“SEPTEMBER DAWN” film by Christopher Cain, Sony Pictures, 2007
Reviewed by DON HAVIS
“September Dawn,” stars Jon Voight and an able but almost completely unknown cast of supporting actors including Trent Ford, Tamara Hope, Jon Greis, Tylor Handley, Huntley Ritter, Krisinda Cain and Shaun Johnston. The movie tells the little-known story of the greatest civilian massacre (outside of a war setting) in the history of the United States — the infamous Mountain Meadows Massacre. The basic agreed-upon facts are that a peaceful wagon train of approximately 140 prospective California settlers, known as the Fencher party, were attacked and massacred, except for 17 children under the age of 8, in a location in Utah territory known as Mountain Meadows on, interestingly enough, September 11, 1857.
The most fascinating thing about the movie is that it was made at all. Immediately after the massacre, the incident was the talk of territories. An inquest was held to determine all the facts. Two trials were held and one lone Mormon, John Lee, was convicted and executed for the crime. However, after that, the event seemed to have been wiped out of our society’s collective memory. Most U.S. history books simply don’t mention it. The Mormon Church to this day claims that only one or two maverick Mormons, in cahoots with some “wild Paiute Indians” pulled it off for their own personal gain. Brigham Young himself testified at the inquest in 1875 — the opening scene in the movie — that he had heard nothing about it util after it had happened. Riiiight! Most Mormons even today have no knowledge of the event, and the Mormon Church would still very much like to keep it that way.
After seeing the movie, which can only be accomplished by renting the DVD, since its very brief run in only obscure theaters is now over. I can clearly understand why the Mormon Church — the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints — worked so hard to keep the movie from being made in the first place, and then did everything they could, with some considerable success, to limit its distribution. The actual facts of the planning and execution of the massacre by Mormon officials, with the cooperation of a very small number of Paiute Indians, are remarkably close to the known facts of the case, as documented in what I believe is the best book on the subject: American Massacre by Sally Denton, publish by Alfred A. Knopf, 2003.
Of course Hollywood has added a gratuitous love story between a local Mormon boy, Jonathan, played by Trent Ford, son of the local Mormon Bishop, Jacob Samuelson (John Voight), and the angelic daughter of the Fancher party’s Christian minister, Emily, played by Tamara Hope. The fictitious Mormon lad tries to save his doomed sweetheart in the Fancher party, but is foiled by his evil Mormon bishop father, but at the last minute…Well, you’ll see what happens when you rent the DVD. Embarrassingly, the writer of the DVD case is either an idiot, or a faithful Mormon. He says “The question of whether the attack was carried out but local Piute Indians or by a renegade sect of the Mormon Church remains unsolved to this day.” WRONG! Apparently, the jacket note writer did not view the movie. I may be positively biased, but teacher Don gives the movie a B+. Highly recommended, especially for the faithless.
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