The Apostle
Encyclopedia
The Apostle is a 1997 American drama film written and directed by Robert Duvall
, who stars in the title role. John Beasley
, Farrah Fawcett
, Billy Bob Thornton
, June Carter Cash
, Miranda Richardson
and Billy Joe Shaver
also appear. It was filmed on location in and around Saint Martinville and Des Allemands, Louisiana
with some establishing shots done in the Dallas, Texas
area by a second unit before principal photography began.
with a wandering eye. As a result of his infidelity, his wife Jessie (Fawcett) has begun a relationship with a youth minister named Horace. She refuses Sonny's desire to be reconciled, although she assures him that she will not interfere with his right to see his children. She has also conspired to use their church's bylaws to have him removed from power. Sonny asks God what to do, but receives no answer. Much of the congregation sides with Jessie in this dispute. Sonny, however, refuses to start a new church, insisting that the one which forced him out was "his" church. At his child's Little League
game, Sonny, in an emotional fit, attacks Horace with a bat and puts him into a coma. He later dies.
A fleeing Sonny ditches his car in a river and gets rid of all identifying information. After destroying all evidence of his past, Sonny rebaptizes himself and anoints himself as "The Apostle E. F." He leaves Texas and ends up in the bayous of Louisiana, where he convinces a retired minister named Blackwell (Beasley) to help him start a new church. He also begins a dating relationship with a local radio station's employee (Richardson).
With Sonny's energy and charisma, the church soon has a faithful and racially integrated flock. Sonny even succeeds in converting a racist construction worker (Thornton) who shows up at a church picnic intent on destruction. While at work in a fast-food restaurant, he sees his new girlfriend out in public with her husband and children, apparently reconciled. Sonny walks out, vowing never to return there.
Jessie hears a radio broadcast of the Apostle E. F. and calls the police on Sonny and they show up in the middle of an evening service but allow him to finish it while they wait outside. In the poignant finale, Sonny delivers an impassioned sermon before telling his flock that he has to go. In the final scene, Sonny, now part of a chain gang, preaches to the inmates as they work along the side of a highway.
gained the distribution rights that night. The film went on to have a $21.3 million worldwide theatrical gross, with a combined production and advertising budget of $8 million.
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
.
The film was screened in the Un Certain Regard
section at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival
.
. Three songs, by country music
artists Lyle Lovett
and Patty Loveless
and contemporary Christian
artist Steven Curtis Chapman
, were recorded especially for the film.
The songs, "I Will Not Go Quietly" by Chapman, "Two Coats" by Loveless and "I'm a Soldier in the Army of the Lord" by Lovett were released on a soundtrack album that was supplemented with more exclusive songs "inspired by" (but not included in) the film. The additional tracks include works by Johnny Cash
, Emmylou Harris
(in a duet with Robert Duvall
), the Carter Family
, the Gaither Vocal Band
and the Sounds of Blackness
.
Robert Duvall
Robert Selden Duvall is an American actor and director. He has won an Academy Award, two Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards and a BAFTA over the course of his career....
, who stars in the title role. John Beasley
John Beasley (actor)
John Beasley is an American actor known for his role as Irv Harper on the TV series Everwood and recurring roles on CSI, Millennium and The Pretender. He also portrayed General Lasseter in The Sum of All Fears and Rev. C. Charles Blackwell in The Apostle. In 1992 he played Jesse Hall's dad in the...
, Farrah Fawcett
Farrah Fawcett
Farrah Fawcett was an American actress and artist. A multiple Golden Globe and Emmy Award nominee, Fawcett rose to international fame when she first appeared as private investigator Jill Munroe in the first season of the television series Charlie's Angels, in 1976...
, Billy Bob Thornton
Billy Bob Thornton
Billy Bob Thornton is an American actor, screenwriter, director and musician. Thornton gained early recognition as a cast member on the CBS sitcom Hearts Afire and in several early 1990s films including On Deadly Ground and Tombstone...
, June Carter Cash
June Carter Cash
Valerie June Carter Cash was an American singer, dancer, songwriter, actress, comedienne and author who was a member of the Carter Family and the second wife of singer Johnny Cash...
, Miranda Richardson
Miranda Richardson
Miranda Jane Richardson is an English stage, film and television actor. She has been nominated for two Academy Awards, and has won two Golden Globes and a BAFTA during her career....
and Billy Joe Shaver
Billy Joe Shaver
Billy Joe Shaver is a Texas country music singer and songwriter. Shaver's 1973 album Old Five and Dimers Like Me is a classic in the outlaw country genre.-Biography:...
also appear. It was filmed on location in and around Saint Martinville and Des Allemands, Louisiana
Des Allemands, Louisiana
Des Allemands is a census-designated place in Lafourche and St. Charles parishes in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Louisiana. The population was 2,500 at the 2000 census. The town, known as the "Catfish Capital of the Universe," is along the Bayou Des Allemands, which is the boundary...
with some establishing shots done in the Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
area by a second unit before principal photography began.
Plot
Sonny (Duvall) is a charismatic Pentecostal preacherPreacher
Preacher is a term for someone who preaches sermons or gives homilies. A preacher is distinct from a theologian by focusing on the communication rather than the development of doctrine. Others see preaching and theology as being intertwined...
with a wandering eye. As a result of his infidelity, his wife Jessie (Fawcett) has begun a relationship with a youth minister named Horace. She refuses Sonny's desire to be reconciled, although she assures him that she will not interfere with his right to see his children. She has also conspired to use their church's bylaws to have him removed from power. Sonny asks God what to do, but receives no answer. Much of the congregation sides with Jessie in this dispute. Sonny, however, refuses to start a new church, insisting that the one which forced him out was "his" church. At his child's Little League
Little League
Little League Baseball and Softball is a non-profit organization in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, United States which organizes local youth baseball and softball leagues throughout the U.S...
game, Sonny, in an emotional fit, attacks Horace with a bat and puts him into a coma. He later dies.
A fleeing Sonny ditches his car in a river and gets rid of all identifying information. After destroying all evidence of his past, Sonny rebaptizes himself and anoints himself as "The Apostle E. F." He leaves Texas and ends up in the bayous of Louisiana, where he convinces a retired minister named Blackwell (Beasley) to help him start a new church. He also begins a dating relationship with a local radio station's employee (Richardson).
With Sonny's energy and charisma, the church soon has a faithful and racially integrated flock. Sonny even succeeds in converting a racist construction worker (Thornton) who shows up at a church picnic intent on destruction. While at work in a fast-food restaurant, he sees his new girlfriend out in public with her husband and children, apparently reconciled. Sonny walks out, vowing never to return there.
Jessie hears a radio broadcast of the Apostle E. F. and calls the police on Sonny and they show up in the middle of an evening service but allow him to finish it while they wait outside. In the poignant finale, Sonny delivers an impassioned sermon before telling his flock that he has to go. In the final scene, Sonny, now part of a chain gang, preaches to the inmates as they work along the side of a highway.
Cast
- Robert Duvall – Euliss 'Sonny' Dewey - The Apostle E.F.
- Farrah FawcettFarrah FawcettFarrah Fawcett was an American actress and artist. A multiple Golden Globe and Emmy Award nominee, Fawcett rose to international fame when she first appeared as private investigator Jill Munroe in the first season of the television series Charlie's Angels, in 1976...
– Jessie Dewey - Billy Bob ThorntonBilly Bob ThorntonBilly Bob Thornton is an American actor, screenwriter, director and musician. Thornton gained early recognition as a cast member on the CBS sitcom Hearts Afire and in several early 1990s films including On Deadly Ground and Tombstone...
– Troublemaker - Billy Joe ShaverBilly Joe ShaverBilly Joe Shaver is a Texas country music singer and songwriter. Shaver's 1973 album Old Five and Dimers Like Me is a classic in the outlaw country genre.-Biography:...
– Joe - June Carter CashJune Carter CashValerie June Carter Cash was an American singer, dancer, songwriter, actress, comedienne and author who was a member of the Carter Family and the second wife of singer Johnny Cash...
– Mrs. 'Momma' Dewey Sr. - Miranda RichardsonMiranda RichardsonMiranda Jane Richardson is an English stage, film and television actor. She has been nominated for two Academy Awards, and has won two Golden Globes and a BAFTA during her career....
– Toosie - Walton GogginsWalton GogginsWalton Sanders Goggins, Jr. is an American actor best known for his roles on the FX Networks series The Shield and Justified, portraying Detective Shane Vendrell and Boyd Crowder, respectively. He is also known for his character roles in the films Miracle at St. Anna and Predators...
– Sam - Todd AllenTodd AllenTodd Allen is a comedian, writer and producer based out of Vancouver, British Columbia and Los Angeles, California.-Personal:...
– Horace - Lenore Banks – Female Sonny Supporter
- John BeasleyJohn Beasley (actor)John Beasley is an American actor known for his role as Irv Harper on the TV series Everwood and recurring roles on CSI, Millennium and The Pretender. He also portrayed General Lasseter in The Sum of All Fears and Rev. C. Charles Blackwell in The Apostle. In 1992 he played Jesse Hall's dad in the...
– Brother C. Charles Blackwell - Brett Brock – Helper
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 FilmsOctober Films
October Films was an American independent film production company and distributor founded in 1991 by Bingham Ray and Jeff Lipsky as a means of distributing the 1990 film Life Is Sweet...
gained the distribution rights that night. The film went on to have a $21.3 million worldwide theatrical gross, with a combined production and advertising budget of $8 million.
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
Academy Award for Best Actor
Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry...
.
The film was screened in the Un Certain Regard
Un Certain Regard
Un Certain Regard is a section of the Cannes Film Festival's Official Selection. It is run at the Salle Debussy, parallel to the competition for the Palme d'Or.This section was introduced in 1978 by Gilles Jacob...
section at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival
1998 Cannes Film Festival
The 51st Cannes Film Festival was held on May 13-24, 1998. The Palme d'Or went to the Greek film Mia aioniotita kai mia mera by Theo Angelopoulos.- Jury :*Martin Scorsese *Alain Corneau *Chiara Mastroianni...
.
Soundtrack
The score for The Apostle was scored by David MansfieldDavid Mansfield
David Mansfield is an American violinist, mandolin player, guitarist, pedal steel guitar player, and composer....
. Three songs, by country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
artists Lyle Lovett
Lyle Lovett
Lyle Pearce Lovett is an American singer-songwriter and actor. Active since 1980, he has recorded thirteen albums and released 21 singles to date, including his highest entry, the number 10 chart hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, "Cowboy Man"...
and Patty Loveless
Patty Loveless
Patty Loveless , is an American country music singer.Since her emergence on the country music scene in late 1986 with her first album, Loveless has been one of the most popular female singers of the Neotraditional country movement, although she has also recorded albums in the Country pop and...
and contemporary Christian
Contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music is a genre of modern popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith...
artist Steven Curtis Chapman
Steven Curtis Chapman
Steven Curtis Chapman is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, actor, author, and social activist.After starting his career in the late 1980s as a singer/songwriter of contemporary Christian music, Chapman has since been recognized as one of the most prolific singers in the genre,...
, were recorded especially for the film.
The songs, "I Will Not Go Quietly" by Chapman, "Two Coats" by Loveless and "I'm a Soldier in the Army of the Lord" by Lovett were released on a soundtrack album that was supplemented with more exclusive songs "inspired by" (but not included in) the film. The additional tracks include works by Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
, Emmylou Harris
Emmylou Harris
Emmylou Harris is an American singer-songwriter and musician. In addition to her work as a solo artist and bandleader, both as an interpreter of other composers' works and as a singer-songwriter, she is a sought-after backing vocalist and duet partner, working with numerous other artists including...
(in a duet with Robert Duvall
Robert Duvall
Robert Selden Duvall is an American actor and director. He has won an Academy Award, two Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards and a BAFTA over the course of his career....
), the Carter Family
Carter Family
The Carter Family was a traditional American folk music group that recorded between 1927 and 1956. Their music had a profound impact on bluegrass, country, Southern Gospel, pop and rock musicians as well as on the U.S. folk revival of the 1960s. They were the first vocal group to become country...
, the Gaither Vocal Band
Gaither Vocal Band
The Gaither Vocal Band is a Grammy award-winning Christian music vocal group, headed by Bill Gaither. They originally recorded contemporary Christian music, but after the popularity of the Gaither Homecoming videos, the group has become known for southern gospel.-Group history:The Gaither Vocal...
and the Sounds of Blackness
Sounds of Blackness
Sounds of Blackness is a Grammy Award-winning vocal and instrumental ensemble from Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota who perform music from several genres music including gospel, R&B, soul, and jazz. The group scored several hits on the Billboard R&B chart and Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play...
.
Track listing
- "I Will Not Go Quietly" (composed and performed by Steven Curtis ChapmanSteven Curtis ChapmanSteven Curtis Chapman is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, actor, author, and social activist.After starting his career in the late 1980s as a singer/songwriter of contemporary Christian music, Chapman has since been recognized as one of the most prolific singers in the genre,...
– 3:46 - "Two Coats" (traditional, performed by Patty LovelessPatty LovelessPatty Loveless , is an American country music singer.Since her emergence on the country music scene in late 1986 with her first album, Loveless has been one of the most popular female singers of the Neotraditional country movement, although she has also recorded albums in the Country pop and...
) – 3:21 - "I'm a Soldier in the Army of the Lord" (traditional, performed by Lyle LovettLyle LovettLyle Pearce Lovett is an American singer-songwriter and actor. Active since 1980, he has recorded thirteen albums and released 21 singles to date, including his highest entry, the number 10 chart hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, "Cowboy Man"...
) – 3:29 - "Softly and Tenderly" (composed by Will Lamartine ThompsonWill Lamartine ThompsonWilliam Lamartine Thompson was a noted American composer, best known for his hymns, born on November 7, 1847 in East Liverpool, Ohio, died New York City on September 20, 1909.-Well-known works:...
, performed by Rebecca Lynn HowardRebecca Lynn HowardRebecca Lynn Howard is an American country music artist. She has charted seven singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, and has released three studio albums...
) – 3:05 - "There Is a River" (composed by David Sapp, performed by the Gaither Vocal BandGaither Vocal BandThe Gaither Vocal Band is a Grammy award-winning Christian music vocal group, headed by Bill Gaither. They originally recorded contemporary Christian music, but after the popularity of the Gaither Homecoming videos, the group has become known for southern gospel.-Group history:The Gaither Vocal...
) – 4:24 - "In the Garden" (composed by C. Austin Miles, performed by Johnny CashJohnny CashJohn R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
) – 3:16 - "I Love to Tell the Story" (traditional, performed by Emmylou HarrisEmmylou HarrisEmmylou Harris is an American singer-songwriter and musician. In addition to her work as a solo artist and bandleader, both as an interpreter of other composers' works and as a singer-songwriter, she is a sought-after backing vocalist and duet partner, working with numerous other artists including...
and Robert DuvallRobert DuvallRobert Selden Duvall is an American actor and director. He has won an Academy Award, two Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards and a BAFTA over the course of his career....
) – 3:45 - "Waitin' on the Far Side Banks of Jordan" (composed by Terry Smith, performed by the Carter FamilyCarter FamilyThe Carter Family was a traditional American folk music group that recorded between 1927 and 1956. Their music had a profound impact on bluegrass, country, Southern Gospel, pop and rock musicians as well as on the U.S. folk revival of the 1960s. They were the first vocal group to become country...
) – 3:15 - "Victory Is Mine" (traditional, performed by the Sounds of BlacknessSounds of BlacknessSounds of Blackness is a Grammy Award-winning vocal and instrumental ensemble from Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota who perform music from several genres music including gospel, R&B, soul, and jazz. The group scored several hits on the Billboard R&B chart and Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play...
) – 3:32 - "There Is Power in the Blood" (traditional, performed by Lari WhiteLari WhiteLari Michele White is an American country music artist and actress. She first gained national attention in 1992 as a winner on You Can Be a Star, a talent competition which aired on The Nashville Network...
) – 5:19 - "There Ain't No Grave Gonna Hold My Body Down" (composed by Brother Claude ElyClaude Ely"Brother" Claude Ely was a religious singer-songwriter and a Pentecostal Holiness preacher.Brother Claude Daniel Ely, coined as the King Recording Label’s “Gospel Ranger” of the Appalachian Mountains, was born in Pucketts Creek, Virginia...
, performed by Russ TaffRuss TaffRussell Taff is an American gospel singer who is originally from Farmersville, California. Taff later then moved to Arkansas where he graduated from Cutter-Morning Star High School in Hot Springs, Arkansas....
) – 4:54 - "I'll Fly AwayI'll Fly Away"I'll Fly Away", is a hymn written in 1929 by Albert E. Brumley and published in 1932 by the Hartford Music company in a collection titled Wonderful Message...
" (composed by Albert E. BrumleyAlbert E. BrumleyAlbert Edward Brumley was a shape note gospel music composer and publisher.Brumley was born near Spiro, Oklahoma on October 29, 1905. Pre-Dustbowl Oklahoma was primarily made up of sparse agricultural communities; Brumley's family was no different. He spent much of his early life chopping and...
, performed by Gary ChapmanGary Chapman (musician)Gary Chapman is an American Contemporary Christian music singer-songwriter and former television talk show host.-Early life and music career:...
and Wynonna JuddWynonna JuddWynonna Ellen Judd is an American country music singer. Her solo albums and singles are all credited to the singular name Wynonna. Wynonna first rose to fame in the 1980s alongside her mother, Naomi, in the country music duo The Judds...
) – 3:47 - "Softly and Tenderly (Reprise)" (composed by Will Lamartine ThompsonWill Lamartine ThompsonWilliam Lamartine Thompson was a noted American composer, best known for his hymns, born on November 7, 1847 in East Liverpool, Ohio, died New York City on September 20, 1909.-Well-known works:...
, performed by Dino KartsonakisDino KartsonakisDino Kartsonakis is an accomplished sacred pianist of Greek heritage.-Biography:Dino was born in New York City and attended Glad Tidings Tabernacle. He began playing his grandmother's piano at the age of three. The first song he had learned was "At the Cross." He was enrolled in piano lessons at...
) – 4:37
Chart performance
| Chart (1998) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Top Christian Albums | 4 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums | 21 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 175 |
External links
- The Apostle at the Arts & Faith Top100 Spiritually Significant Films list
- New York Times Critics' Pick (A. O. ScottA. O. ScottAnthony Oliver Scott, known as A. O. Scott , is an American journalist and critic. He is a chief film critic for The New York Times, along with Manohla Dargis.-Background and education:...
) link