epiphany

The Eyes Have It

or

The Heart of Tammy Faye

Mention the name "Tammy Faye" around my family, and you're bound to hear a one-liner in-joke. When all of the Jim Bakker and Tammy Faye mayhem was roiling in the late 80's, we were on vacation at my grandfather's in New Brunswick. I was roughly ten years old, and the only line I remember from the time was from a brief television interview. A heavily made-up woman, creeks of mascara and tears washing down her cheeks, proclaimed, "I cried and cried until I had no more tears to cry. And then I cried some more." Since that day, the line has become more and more emotionally and dramatically embellished, swooping out to family laughter at all the wrong moments. As for my actual opinion on the subject, all I knew at the time was that those were some leaders of that televangelist crowd, so they were probably getting their just desserts, having lived out luxurious lives of sin on the money of the needy and gullible.

While things certainly went wrong and I can't agree with everything the people stood for, as of last night, I feel the need to apologize for my young opinion. Last night I learned at least one more side of the story. Last night I watched The Eyes of Tammy Faye.

A documentaryreleased in 2000, The Eyes tells the tale of the rise and fall of the Bakker clan, and their continued perseverance, through the eyes of Tammy Faye, focusing on her story and how she dealt with the troubles given her.

I had heard that the film was both hilarious and sad, and I approached the story with a good bit of pent-up sarcasm. While it is playful and does certainly have it's funny moments, including a particularly rude cutting to her doctor partway through an interview, overall it's the story of a Christ-loving woman making good on her faith through terrible circumstances. Good grief--the problems those people went through! While definitely a one-sided story , if what we saw was true, certain leaders of the televangelical community have much to answer for. (According to the narrator, several were asked for interviews but rejected the offer. Sadly, the only detractor who agreed to an interview was, to my knowledge, an unbeliever.)

Unfortunately, I do need to say that can't wholly recommend the film for my friends and family. Although it's a documentary, I would have to give it an R-rating (at least--although you never know, it could be PG-13 by today's standards) because of a few brief clips from Jessica Hahn's "rebuttal" video, apparently produced for Playboy close to the time of the breaking of her and Jim's adultery scandal. So while it's an excellent movie all around, viewer discretion is advised.

Despite the warning I've given, this movie turned me from a sarcastic doubter to a fan. Addictions, financial hardship, family upheaval--should I be faced with such problems in life, I can only aspire to come through them with as much love and forgiveness as Tammy Faye demonstrated. I wish her all the best.

Posted by at August 21, 2004 12:59 PM