This is a filmed version of the hit play about a con man preacher which performed to sold out houses in Long Beach, New York, and Hollywood. Filmed at the prestigious Stella Adler Theatre at Hollywood and Highland, just steps from where the Oscars are held, critics hailed Richard Rossi's "stellar performance as Gantry." In 1998, the play was done as a 1920's period piece and broadcast live on TV from Long Beach, CA. Richard Rossi went out on the edge in conceptualizing this version as a modern story happening today in a contemporary narrative. He wanted it held at the Stella Adler Theatre to honor Stella's contribution to acting in teaching Marlon Brando and others. This contemporary concept inspired Rossi's film version "Canaan Land," released in 2020.—George Shapiro