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I have access to "September Dawn" and the John Larsen thread about MMM has got me thinking about watching it today.

Yes, I know that some of the quotes are taken out of context, yes I know it's a fictionalized dramatization.

Should I still watch it and why?

Jersey Girl wrote:I have access to "September Dawn" and the John Larsen thread about MMM has got me thinking about watching it today.

Yes, I know that some of the quotes are taken out of context, yes I know it's a fictionalized dramatization.

Should I still watch it and why?

It's really poorly done, probably the worst movie released in 2007.

But if you want to have a better sense of the subject matter, go ahead and watch it.

Don't expect great filmmaking. It's bad on many levels.



Edited to add: Jersey Girl, I'd read Roger Ebert's review and the reviews on Rotten Tomatoes beforehand if I were you.

Jersey Girl wrote:I have access to "September Dawn" and the John Larsen thread about MMM has got me thinking about watching it today.

Yes, I know that some of the quotes are taken out of context, yes I know it's a fictionalized dramatization.

Should I still watch it and why?

I haven't watched it. I have read a few books on the subject matter and found MANY interesting websites. There are websites with court documentation from the trials and quite a bit of historical records. If you really want to understand MMM there are ways to do so outside that movie.

If you do watch it report back with what you think, please? :)

Jersey Girl wrote:I have access to "September Dawn" and the John Larsen thread about MMM has got me thinking about watching it today.

Yes, I know that some of the quotes are taken out of context, yes I know it's a fictionalized dramatization.

Should I still watch it and why?

Because it is American cinema and a piece of entertainment. It is in an area you seem to be fascinated with in particular.

the road to hana wrote:

Jersey Girl wrote:I have access to "September Dawn" and the John Larsen thread about MMM has got me thinking about watching it today.

Yes, I know that some of the quotes are taken out of context, yes I know it's a fictionalized dramatization.

Should I still watch it and why?

It's really poorly done, probably the worst movie released in 2007.

But if you want to have a better sense of the subject matter, go ahead and watch it.

Don't expect great filmmaking. It's bad on many levels.



Edited to add: Jersey Girl, I'd read Roger Ebert's review and the reviews on Rotten Tomatoes beforehand if I were you.

hana,

I've read reviews of it prior to and after it's widespread release, interviews with Jon Voight (who doesn't seem to have an understanding that the quotes attributed to Brigham Young and others were taken out of context), on message boards and dialogued with LDS regarding MMM online for years. I'm just wondering if the film itself has any merit at all.

Is it very dark and depressing?

Mercury wrote:

Jersey Girl wrote:I have access to "September Dawn" and the John Larsen thread about MMM has got me thinking about watching it today.

Yes, I know that some of the quotes are taken out of context, yes I know it's a fictionalized dramatization.

Should I still watch it and why?

Because it is American cinema and a piece of entertainment. It is in an area you seem to be fascinated with in particular.

I wonder how entertaining I really will find it. Heck, even Hank Hanegraaf saw fit to criticize the film.

Moniker wrote:

Jersey Girl wrote:I have access to "September Dawn" and the John Larsen thread about MMM has got me thinking about watching it today.

Yes, I know that some of the quotes are taken out of context, yes I know it's a fictionalized dramatization.

Should I still watch it and why?

I haven't watched it. I have read a few books on the subject matter and found MANY interesting websites. There are websites with court documentation from the trials and quite a bit of historical records. If you really want to understand MMM there are ways to do so outside that movie.

If you do watch it report back with what you think, please? :)

Oh sure, make me the lab rat! I just need to know if it's entirely depressing.

Jersey Girl wrote:

the road to hana wrote:

Jersey Girl wrote:I have access to "September Dawn" and the John Larsen thread about MMM has got me thinking about watching it today.

Yes, I know that some of the quotes are taken out of context, yes I know it's a fictionalized dramatization.

Should I still watch it and why?

It's really poorly done, probably the worst movie released in 2007.

But if you want to have a better sense of the subject matter, go ahead and watch it.

Don't expect great filmmaking. It's bad on many levels.



Edited to add: Jersey Girl, I'd read Roger Ebert's review and the reviews on Rotten Tomatoes beforehand if I were you.

hana,

I've read reviews of it prior to and after it's widespread release, interviews with Jon Voight (who doesn't seem to have an understanding that the quotes attributed to Brigham Young and others were taken out of context), on message boards and dialogued with LDS regarding MMM online for years. I'm just wondering if the film itself has any merit at all.

Is it very dark and depressing?

It's just very badly done. Jon Voight should be embarrassed to be associated with it. Much of the film is caricature. There's a love story interjected to (I assume) try to soften the horror.

The massacre part itself is horrible, and did make me very sad. But is it Gangs of New York violence? No. Some of it is actually silly, particularly the bloodthirsty bishop's son who paints himself up like an Indian and goes on a killing rampage.

Terence Stamp as Brigham Young is an odd choice. I kept thinking of him as General Zod in Superman.

I'd vote for you to see the film. I expect you'll come away from it with many of the same impressions I had. In spite of all its badness, I did have a better sense of some aspects of the event than I did before I watched it (some of it you really do need to see visually to get the impact).

the road to hana wrote:

Jersey Girl wrote:

the road to hana wrote:

Jersey Girl wrote:I have access to "September Dawn" and the John Larsen thread about MMM has got me thinking about watching it today.

Yes, I know that some of the quotes are taken out of context, yes I know it's a fictionalized dramatization.

Should I still watch it and why?

It's really poorly done, probably the worst movie released in 2007.

But if you want to have a better sense of the subject matter, go ahead and watch it.

Don't expect great filmmaking. It's bad on many levels.



Edited to add: Jersey Girl, I'd read Roger Ebert's review and the reviews on Rotten Tomatoes beforehand if I were you.

hana,

I've read reviews of it prior to and after it's widespread release, interviews with Jon Voight (who doesn't seem to have an understanding that the quotes attributed to Brigham Young and others were taken out of context), on message boards and dialogued with LDS regarding MMM online for years. I'm just wondering if the film itself has any merit at all.

Is it very dark and depressing?

It's just very badly done. Jon Voight should be embarrassed to be associated with it. Much of the film is caricature. There's a love story interjected to (I assume) try to soften the horror.

The massacre part itself is horrible, and did make me very sad. But is it Gangs of New York violence? No. Some of it is actually silly, particularly the bloodthirsty bishop's son who paints himself up like an Indian and goes on a killing rampage.

Terence Stamp as Brigham Young is an odd choice. I kept thinking of him as General Zod in Superman.

I'd vote for you to see the film. I expect you'll come away from it with many of the same impressions I had. In spite of all its badness, I did have a better sense of some aspects of the event than I did before I watched it (some of it you really do need to see visually to get the impact).

Alright then, I'm off to find and watch it. I only hope that if there are many horses involved, my pugs don't go nutty barking at them. They hate movie horses...and John Travolta. I kid you not!

I bawled my eyes out -

To see the persecution of so many innocent people was tragic - I don't know if quotes were taken out of context, you can read BY journals yourself

I think it is worth seeing for the content and church history that is not discussed among the members; if you're simply searching for oscar winner you won't find it here.