WITNESSES CRASHES AND BURNS!

[malkie]

I think people would have flocked to Deer Jesus, but I could be mistaken.

I doubt that this Deer Jesus would be up there with car chases or talking babies for most of the Saint viewers.

Gemli: "Every time I read the book of Ether it puts me to sleep."

No one else on Sic et Non got Gemli's pun.

Mark Twain would have got it.

[Kishkumen]

I think people would have flocked to Deer Jesus, but I could be mistaken.

My work is done here.

[Sledge]

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/danpeters ... s-far.html

(I’m pretty sure it’s eleventh, not tenth)

How many other “faith-focused” movies are out at the moment? It reads as if the Exec. Co. Prod. Is taking the distributors word for everything. He didn’t know how many premiere screenings there were, now he’s unsure where movie rankings are to be found…is he distancing himself from Witnesses already?

Hey, how much money did your movie make?

[drumdude]

Interesting article over at Sic Et Non:

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

First, though: This article, by Professor W. Hamblin, was just published in Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-Day Saint Thought and Shoddy Scholarship:

"How Witnesses (2021) Saved Cinemas, as seen through the lens of Nephi 234:3"

Abstract: Witnesses while a modest commercial success, had its most profound impact on easing of cinema occupancy and mask mandates, and corresponds highly to the increase in sales overall across the U.S. Using baysian analysis and the pattern of chiasmus in Nephi 234:3, we show that the increase in cinema sales is extremely likely to be causally connected to the release of Witnesses (2021).

[IHAQ]

R. Smith is not the only faithful member who takes issue with the Witnesses movie...

Peppermint Patty

Robert, I just saw the movie and your criticism's are valid. I wanted to see more character development for the 3 witnesses. Their characters were undeveloped and shallow. In real life the witnesses were very complex and interesting individuals. I wanted to see real characters and not just shallow cardboard cutouts.

https://www.mormondialogue.org/topic/73 ... -and-more/
mfbukowski

Agree that it has its flaws.

There needed to be more character development, and to me all the characters looked alike, I had trouble at first sorting out who was whom, between say who played "young" David Whitmer vs "old" David Whitmer. Multiply that by all the characters, with different actors playing each character at different life stages, for me, it was confusing.

[Dr Exiled]

Looks like some MD&D posters are turning into evil apostates. Don't they know that a bad review supports the devil and those who want to tear down DCP, the Church?

[Jason Bourne]

I feel ill-equipped in reviewing what I saw this morning, but I'll give it a try. I saw it in West Jordan, UT per Scratch's question. I didn't plan on it, nor did I expect to find myself with such an open schedule this morning. I'm but minutes from the theater, and seeing it was playing at the perfect time, fitting in with my schedule, I took the opportunity.

I got my ticket at the door right at about 10 am and sat in an empty theater. As I suggested that made me feel awkward. What do they do with movies when no one shows up? I honestly don't know.

The movie finally starts. You know all the previews that they run through. I realized I could have showed up at 10:20, but it's been quite a while since I've been to the movies, I plum forgot that they did those...and so many.

Scene: 1833 MO. David Whitmer is taken from his home in front of his wife, escorted to one of the more contrived scenes where we see a stage, an angry crowd, and a few others kneeling, hands tied behind their backs. Whitmer is forced to his knees and lined up. YOu may recognize this if you've seen the trailer.

A bad guy with a gun yells out, "who is David Whitmer?"
Silence.
The bad guy smacks one of the kneeling beleaguered fellows, inspiring Whitmer to yell out, "I am he".

The guy rushes him and threatens, after asking a few more questions, "renounce the story about the Book of Mormon that you and JOe Smith made up or you shall die", stealing, it seems, a common urban legend about a believer having to face a murderer who proposes one to renounce the faith or die.

Whitmer's brave response comes at the end of the movie. Or if you want to watch the trailer you can see it there.

The scene: 1888 MO. David Whitmer's working in his barn and a reporter approaches. David initially cold and bothered, turns him away, conveniently an old note is near, he opens it and re-reads it. It inspires him to call the reporter back. David recounts the story to the reporter and the movie plays out as he narrates.

Some of the typical events show up. Joseph flees attackers while carrying the plates. Lucy and Martin lose the manuscript. Martin tries to trick Joseph by switching out the stone (Joseph says "it's dark as Egypt..." one of Peterson's favorite lines). The hat? Oh my the hat. It shows Joseph looking into the hat, while holding it as if he's reading a book. No burying his face or closing out the light. He just holds it while reading words as if he's holding a book with two hands. Interesting depiction considering all the play on that.

Martin and Lucy separate and another contrived scene plays out. They are in some sort of court. Lucy wants Joseph to be condemned. Martin's in the audience as Lucy testifies. But she gave Joseph $28 they point out. So, says the judge, of sorts, since Lucy and Martin gave joseph money willingly there is no con here. The court is dismissed and Lucy looks like a fool embarrassed in front of a previously anti-Joseph audience.

Joseph was being called prophet before the Book of Mormon translation, long before the church was organized. Emma, after having lost a baby during pregnancy, yells at him to fix the dead baby, since he is a prophet, bring it back like Peter of old would do. Joseph whines, "I'm no Peter". They hug.

Another scene has Joseph visiting his family and a couple of bad guys show up poking around looking for the plates. Joseph's little brother gets scared as the family prepares to scare them off. Joseph turns to his little bro saying, don't be scared, if you do get scared just yell louder. They burst open the front door, yelling while firing their guns into the air. Joseph smiles with a twinkle in his eye as he looks at his younger brother who smiles back, while the bad guys run off. I don't know how they could have fit in more corny scenes than what they did, but this was a doozy.

Oliver comes on scene. Helps translate, baptizes and gets baptized...everything is going swimmingly. They complete the translation and David Whitmer, who is said to be Oliver's friend, gets all excited and runs home to his girlfriend and hugs her with joy.

ANother scene has David showing up to visit Oliver and Joseph. David W had yet to meet Joseph. Oliver tells David W, we know you rushed on the way...stopped at some place and road hard to get there. David W is taken aback with some wonder how did they know what he was up to. Oliver chimes in, Joseph's stones are for more than just translating--leaving the audience with the impression Joseph was watching David W travel to Pennsylvania through his stone.

Alright I'm going way too play-by-play here....Fast-foward a bit.. Sidney Rigdon comes on board and as soon as he does, Joseph upsets Oliver, David and Martin by elevating him in rank. I mean as briefly and vaguely as they could, they have Oliver confront Joseph on Fanny Alger. I would guess most would not really follow what is being said in this scene, but it's mentioned. And the Kirtland banking scam gets mention. the movie exonerates Joseph for being too generous to run a bank--he and his wife hug as the scene fades with her exclaiming without a doubt he's a prophet.

Hyrum Page gets his revelation. Oliver and others support it. Joseph condemns it. They get upset, thinking he's taking too much power.

David, Oliver and Martin got excoriated in front of everyone by Sidney while Joseph sat approvingly and then Joseph sends them each a noted of excommunication. Martin, as narrator, points out JOseph was very forgiving and was always willing to have them back. Oliver gets rebaptized in 1848 but dies before he joins the body of the saints, the closing notes suggest. Martin rejoins when he was 87. And David never does. But each, it says, spent their days defending the Book of Mormon.

It closes with David W claiming the story was true, to the guy who wanted to kill him. The determined murderer's heart grew 3 sizes that day and he told his followers to let David W go.

I don't know what I expected. I did expect more. Something more interesting and fun. A little smoother. I thought we'd get some better acting. I thought we'd get better characters. They were terrible. Each and every person, with a slight head nod to Lucy Mack Smith. The best part of the movie was the beautiful camera work. The beautiful landscapes scenes and some of the set up scenes were nice. The story was really poorly done. It didn't flow well. It was poorly crafted, it seemed to me. Someone unfamiliar with the story would be lost, I'd think. Most of the little nuggets of information would be missed.

Anyway...my take.

Sounds like a lot was contrived and not historical? I do not recall Whitmer ever being taken by a mob and threatened if he did not recant.

[IHAQ]

The Exec. Co. Prod. is now (4 days after its premiere) exhorting people to go and see the Witnesses movie a second time, days after they saw it the first time.

First, go out and see Witnesses if you haven't already. And if you have already seen it, go see it again. Preferably with family, neighbours, and friends in tow.

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

Given that the Exec. Co. Prod. is currently relaxing in Newport Beach, California I suspect he isn't leading from the front on this one.

[Tom]

Box Office Mojo reports that the film grossed $36,000 on Monday. That seems to be an overly-round figure, and I wouldn't be surprised if the number is revised soon. In any case, here are the other stats from the site:

Theaters: 84
Average: $428
To date: $162,928

In related news, the Deseret News reports (I added the links to Box Office Mojo data):

“Witnesses,” a locally produced faith-based film, opened last weekend with a strong debut.

The church history movie landed at No. 11 on a national list of films for the weekend of June 4-6, earning more than $126,000, according to Boxofficemojo.com.

The positive launch places “Witnesses” in company with other Latter-day Saint films such as “The Other Side of Heaven” (2001), “The Saratov Approach” (2013) and “Meet the Mormons” (2014), all of which gained national attention when released.

Those involved with the film were thrilled with the opening weekend results.

Director Mark Goodman said there were times during the COVID-19 pandemic when he wasn’t sure if the film would come together, but the results show the effort was worth it. . . .

Purdie Distribution Founder and President Brandon Purdie, who is overseeing the movie’s distribution, was equally impressed.

“We are thrilled to join Warner Bros., Disney, Paramount, and Lions Gate among America’s top films this weekend,” Purdie said.

[Tom]

I do not recall Whitmer ever being taken by a mob and threatened if he did not recant.

The scene was probably inspired by the following sources:

“[W]hen the mob again assembled, they went to the houses of several of the leading Mormons; and, taking Isaac Morley, David Whitmer, and others, they told them to bid their families farewell, for they would never see them again. Then driving them at the point of the bayonet to the public square, they stripped and tarred and feathered them, amidst menaces and insults. The commanding officer then called twelve of his men, and ordering them to cock their guns and present them at the prisoner's breasts, and to be ready to fire when he gave the word,--he addressed the prisoners, threatening them with instant death, unless they denied the Book of Mormon and confessed it to be a fraud; at the same time adding, that if they did so, they might enjoy the privileges of citizens. David Whitmer, hereupon, lifted up his hands and bore witness that the Book of Mormon was the Word of God. The mob then let them go.”

John P. Greene, Facts Relative to the Expulsion of the Mormons or Latter-day Saints, from the State of Missouri, Under the "Exterminating Order" (1839), 17, https://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/digital/c ... 2538/rec/3.

“I have been surrounded by hostile mobs, on one occasion numbering four or five hundred, demanding I should deny what is published over my name in the Book of Mormon; but the testimony I gave to that mob made them fear and tremble, and I escaped from them. One gentleman, a doctor, an unbeliever, told me afterwards that the bold and fearless testimony borne on that occasion and the fear that seemed to take hold of the mob had made him a believer in the Book of Mormon.”

See Letter from James H. Hart, Deseret Evening News, Sept. 4, 1883, p. 2, https://newspapers.lib.utah.edu/file?id=23176783 (third column from left).