September Dawn had glimpses of Joseph Smith played by Dean Cain that played him in a light that he more likely deserves. I want to barf when I see Joseph Smith played in official church movies that make him out to be some great bold powerful godly leader. I want to see a movie that shows him getting drunk on wine and then going out into the barn to hump some house maid (nothing explicit), but if the implication was there. Are there any movies that portray true JS history like that?

Apparently Richard Dutcher who was TBM at the time, started making a movie about JS. He had made other popular mo movies like Gods Army. The story goes, he was researching the history of JS because he wanted the movie to be real and honest.

That's when it all came down like a deck of cards for him. He said that one minute he was a full believer and the next he wasn't.

So I don't think there is anything out there, but I would love to see one.

Richard Dutcher supposedly still wants to make the Joseph Smith film. However it is unlikely he will ever be able to. He got big donations from Larry Miller and other mormons to make his previous mormon related films. Now that he has left the church, those donations are not going to be coming.

Honestly leaving the church was a bad financial decision for him. His built in following is gone now, and he doesn't exactly have a national following. Good for him on a personal level though.

The life of Joseph Smith would make a great movie. No visions, no golden plates, no angels. Just scumbag Smith ripping people off as a treasure seeker, then starting his con-game church, getting drunk, preying on young girls, being a sociopathic egomaniac, and finally getting what he deserved at Carthage.

So it would be more of a documentary than a movie.

Not sure if you intended your last sentence to be a punch line, but that's the best laugh I had today. Thanks. :)

I have a fantasy of a three-part miniseries about the life of JS. I even have the title: "Lust for Glory."

First night, 2 hours: Palmyra, treasure digging, Claiming the angel Nephi appeared to him (yes, you read it right). Alvin's death, the big revival of 1924-25, his 1826 trial for being a "glass looker," marrying Emma, "translating" the Book of Mormon and starting the Church. I would make sure that it was shown that the Indians being of Jewish descent was a popular idea of the time (View of the Hebrews etc.) but would not actually show Joseph reading VOTH.

Second night. 2 hours. Ohio and Missouri: Sidney Rigdon. move to Kirtland, move to Missouri, Missouri war, extermination order, escape from Liberty jail, Kirtland temple (which would be nothing like current "temple" practices--dancing in the temple for example), "polygamy" starting with Fanny Alger, buying the mummies and papyri and beginning "translating" the Book of Abraham. Kirtland anti-Banking scandal, The great apostasy from the Church over it and JS changing revelations, and leaving the area for . . .

Third night: Nauvoo. John C. Bennet, William Law. Nauvoo Legion, introducing polygamy to his confidents. The anointed Quorum, secretly talking teen-age girls into his "polygamy" practice, Masonry-Endowment ceremony, the lid comes off polygamy, Joseph's bragadoccio speeches, Nauvoo Enquirer, Trouble with Emma, Joseph goes to Carthage and dies in a gun battle.

I would try to make everything as historically accurate as possible. I would not show any actual visitations or plates (except under a cloth) and have all miraculous occurances happen "offstage" so the viewer can make up their mind if it was real or not. However there would be NO mention of the first vision in episode 1 since the historical record doesn't mention it until much later.

I think non-Mormons would find it fascinating and find Joseph Smith a flawed but symphathetic character (kinda like Tony Soprano). Mormons would call it a hatchet job. Either way it would be one hell of a series and all of it historical! There's enough sex, violence, intrigue and passionate action to easily fill 7 hours.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/15/2012 12:24AM by baura.

baura,

You got it right. The script is all there in the history books. No need to embellish anything -- the true story of JS is appalling and riveting.

When the Mormons say it's all lies, we just say it's all history- we only deal with the facts.

Oh my goodness I would LOVE that! History channel would be great, but HBO would be awesome. I'm dying to see the tar & feather scene-- morbid -- I know...

Ooh, what about an HBO series where it goes further into the BY sitch -- Mountain Meadows, javeline through the heart and all that jazz? That way it could be multiple seasons and very detailed. Who knows? They made Big Love. Why wouldn't they be interested in this? History is so easily contaminated by spin. It's almost like our duty or something to fix the current narrative, yeah?

I just today got a copy of the 2011 documentary "A Mormon President," produced by Adam Christing (ex-RLDS). It features Joseph Smith's attempt to get elected to the US presidency. I haven't had a chance to watch it yet. I will return and report.

You can watch the trailer here: http://amormonpresident.com/



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/15/2012 12:27AM by RPackham.

I have a copy of it. I think it's very good. I thought it would be one of those "evangelical-inspired hatchet jobs." It's not. There are Mormons and critics of Mormonism commenting with equal weight. Very well done IMHO.