An “Insider” Speaks: “Six Days in August” is “Absolute garbage”

[Tom]

A few additional comments and questions:

The filmmakers signal to the audience immediately that the person speaking at the beginning of trailer is a fanatical anti-Mormon villain because he uses the name “Joe Smith.”

I agree with Doctor Scratch that the title cards are over the top. Is this an independent, “warts-and-all” film or a faith-promoting video more geared toward seminary classes and temple visitor centers?

The Joseph in the jail scene does not strike me as a 38-year-old man. He’s too fresh-faced.

Will Joseph pull out a pepperbox during the jail scene in the movie?

A cartoonish-looking villain identified in the cast list as “Sharp’s Henchman” makes several appearances in the trailer. See here, for example. I think the actor needs to tone it down.

Why does Thomas Sharp seem to be crawling on a table as he exclaims, “They are too powerful”?

The anachronisms in the trailer are distracting. I hope they will be fixed in the final version of the film.

[Doctor Scratch]

My "informant" said that history in the film had been "whitewashed," so I think you make good points, Analytics and Tom. With "Witnesses," the Executive Producer went out of his way to assert that the movie would be historically accurate, but now that I think about it, there hasn't been a similar emphasis for this latest movie. And Joseph Smith's pepperbox pistol and the destruction of the printing press would be 2 key events to use as a means of assessing the filmmakers' commitment to historical accuracy.

[Gadianton]

The only motivation I see is pretty hard-core LDS apologetic. If you think you totally justified Joseph with Witnesses, then you may realize that getting from Smith to the whole Restored Church being True means getting through Brother Brigham as well. Wouldn’t it be great if we could re-brand Young from weird-bearded frontier tyrant with a million wives into a handsome young dude who is humble but resolute?

Hell on Wheels pulled off a solid portrayal of Brigham Young. Some of the guys at work brought it up a couple times, none of them having anything to do with Mormonism nor was this job in Utah. Brigham was considered a "bad ass" by these guys. It makes me think that Interpreter missed an opportunity. As everyone is saying, this is like North Korean cinema. But it's worse, because it's such a little-known affair to Mormons and non-Mormons alike that it relies on suggestion from the Imperial Producer of the film to tell us how we're supposed to feel about everything, all the while we have no reason to care to feel that way. If the film were about Kim Jong Il as successor to Kim Il Sung, I think viewers would be more interested in how the drama unfolded than a heroic portrayal of Kim Jong Il defeating his uncle and nephews for his father's favor. Who in their right mind would be like, "what a ride! I had no idea how close the world came to never having Dear Leader Jong Il!"

A gritty, even portrayal of the events, not making Brigham Young the good guy or Smith a victim or Mormons even necessarily good would have made at least some viewers more interested in Mormonism. An earthy drama where Young outmaneuver's his competition and people are drawn in to the stakes such as they were to the folks of the time.

It is possible that the Imperial Producer has no interest in getting folks interested in Mormonism. In a death circle with FIRM and Book of Mormon Central crushing Interpreter, perhaps the movie is a way to signal his own orthodoxy to the Brethren and gain an advantage.

[Doctor Scratch]

Excellent points, Dean Robbers. It is certainly very difficult to detach the film from internal Mopologetic political maneuvering. The FAIR Conference is right around the corner, and increasingly, the old-school, classic-FARMS way of doing things is seeming outre. And “Interpreter” is seeming more and more like a joke—like a laughable third wheel, or an embarrassing fart that someone inadvertently let loose in the room.

Book of Mormon Central (or “Scripture Central,” as it were) is wearing the champion’s belt at the moment. They are excelling in seemingly every way. That they have managed to break bread and mend bridges with FIRM is *HUGE*. And there has been no mention of this nor any acknowledgment of it from the Interpreter camp.

And so we’re left with this film. The Imperial Producer—“The Emperor,” as it were—apparently feels very strongly about this project—even moved to tears as he watched it. While the Interpreter blog is left to flounder, the movie still gets special attention, such as viewings in the midst of fancy vacations. But when you compare this to what Meldrum, Gordon, and Welch are doing, it makes sense that they would want to keep the Imperial Producer at an arm’s length distance away. You can practically inhale the sense of alienation. These other apologetic entities recognize how distorted the film is—how much it’s a vanity project, and a work of obvious propaganda. So, sure: they’ll let The Emperor plug this thing at the FAIR Conference as a matter of long-standing respect, but you can bet they’re holding their noses while they do it. They’ve already left the Interpreter crew behind in favor of this female-centric faction.

And you are right: BY in this iteration seems to have been stripped of all dramatic interest. I’m sure that the Kevin Bacon-esque actor is very talented, but he is badly miscast here. I mean, can you imagine this guy ordering up the Mountain Meadows Massacre?

[Gadianton]

No I can't, but the Hell on Wheels BY would have, and would have sold that BY to a large swath of non-Mormon viewers. That the aforementioned Emperor was moved to tears raises all kinds of questions. For instance, did an initial script fail to move the afore to tears and thus, "suggestions" were made by Imperial fiat which once incorporated, met the bar of tear moving? If that's the case, then a bizarre question of -- was it orthodoxy or viewing ones own suggestions that made the difference? That's wild when you think about it. I'm left wondering if the plot unfolds in such a way that the BY character is symbolic of the former head of the Maxwell Institute, with competitors symbolic of BoC or FIRM, and BY winning out as a subliminal victory for Interpreter? We'll see what the Proprietor of a certain blog has to say in the coming weeks.

[Moksha]

Interpreter Board members witnessing Dr. Peterson's countenance turn to that of Joseph Smith would be a compelling reason to give back control of the Maxwell Institute.

[Doctor Scratch]

No I can't, but the Hell on Wheels BY would have, and would have sold that BY to a large swath of non-Mormon viewers. That the aforementioned Emperor was moved to tears raises all kinds of questions. For instance, did an initial script fail to move the afore to tears and thus, "suggestions" were made by Imperial fiat which once incorporated, met the bar of tear moving? If that's the case, then a bizarre question of -- was it orthodoxy or viewing ones own suggestions that made the difference? That's wild when you think about it. I'm left wondering if the plot unfolds in such a way that the BY character is symbolic of the former head of the Maxwell Institute, with competitors symbolic of BoC or FIRM, and BY winning out as a subliminal victory for Interpreter? We'll see what the Proprietor of a certain blog has to say in the coming weeks.

Indeed we will. Unless I'm mistaken, the whole point of the FAIR Conference for the Emperor is to plug this film. And your analysis of the tearfulness certainly raises a number of very troubling questions.

[Marcus]

Excellent points, Dean Robbers. It is certainly very difficult to detach the film from internal Mopologetic political maneuvering. The FAIR Conference is right around the corner, and increasingly, the old-school, classic-FARMS way of doing things is seeming outre.

One other thing that's right around the corner is an apparent wrapping up of the ghost committee Early Modern English exploration. I'll start another thread about it, but I thought you'd appreciate this additional item in the current cavalcade of odd mopologetic offerings that are piling up. In a very subdued announcement:

Please be aware of the following and, if you’ll be in the area at the appropriate time, please mark the date and come! Royal describes this as his “swan song.”

...Saturday, August 10, 2024 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.

with two presentations open to the public

Royal Skousen

“The Innovative and Revolutionary Book of Mormon Critical Text Project”

Stanford Carmack

“The Archaic Language
of the Original Book of Mormon Text”

preceded by an informal open house with the presenters from 12 noon to 1:00 p.m.
along with a viewing of displays...

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/danpeters ... words.html

[Tom]

And so we’re left with this film. The Imperial Producer—“The Emperor,” as it were—apparently feels very strongly about this project—even moved to tears as he watched it. While the Interpreter blog is left to flounder, the movie still gets special attention, such as viewings in the midst of fancy vacations. But when you compare this to what Meldrum, Gordon, and Welch are doing, it makes sense that they would want to keep the Imperial Producer at an arm’s length distance away. You can practically inhale the sense of alienation. These other apologetic entities recognize how distorted the film is—how much it’s a vanity project, and a work of obvious propaganda. So, sure: they’ll let The Emperor plug this thing at the FAIR Conference as a matter of long-standing respect, but you can bet they’re holding their noses while they do it. They’ve already left the Interpreter crew behind in favor of this female-centric faction.

And you are right: BY in this iteration seems to have been stripped of all dramatic interest. I’m sure that the Kevin Bacon-esque actor is very talented, but he is badly miscast here. I mean, can you imagine this guy ordering up the Mountain Meadows Massacre?

I could see him playing the part of a king during the Crusades. I don’t see him as Brigham Young.

The Relief Society sister in Parowan and I are planning to go hear the Proprietor “raise a voice on [Young’s] behalf” at the FAIR conference. But I agree that the Proprietor will probably use all or a good bit of his 25 minutes as an infomercial for Six Days. Perhaps I’ll ask him during the morning Q&A session to comment on the report that three-quarters of the movie elapses before it reaches Day One and to respond to allegations that the film is filled with amateurish anachronisms.

Posted from Home of Truth, Utah

[Doctor Scratch]

lol. That presentation description sure is fancy. What, was it written as an afterthought at 2:00 AM while jet lagged at the airport or something? “Church” isn’t even capitalized.