Last Saturday the whole family drove out towards the airport to see a movie. It was a very special one, made by the same man who did their Sunday favorites “One Good Man” and “Errand of Angels”. So we took a chance they would enjoy this one, too. It’s called “Joseph Smith and the Golden Plates”, and although dealing with Church history, it is not made by the Church. It happened to be the world premiere, although it was shown at the LDS Film Festival in Provo earlier this year. However, it wasn’t actually finished at the time, they filmed a scene for it the day after the festival ended!
Chris joked that maybe there would be paparazzi and a red carpet. ha! He’s so funny. But he did get to take a photo with the producer/director/writer/editor of the movie and his wife!
Chris and he attended the same ward in Dornbirn, Austria while growing up, and have kept in touch all these years. One of the few people Chris does keep in contact with, actually.
Even though we got there 45 minutes before the show started, the place was already packed. We ended up sitting in the fourth row, but since the seats tilted back, it wasn’t so bad.
See that black bag with the white writing on it? That is mine, and it was stuffed full of water, dried fruit, and bread. The movie started at 5, which meant we left home at 3:40. After the show ended, Christian got up and told some interesting stories about things that happened while they were filming, and then opened it up to questions from the audience. So we didn’t actually leave the theater until after 8. That’s why I had mini-dinner packed in my purse. 🙂
The movie was fantastic. There were a couple scenes where the kids cuddled up to me or Chris, or covered their eyes. But as we told them, Joseph Smith had some really scary things happen to him, and it’s only right they be shown in the movie. It wasn’t anything graphic, just a sinister music to set the tone, and the mean words the men were saying. But the kids could feel the evil intent pretty well. Which is a testament to good film making, I think.
We talked about the movie the whole way home, and I know at least I thought about it quite a bit for several days afterward. Christian mentioned that it was the first in a planned trilogy, but he would have to wait and see if there was enough funding for the next two. They would require more complex special effects, due to all the violence that occurred towards the Saints, and Joseph in particular, and he wanted to be able to do them justice. I hope they do eventually get filmed. They would be amazing to watch, just based on this first one.
We ordered the DVD before we even saw the film, and will be able to watch it in May, rather than waiting til it hits the stores in November. I highly recommend this film to anyone. What a great look at the human side of Joseph Smith, and a testament to his determination to be obedient to God’s will, no matter the personal cost.