"Mormon Women and Depression"

This documentary was quite inspirational to me for a variety of reasons. First, I was impressed by the sheer bravery it took to undertake such a project. The filmmakers were exploring an issue that remains difficult for many Church members to talk about. There was even a certain amount of controversy surrounding the distribution of this film as well. The subjects portrayed, though, are truly the heroes (or heroines) of the piece. I can't imagine how much it must have taken for these women to tell their tragic, moving, and inspiring stories for all the world to see.
Secondly, I believe that this film is the best example of what can happen when Christian (read: also Mormon) values meet real world (read: Telestial) problems. This is the Atonement in action. This is forgiveness, love, opposition, suffering, pain, improvement, mercy, kindness, etc. The most emotional moment of the film for me came as one woman described how her testimony of the eternal nature of her marriage and family ultimately saved her life. She talked about how her husband had refused to give up on her even in the depths of her depression and I'm hard-pressed to think of any better example of Christlike love in any other film I've seen. Yes, it's tough to face the "harsh truth." But this is what I think will really inspire us.

Worldwide Training Broadcast

What makes this broadcast different? The biggest difference to me is the natural and (for lack of a better word) casual approach the speakers and Church leaders took in their presentations. Elder Holland’s opening address seemed to me to be the most scripted. Elder Packer, then, was shown at a desk with papers and open scriptures and delivered an address that flowed naturally as if each of us were sitting on the other side of that desk and receiving personal counsel from a loving leader.
The bulk of the presentation consisted of a round-table discussion with Elder Oaks, Elder Holland, and the presidents of the auxiliaries. It was great to see these leaders in an environment other than the somewhat artificial and polished feel of General Conference. One of my religion professors was talking about the days when conference talks were unscripted and the speakers were allowed to speak from the heart. He mentioned that the death of Elder McConkie was largely the cause of this change and that the “feel” of General Conference has changed significantly since. I don’t know for myself. Obviously, the current form is the only one with which I’ve ever been familiar, but this broadcast gave me a taste of how it must be to see these leaders in a different context.
I think this is a brave move on the part of the Church media. It was inspiring and edifying in a different way from typical Church broadcasts. I hope we can see more of this in the future and that we can continue to feel a more “personal touch” in Church training.

"Pioneers in Petticoats"

Many things can be said about “Pioneers in Petticoats.” It was a Sunday afternoon movie for me growing up and my brothers and I valued it mostly for its comedic value. Really, the low production value, contrived plot, and melodramatic acting just begged for giggles from adolescent boys. Recently, though, it has struck me that this movie says a great deal about the values of the Church and how the media of film can be used to promote important values.
This film explains clearly that personal standards are delineated by Church leaders for the protection of its members. Abigail’s dismissal of the values of the Retrenchment Society brought upon her undesirable results. She found herself in an unsavory environment and nearly fell victim to the designs of a dangerous man largely because of her apathetic treatment of Church standards.
Interestingly, the movie was made in 1969, a time when issues of modesty, morality, and obedience to Church leaders were of utmost importance. Certainly, the Church leaders saw the growing trends of disobedience and promiscuity in the world and made a film both to commemorate the origins of the Young Women’s organization and to drive how the standards for which it has stood since its commencement so many years ago. Melodrama and silliness aside, the message is important and likely made a significant difference in its time.

"Ice Cream and Elevators"

“Ice Cream and Elevators” seems elementary and simplistic to present-day students. However, it effectively pioneered a genre that has proven to remain crowd-pleasing and commercially viable today. There is something about Mormon culture (especially BYU culture) that lends itself to parody and “Ice Cream and Elevators” is an early example of this phenomenon. This, then, begs the question: why is BYU Mormon Culture so easy to exploit for comedic motives and why do we find it so humorous?
I think any group of people put in a microcosm such as BYU will lend itself to the extremes we see in films like “Ice Cream and Elevators,” “Singles Ward,” and the like. The humor comes largely from the potential comparison of BYU culture to the rest of the world. Those who take the counsel to be a “peculiar people” too far are, quite frankly, a comic gold mine. BYU also has a dating and romance culture unlike any other in the world. Even those involved therein acknowledge that strange things happen at BYU. Finally, a certain amount of familiarity placed within a more outlandish story can be very humorous. In this film, we saw many familiar thing: art exhibits at the HFAC, waiting for the national anthem to play, and apartments that likely haven’t changed since the time of filming. Much of the laughter was that of recognition as we saw our world blown up on the big screen with larger-than-life characters and laughable situations. There is something delightful and healthy about laughing at yourself and this genre allows for a truly cathartic release.

"Jesus Camp"

Yeah, I know, this is not a "Mormon film." It wasn't on the syllabus and I really didn't even watch it for class. BUT after watching it I am convinced that it has EVERYTHING to do with Mormons and film.
A quick summary from Netflix: This riveting Oscar-nominated documentary offers an unfiltered look at a revivalist subculture where devout Christian youngsters are being primed to deliver the fundamentalist community's religious and political messages. Building an evangelical army of tomorrow, the Kids on Fire summer camp in Devil's Lake, N.D., is dedicated to deepening the preteens' spirituality and sowing the seeds of political activism as they're exhorted to "take back America for Christ."
First, this movie is about religion. It shows a religion and its effect on people. It is an expose of sorts and has a decided slant against religion. Or at least this particular religion... I was struck by the surface similarities and fundamental differences between my own faith and the evangelical religion portrayed in the documentary. While the rhetoric is similar (talk of the fight against Satan, the resistance to evil, the need for repentance) the overarching feel is quite different. The theology of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is characterized by a positive and constructive sentiment. The focus is on building people up. The doctrine of exhaltation has, at its core, the fundamental idea that mankind can continue to improve unto perfection. I did not see this in "Jesus Camp." In their righteous cause (which, all "scariness" aside, I am convinced is largely the same cause for which we're fighting) their focus seems to be destructive, belittling and cruel. To see the teachings of Christ bastardized in such a way was quite disturbing. It was intersting, though, to see how close we come to this alternative that we admitedly see as frightening.
More importantly, though, the film dealt with the role of Christianity in America today. This is certainly an issue with which Mormon Film is concerned. The people in this film spoke at length of the need to "take back America for Christ." Can we do this? How do we do this? Does it have anything to do with the destructive demonstartions I saw in this movie? I hope not. And, quite honestly, I hope this is not the state of Christianity in America. If so, we've got a lot of work to do.

REVIEW: "Wagon Master"

It is interesting to contrast "Wagon Master" with "brigham Young," a movie ten years its senior. Both could be classified as westerns, both involve Mormon pioneers, both are intended crowd-pleasers. And both try to portray the LDS people as ideal Americans. Anti-Mormon sentiment is a old as the Church itself and it is interesting to see two films that go out of their way to portray the Church in a positive light. It certianly has something to do with the fact that negative portrayal of religion was illegal at the time but I think there is something to filmmakers' apparant interest in looking to such a marginalized group as a portrait of the American Dream. It seems to spring from largely the same impulse as early anti-Mormon films. The Church here is a tool for storytelling purposes. While it was easy at first to use the Mormons as mysterious villains in horrifying settings, it became as convenient to utilize a group of good people with romantic ideals as subjects (or at least as a motif) in western cinema. Interestingly, the neutral portrayal of groups of Mormons has proven time and time again to be quite a blessing for the Church's public relations. To be seen in the public eye as ideal Americans seems to be quite the missionary tool.