Leap of Faith (film)
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| Leap of Faith | |
|---|---|
 Leap of Faith original theatrical poster |
|
| Directed by | Richard Pearce |
| Produced by | Michael Manheim David V. Picker |
| Written by | Janus Cercone |
| Starring | Steve Martin Debra Winger Lolita Davidovich Liam Neeson |
| Music by | Cliff Eidelman |
| Cinematography | Matthew F. Leonetti |
| Editing by | John F. Burnett Mark Warner Don Zimmerman |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
| Release date(s) | December 18, 1992 |
| Running time | 108 min. |
| Country |  United States |
| Language | English |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Leap of Faith is 1992 film starring Steve Martin as a fraudulent Christian faith healer named Jonas Nightengale who uses his revival meetings, in Rustwater, Kansas, to bilk believers out of their money. He eventually sees the error of his ways.
According to Ole Anthony, Martin "modeled the evangelist character on Benny Hinn".[1]
The story is similar to the book The Faith Healers by James Randi surrounding Peter Popoff.[2] Randi claims the movie borrowed heavily from his book.[2]
Contents |
[edit] Selected cast
- Steve Martin — Jonas Nightengale
- Debra Winger — Jane Larson
- Lolita Davidovich — Marva
- Liam Neeson — Sheriff Will Braverman
- Lukas Haas — Boyd
- Meat Loaf — Hoover
- Philip Seymour Hoffman — Matt
- M.C. Gainey — Tiny
- La Chanze — Georgette
- Delores Hall — Ornella
- Troy Evans - Officer Lowell Dade
[edit] Trivia
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Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones. |
- Plainview, Texas, where the movie was filmed, the downtown water tower still bears the name and mascot of the fictional town in which the movie is set: The Rustwater Bengals
- Martin became the film's star after Michael Keaton quit the production.[3]
- Jonas' "mind-reading" trick is similar to the method used by televangelist Peter Popoff.[3]
- In a scene where Neeson's character reveals "Jonas Nightengale"'s true past, he states that Nightengale's birth name was "Jack Newton". John Newton was a slave trader who converted to Christianity, became a priest and later an abolitionist, and wrote the hymn Amazing Grace.
- Part of the filming took place near Denton, Texas. Then televangelist Robert Tilton, who was in nearby Dallas, was a fan of Steve Martin and wanted very much to meet him. Steve Martin told the movie production staff that he didn't want anything to do with Mr. Tilton.[citation needed]
- The theme music (instrumental piano) used throughout the film is not included on the soundtrack.
[edit] References
- ^ "The Miracles and the Money", Transcript of CNN Impact, March 16, 1997. Retrieved on 2007-04-13.
- ^ a b Randi, James. "Leap of Faith", James Randi Educational Foundation, December 7, 2001. Retrieved on 2007-05-11.
- ^ a b "Internet Movie Database: Leap of Faith Trivia", Internet Movie Database, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-04-23.
[edit] External links
- Leap of Faith at the Internet Movie Database
- Review/Film; Steve Martin as a Healer With Faith Only in Lies December 18, 1992
- Leap Of Faith by Roger Ebert
- Faith Healers deal in phony shows and false hopes The Observer
- Randi and Popoff BBC 9 Dec 06
- Listing notes Steve Martin’s Leap of Faith was based on this book
- On Entering the Third Decade by Paul Kurtz
- The third eye by Pat Reeder
