrah Fawcett Billy Bob Thornton June Carter Cash Miranda Richardson
Music by	David Mansfield
Cinematography	Barry Markowitz
Editing by	Stephen Mack
Distributed by	New Films International
Release date(s)	September 6, 1997
Running time	134 min.
Language	English
Budget	$5,000,000 (estimated)
IMDb profile

For the oldest animated feature film (from 1917), see El Apóstol.

The Apostle is an acclaimed 1997 movie, written and directed by Robert Duvall, who stars in the title role. John Beasley, Farrah Fawcett, Billy Bob Thornton, June Carter Cash, and Miranda Richardson also appear. It was filmed in and around Dallas, Texas, as well as in Louisiana.

1 Plot summary
2 Themes, Motifs
3 Making of
4 External links

[edit] Plot summary

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Sonny (Duvall) is a Texan charismatic-Pentecostal Christian minister with a wandering eye. As a result of his infidelity, his wife Jessie (portrayed by Fawcett) has begun a relationship with a youth minister named Horace. She has also conspired to use their church's bylaws to have him removed from power. At his child's Little League game, Sonny attacks Horace with a bat and puts him into a coma.

A fleeing Sonny (now calling himself "The Apostle E.F.") eventually ends up in Lousiana, where he convinces a retired minister named Blackwell (John Beasely) to help him start a new church. With Sonny's energy and charisma, the church soon has a faithful and racially-integrated flock. Sonny even succeeds in converting a racial bigot (played by Thornton) who shows up at a church picnic intent on destruction. Eventually, though, Jessie hears her ex-husband's preaching on the radio and calls the Texas state police. They show up in the middle of a sermon but allow him to finish while they wait outside. In the poignant finale, Sonny delivers an impassioned sermon before telling his flock that he has to go. He steps outside and allows the police to arrest him, striking up a humorous conversation with them about the make of car Louisiana police drive.

During the ending credits, Sonny is shown working on a chain-gang with other prisoners, leading them in an impromptu worship of Jesus.

Spoilers end here.

[edit] Themes, Motifs

The major themes of The Apostle include forgiveness and accountability. Duvall sympathetically portrays Sonny as a sincere gospel preacher whose passions get the better of him. After fleeing from Texas, he re-baptizes himself -- symbolizing a fresh start -- and seeks to accomplish as much good as possible before his inevitable capture. Sonny's arrest closes the moral circle of the narrative, showing that evil acts do not go unpunished. Yet, his final sermon motivates the fledgling church to carry on a life of faith and good deeds.

Evangelical Christian viewers applauded this film for its emphasis on personal faith and redemption (two of its characters come to crisis-faith experiences) without letting Sonny off the hook. The film also conveys a positive, ecumencial spirit. In one memorable scene, Sonny watches Roman Catholic priests blessing shrimp boats and says, "You do it your way and I do it mine...together we get it done."

[edit] Making of

Duvall wrote the script in the 1980s but could not find a studio willing to film it. He eventually decided to direct and finance it himself. It was first screened at the Toronto Film Festival. Thirty minutes into the screening, studio executives began leaving the theater to wheel and deal outside; October Films gained the distribution rights that night.

In counterpoint to its volatile subject matter, the film has a restrained visual style and employs a large number of non-professional actors to enhance its realism.

For his performance, Duvall was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor.