Performing Publics, Civil Religions, Lost and Found

Over a year ago, when I first started imagining a course on southern documentaries and documenting the South, I emailed some of my friends and colleagues in southern studies about what they thought were essential films to address such a topic. Assistant Professor of English at Auburn University, Erich Nunn, made the excellent suggestion of including Marjoe (1972) from Howard Smith and Sarah Kernochan. It won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. And it’s quite obvious why. It’s less obvious why it should be included in a southern studies course. It isn’t necessarily about the South. Marjoe Gortner isn’t from the South; he was born in Long Beach, California. However, there is something of a performative southernness in his character, and I don’t think it’s simply because he is an evangelical preacher or affects an accent. In any case, watch it for yourself, and see what you think.