Mountain Meadows Massacre at the Movies

September Dawn, a film about the Mountain Meadows massacre of a wagon train of 120 emigrants in south Utah by local Mormons and Indians, hit the box office this week, no doubt seeking to cash in on the ultra-controversial topic (and perhaps to take advantage of the heightened profile of Mormonism lately due to the presidential bid of Mitt Romney). As expected, LDS apologists and anti-Mormons alike have already begun forming arguments concerning to the movie's content. Even the Church magazine, The Ensign, will run an article on the history of the event in its upcoming issue.

The Mormons aren't the only ones up in arms about the flick, however. Non-Mormon film critics, including Roger Ebert, have berated the film for not only its poor screenplay, acting and directing, but also its obvious bias. Below are a few of the more pithy comments, in my opinion:

"September Dawn was made primarily as a history lesson, to bring to light an atrocity that took place 150 years ago, and to underscore the parallels between the religious fanaticism of the past and the religious fanaticism of the present. ... And here's where things get a bit dodgy. The film clearly pins responsibility for the massacre onto Brigham Young (Terence Stamp), the head of the Mormon church and the Governor of Utah at that time; but historians ... say it is unclear whether Young was directly involved. If the film was assuming his responsibility for dramatic purposes, and using it to explore an even larger theme, that would be one thing; but instead, Young's alleged responsibility is itself the point that the film wants to hammer home. ... What makes this portrayal even more questionable is the stark contrast the movie draws between the Mormons and the settlers. ... Those who want to know what really happened ... are advised to look elsewhere." - Chattaway, Peter T. "September Dawn." Christianity Today. 24 August 2007.

"Imagine a half-baked remake of Schindler’s List by Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and you get the idea." AND "Religious bias clouds Dawn. ... The obvious bias in this scenario is so flagrant as to be cartoonish. ... [The authors] are anything but subtle with the film’s message which can roughly be summed up as Mormons=bad, Protestants=good. ... Though Young’s involvement has never been established, speculation about such has been a favorite pastime in anti-Mormon Evangelical circles for years, which is where this film was seemingly hatched. Not only is co-writer Schutter an avowed Evangelical, but the film also reportedly enlisted as advisor Brigham Young descendent Sandra Tanner, a practicing Evangelical who, with her husband, runs a Utah-based ministry that specializes in attacking the Mormon Church. ... Not that September Dawn is likely to stir much of a controversy, anyway. Apart from a handful of Bible Belt markets that will devour it like red meat, the self-distributed picture is more likely to be greeted by Mormons and non-Mormons alike with exceeding apathy – more offensive for its slapdash storytelling than its willfully slanderous bias." - Major, Wade. "September Dawn." Boxoffice.com. 24 August 2007.

"It has the chilling certitude of the self-righteous. ... This misguided 9/11 allegory and fictionalization of that history utterly demonizes the perpetrators of that massacre and those who may have given the orders. ... Every religion, when scrutinized by a skeptic, is open to mockery. Tune in to South Park if you want satire that ridicules, sect by sect, all comers in the world of religious zealots especially Mormons. But September Dawn isn't mockery. It's practically a call to jihad. ... We can probably count the days until this shows up for sale on fringe Christian TV channels, its virtues trumpeted by some minister or other marketing his or her version of 'The Truth.' There are facts here ... but there's the unmistakable air of evil about this enterprise, and not just an atrocity the Mormon church caused to happen 150 years ago." - Moore, Roger. "'September Dawn' is a misguided 9/11 allegory." Orlando Sentinel. 24 August 2007.

"There will be many who will see September Dawn as an anti-Mormon film. And there's no question that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is portrayed in the film as a cult like religion of fanatics. Mormons no doubt will feel personally attacked, and they should." - Nielson, Richard. "September Dawn." The Arizona Republic. 24 August 2007.

"The jarring MTV-style filmmaking is so distracting and the 'messaging' so unsubtle that after two long hours you find yourself leaving the theater with a massive headache, wondering when you started to hate Mormons." - Register, Brett. "Film Review: September Dawn." Orlando Weekly. 23 August 2007.

If, in fact, the movie was an attempt to forward some sort of agenda, it appears it may have backfired - at least with those who actually see the film.

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