REVIEW: "Trapped by the Mormons"

Before the LDS church had even been organized, persecution raged against it. Anti-Mormon propoganda is older than the church itself and H. B. Parkinson's film "Trapped by the Mormons" certainly wasn't an unusual film when it was released in 1922. In fact it followed a stream of what have been dubbed "Mormonsploitation" films and was based on a salatious and sensationalist novel by anti-Mormon crusader Winifred Graham. What is interesting, though, is the draw Mormonism seemed to hold for artists at the turn of the century and during the onset of film as a creative medium.
Indeed, "Trapped by the Mormons" is not an extraordinary film in its own right. It was received well enough but holds a fascination for me because of its sensationalist content. Isoldi Keene, the film's central main character, is a fearsome villain and fits the bill for a melodramatic fiend. He also happens to be a Mormon missionary who mesmorizes women with his eyes and tricks them into entering into polygamist unions with him and his devilish Mormon friends. This film certainly was shocking to all audiences in 1922 and alarming to Church members and leadership. As evidenced by this and several other films, the Mormon missionary had become a stereotypical villian in stock films of the age, which begs the question: why?
Mormonism lent itself to sensationalism and provided a certain amount of mystery. One need not know much about the church to see that these films have very little basis in truth. However, a far-off people about whom no one seemed to know for certain was ample fodder for compelling stories. People did not flock to the theaters in order to be instructed about a religion, rather they sought a good story and an entertaining film. While Graham's novel assuredly had its roots in anti-Mormon sentiments, the film's interests were mostly commercial.
This practice continues today, though less noticably. The unknown is easy to exploit and audiences care more about being entertained than being preached to. Moviemakers knew it then and they know it now and films continue to exploit, while not taking a serious stand on one side or the other. Perhaps "Trapped by the Mormons" was not the obvious affront to the Mormon religion tat it has been made out to be. Perhaps it was a lucrative artistic venture that tapped into what seemed to be a gold mine of material.