Sinclair Lewis, the first American to win a Nobel Prize in literature, was the preeminent satirist of early 20th century. His novel Elmer Gantry was a sensation (and so salacious that it was banned in Boston!) and, although its satirical edge is softened and mutated here, the screen version is just as invigorating. Burt Lancaster puts every ounce of his considerable charisma and physicality into the role of Gantry, a travelling salesman turned firebrand preacher whose ruthless cunning knows almost no bounds. [NH]