Ken Anderson was one of evangelical cinema's pioneers. After founding Gospel Films in 1949, he would write and direct dozens of films (including IN HIS STEPS and PILGRIM'S PROGRESS) -- primarily shown in churches, schools or youth centers -- and soon became the world's largest distributor of Christian movies. Touted as "Canada's first religious church feature," MAN OF STEEL takes a rather unorthodox stance (a Canadian movie that's anti-beer!?!), yet arrives at a predictably preachy finale... Overworked steel plant president Jeff Forbes (Harry Elders) decides to take a camping vacation in the Canadian Yukon, accompanied by wife Elizabeth and teenage son Kevin (John Washbrook, the juvenile lead on the 1950s MY FRIEND FLICKA television series) -- who's not particularly excited about this excursion, since it'll take him away from girlfriend Dana (Elizabeth Lee), whose white-trash slob father disapproves of her dating a "rich kid." Once in the Great White North, Jeff plans to rendezvous with grizzled guide Klondike Joe, an "utterly godless" drunk. To the family's surprise, Joe is now totally sober, regularly goes to church and invites a visiting preacher (real-life evangelist Barry Moore) along on their hunting trip, so any free time can be spent droning on and on about the joy of converting to Christianity. When Kevin is attacked by a bear, you actually wonder if the kid did it intentionally, since being mauled seems preferable to one more minute with this insufferable blowhard. Returning home, Jeff's "transforming experience" with Jesus has him skipping weekend golf in favor of reading the Bible, and more excited about an evangelical crusade than tending to his steel company job. Meanwhile, Kevin is pressured by Dana to try beer for the first time and winds up wasted! No surprise, his holier-than-thou father is apoplectic, because if your otherwise perfect son gets drunk even one time, treat him like he just chainsawed a busload of nuns. That's the Christian way! But soon the Bible begins to rub off on Kevin as well, who'd rather discuss religion with Dana than make out with her. And when she drags him to a party full of soused teens, you can bet it'll end in hokey tragedy, with Kevin ultimately forced to choose between his newfound faith or a pretty girlfriend. Only 80 minutes long, Anderson pads out his thin story with wildlife footage, picturesque scenery and old-timey tourist attractions during the opening reels, and though things pick up a bit once Kevin takes center stage in the second half, like so many Christian efforts, it ends with a longwinded sermon. Alas, charisma-deficient Barry Moore is no Billy Graham, and he's definitely no Estus W. Pirkle. The script is often laughably condescending (wealthy dad muses, "I wonder if we wouldn't be happier just as common folks?" I'm sure the "common folks" sweating their asses off in your steel plant are downright euphoric!), along with cheap sets, stock characters and flaccid performances. Nevertheless, the National Evangelical Film Foundation awarded it "Christian Oscars" for Best Film, Best Actor (Elders) and Best Actress (Lee). 1967 must've been a very slow year.

© 2024 by Steven Puchalski.