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The Eyes of Tammy Faye
I was surprised to learn from The Eyes of Tammy Faye that Tammy Faye was the first Christian figurehead to publicly reach out to the homosexual community back when AIDS was still considered the disease of gays and lesbians. At about this documentary’s halfway mark, we see a clip from Faye’s old TV show in which, after interviewing a gay man suffering from AIDS, she looks into the camera and states in a weepy tone that Christians should be ashamed of themselves for not reaching out in love to gays and AIDS victims. “Isn’t that what Jesus would have done?” she asks. It is these kinds of moments that make The Eyes of Tammy Faye, a documentary about the rise-and-fall-and-rise of the Queen of Christian Tele-Evangelism, such a moving experience. Love her or hate her (and hey, I’ll admit—I love this woman!), Tammy Faye had a rare gift: the ability to look into the camera and see the individual soul of every single one of her viewers staring back at her. But Faye’s good spirit reaches even farther than that: This film also offers many candid moments with the woman; in these moments, her mannerisms and sincerity are exactly the same as they are when she is in front of a studio audience. Think about that for a minute—there is not a deceptive bone in her entire body, no matter what the courts might have said about her ex-husband Jim Bakker. This documentary plays like a love letter from the homosexual community that she embraced when nearly all other mainstream Christian preachers (led by Jerry Falwell) reigned down fire and judgment on them. The film’s directors, Fenton Bailey and Randy Burbato, are homosexuals, its narration is performed by gay transvestite RuPaul, and among the interviewees are gay minister Mel White and entertainer Jim J. Bullock, the latter of whom declares affectionately, “After the holocaust, there will be roaches, Tammy Faye and Cher.” I’d add Martha Stewart and Oprah to that list, but that’s an entirely different matter. If you are not familiar with the Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker scandal and/or miscarriage of justice (depending on who you ask), I won’t disclose it here, as this film works as an informative general overview of the Bakkers, their history, and their eventual downfall, and the directors effectively pace the events as if they were making a narrative film. You don’t need to know anything about the Bakkers to enjoy the film, but the chances are that you’ll admire them by the time that it is over. I was already aware of their plight: I previously read Son of a Preacher Man by the son Jay Bakker, a fascinating little book that details the case from the point of view of the family. Jay reveals that when the Moral Majority, led by Falwell, declared themselves the spokesmen for the fundamentalist, evangelical church, many good Christians became causalities in the war—including the Bakkers, who Falwell allegedly betrayed and discredited so that he could gain control of their television kingdom. Jim Bakker also told his own accounts of the story in his autobiography I Was Wrong, unread by me. I therefore knew much of the story already as the film unfolded, but that did not keep me from enjoying the picture, if for no other reason than its invaluable look into the personality of Tammy Faye. It is probably impossible for any person or film to conclude what makes her tick and tock, but here we get a fascinating look at her components: Her unspoken obsession with ceramic dolls (which hover over her in nearly all of her interviews), her glazed-on mascara and makeup (“When an eyelash falls off, I just put another one on!”), her demonstrations of the voices she used for the puppets that launched the careers of her and her former husband, and her honest claims about her struggles with faith. The extraordinary thing about these aspects of her personality is that they are clearly not a show that she is putting on for recognition or publicity—this is who she is and who she would have been regardless of her status as an icon. There is something appealing—even beautiful—about her honesty and her own lighthearted self-deprecation (“I know I wear too much makeup. But I wouldn’t be me without it.”). Beyond her self-confessed eccentricities, Failey and Burbato clearly depict her as a woman exuberating with love, acceptance, tolerance, and faith. There is an absolutely charming scene in which Faye, long after the past scandals, is invited to hold a concert at a large church. The pastor of the church is being interviewed, and he reveals that an elderly woman approached him in the hallway of the church and asked angrily why “this woman” is being allowed to sing there after all the scandals. “Suddenly, Tammy Faye walks in,” the pastor reveals, and we see the footage of the oblivious Tammy as she walks down the hall, sees the old woman, tenderly embraces her, says, “Bless your heart!” and walks away. “The woman,” the pastor reveals, “was in the front row for the concert, smiling widely through the whole thing.” What is amazing about this story is that Faye did not embrace this woman because she knew what was being said between her and the pastor; she embraced this woman because it was in her nature. And the elderly woman is clearly moved. I tell you, friends, scenes like that are enough to make a believer out of you! The film continuously presents scenes like that that provide a simple, sincere look at Tammy Faye, and the approach goes a long way. The film is a charming tribute to one of America’s truly most unique figures. By the end of The Eyes of Tammy Faye, you get the impression that she is indeed one of God’s favorite people. Cast: Lions Gates Film presents a Cinemax film. Directed by Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato. Narrated by RuPaul. Rated PG-13 for sexuality. Running time: 76 minutes. Original United States theatrical release date: January 25, 2000 (Sundance Film Festival). Questions? Comments? E-mail me: danel_the_tinman@hotmail.com |
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