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.

REVIEW: "States of Grace"

When I was a kid Lucky Charms was one of my favorite breakfast cereals. Like most kids, I suppose, I was chiefly interested in the colorful marshmallows and put up with the plainer pieces of cereal in order to get to the more enjoyable "charms."
This is largely how I felt about Richard Dutcher's "States of Grace." The film contained "charms" of its own but I felt like I had to wait through a bit of "filler" in order to reach them. This, however, did not make them any less enjoyable but the film as a whole seemed to lack unity or much of a through line. Its emotional power was too frequently lost in the incidental scenes that at times seemed more of a chore than a pleasure to get through.
Clearly this is not a perfect film. Dutcher seems to lack a cohesive, consistent, visual style, a reality attested to by this and his other film pursuits. His writing seems to bounce between sentimentality and edginess and at times feels directionless. Those on screen at times tend to feel more like stock characters than anything else. And several of the scenes in this film were almost painfully long.
It seems almost as if Dutcher spent most of his time and energy on the last thirty minutes of the film and threw together some material to lead up to his emotional climax. I was captivated by Elder Farrell's tragic fall, by Carl's ethical struggle, by the powerful message of Christ's mercy that Holly shared in the hospital. The scene in which Carl revisits the site of his baptism was both visually stunning and emotionally effecting and I very much appreciated the "tearjerker" ending. Yes, Dutcher tends to push buttons but I admire the courage it takes for him to examine such difficult issues.
Church members will (understandably) be bothered by the obvious oversights of both missionaries and their president, but the examination of what is right vs. what is obedient is compelling. The issues explored are difficult to deal with but the overarching message of the grace of God and the enabling power thereof redeems these characters from the (pretty stupid) mistakes they make. All in all, I appreciate the gesture Dutcher made in writing and directing "States of Grace" than I did the film itself. Mormon cinema needs to not shy away from questions without answers and subject matter that makes us squirm in our seats. Richard Dutcher taught us this.

REVIEW: "Brigham Young"

Darryl F. Zanuck's 1940 film "Brigham Young" marked a significant milestone for Mormon cinema: it was arguably the first positive cinematic portrayal of the Church as a whole that was not produced by the Church itself. Though more than half a century has passed away since the film was released its history provides unique insight into the future of Mormon Film.
The primary question raised by "Brigham Young" is twofold. First, what is the effect of the depction of the Church in the media? Second, at what cost is this benefit acceptable? The film was, on the whole, remarkably positive. It portrayed Young as an American hero and displayed a sort of idealistic Western aesthetic in its cinematography. Gone was the idea that the Mormons are a marginal Christian sect too mysterious to be accepted. With this film came the mainstream understanding that still manifests itself in the Church's public relations today. Obviously a film such as this would raise awareness and promote tolerance of a group of whom many Americans had been greatly afraid for quite some time. Church members received the film with great enthusiasm and understandably so.
The second question raises more debate. At times in "Brigham Young" it was clear that writer Louis Bromfield and director Henry hathaway seemed eager to make Brigham Young seem like a folksy American pioneer leader rather than an inspired prophet of God. Religion was barely discussed and the theology of the Church seemed peripheral at best. This is understandable, of course. Zanuck was interested in making money and, as a commercial pursuit, the film needed to maintain a wide appeal and avoid alienating audience members with rich religious content. Thus, compromises were made in order to create a compelling Hollywood narrative. Young was made to look more like an "Average Joe" and the Saints seemed to be just a band of pioneers who embodied American ideals.
This detail sheds light on a paradox that has been a part of Mormon culture for as long as I can remember: how do we reconcile our desire to stand out as a people with the need to fit in? On the one hand we believe to be the only true and living church on the face of the earth and on the other hand we recognize the need to be good neighbors and demonstrate that we are, in fact, much like they are. "Brigham Young" calls attention to this dillemma and, in my opinion, makes a noble effort to reconcile the two schools of thought. All in all, an admirable gesture toward fair representation.