Directed by Timothy Carey • 1962 • United States
Starring Timothy Carey, Gil Barreto, Betty Rowland
Timothy Carey—the unforgettable character actor whose weird, wiggy energy brought a manic edge to classics like THE KILLING and PATHS OF GLORY—wrote, produced, directed, and starred in this outrageous underground satire of all-American demagoguery, one of the great gonzo cult films of all time. He plays insurance salesman Clarence Hilliard, who, disenchanted with his ordinary life, transforms himself into a self-styled evangelist, declares himself God, and—using rock ’n’ roll and sex—builds a cultlike following that propels him up the political ladder. But first he’ll have to face the wrath of the real God. With a singularly crazed performance from Carey, unhinged camerawork, and a soundtrack by a young Frank Zappa, THE WORLD’S GREATEST SINNER is a truly independent, one-of-a-kind expression of its creator’s warped genius.
THE WORLD’S GREATEST SINNER was restored by the Academy Film Archive and The Film Foundation with funding provided by the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation. With permission from the Timothy Carey Estate and Absolute Films.
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