Past Film/Video | Classics

The World’s Greatest Sinner

(Timothy Carey, 1962)

Introduced by Mark Toscano, Senior Film Preservationist, Academy Film Archive

New Restoration

Black-and-white still of a white man sitting in an ornate chair. He is wearing a dark suit, and he has slicked-back dark hair and a pointed goatee.
Feb 25, 2023 3:30 PM
Film/Video Theater

$7 members and seniors
$9 general public
$5 students

View our current COVID-19 protocols.

ACCESSIBILITY
We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals, including individuals with disabilities, to engage fully. If you have questions about accessibility or require an accommodation such as CART captioning or ASL interpretation to participate in this event, please contact Accessibility Manager Helyn Marshall at accessibility@wexarts.org or via telephone at (614) 688-3890. Requests made by two weeks in advance will generally allow us to provide seamless access, but the Wexner Center for the Arts will make every effort to meet requests made after this date.

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Notably admired by Elvis himself, this unhinged, 1960s romp follows the rise and fall of a rockabilly cult leader.

A coup of low-budget, independent, cult-film mayhem, The World’s Greatest Sinner is the brainchild of Timothy Carey, who served as writer, director, producer, and star. Carey plays an insurance salesman who falls under the spell of the devil, proclaims himself God, and becomes a nutty evangelist using rock ’n’ roll to draw in new followers. As his wealth grows, he decides to run for president, but after a series of personal hardships, he is forced to confront himself…and the actual biblical God. Many might remember career character actor Carey as one of the condemned men in Stanley Kubrick’s Paths of Glory (1957). With a soundtrack by Frank Zappa. (82 mins., 4K DCP) 

See this year’s complete Cinema Revival lineup.

IMAGE CAPTION
The World’s Greatest Sinner, courtesy of the Academy Film Archive.

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"Eccentric, explosive….Joaquin Phoenix merely wishes he were this weird."
Artforum
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Restored by the Academy Film Archive and The Film Foundation with funding provided by the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation.

FILM/VIDEO PROGRAMS MADE POSSIBLE BY
Cardinal Health

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY
Rohauer Collection Foundation 

WEXNER CENTER PROGRAMS MADE POSSIBLE BY
Greater Columbus Arts Council
The Wexner Family
National Endowment for the Arts
Ohio Arts Council
L Brands Foundation
The Columbus Foundation
Nationwide Foundation
Institute of Museum and Library Services
Vorys, Sater, Seymour, and Pease

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY
Mike and Paige Crane
Axium Packaging
CampusParc
Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams
President Kristina M. Johnson and Mrs. Veronica Meinhard
Nancy Kramer
Larry and Donna James
Lisa Barton
Johanna DeStefano
Jones Day
Alex and Renée Shumate

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Past Film/Video

The World’s Greatest Sinner

Feb 25, 2023 3:30 PM EST
Film/Video Theater

$7 members and seniors
$9 general public
$5 students

View our current COVID-19 protocols.

ACCESSIBILITY
We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals, including individuals with disabilities, to engage fully. If you have questions about accessibility or require an accommodation such as CART captioning or ASL interpretation to participate in this event, please contact Accessibility Manager Helyn Marshall at accessibility@wexarts.org or via telephone at (614) 688-3890. Requests made by two weeks in advance will generally allow us to provide seamless access, but the Wexner Center for the Arts will make every effort to meet requests made after this date.

Become a Member