"The Holy Ghost People"

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that Peter Adair's documentary film "The Holy Ghost People" is about people in a Pentecostal church in West Virginia who claim to receive the Holy Ghost as a source of power and happiness, and, when possessed by the Holy Ghost, their bodies jerk and they speak in unintelligible languages. The author points out that the main message, which Adair's cinematography is trying to convey, is that people can express their emotions without using words. The paper relates that the most telling shot in the entire documentary is the last one in which the camera focuses on the bloody cloth, which the man is using to wipe his hand thus showing the real danger, but the man, who was bitten by a poisonous snake, stays calm.

From the Paper:

"One interesting aspect, for me, was that I couldn't understand some of what people either said or sang, partly because of their accents, partly because of the muffled sound quality. However, this added to the feeling of intrigue and made me focus more on the tone of the songs and voices and rely more on body language and other visual stimuli. The few shots of the area in West Virginia this documentary was shot in tells a lot about who these people are. It is barren, poor, and run down. These people are disenfranchised and suffering under poverty. Even the trees cannot bear leaves, life is so cold. This is the reality of the snake handling people."

More papers on "The Holy Ghost People":

• Book Review # 126599 : "'The Canterville Ghost' and Culture Clash"
• Book Review # 45992 : "The Unquiet Ghost"
• Analytical Essay # 23966 : "The Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost"

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