The Work and the Glory
When Benjamin Steed and Mary Ann Steed relocate their family to upstate New York in the early 1800's, they unwittingly settle in a town divided along religious lines. After their new hired help turns out to be at the center of the uproar, each member of the Steed family must come to terms with their own beliefs in the face of heavy persecution. Together they struggle to weather the raging controversy surrounding a young man named Joseph Smith.
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- Cast:
- Sam Hennings , Brenda Strong , Eric Johnson , Alexander Carroll , Tiffany Dupont , Brighton Hertford , Kimberly Varadi
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Reviews
Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.
When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.
I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.
Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.
Despite being LDS, I didn't expect much from the film. Handling matters which are sacred to anyone is difficult, and I appreciated the film's ability to deal with the subjects frankly without beating anyone over the head. The film has a nice balance between telling a family's story and the religion's. I think the Steed family was wonderfully portrayed, each performance engaging and unique. I'm looking forward to seeing the second film and then the third that just came out ... assuming they ever bother bringing it to New York State.My one casting beef was with Joseph Smith - also the hardest one to cast. While the actor does a good job showing that he really believes his account and is trying his best to live among people who don't, he gets this head-shake thing going on whenever he discusses spiritual matters as if he is trying to prove his sincerity in his body language and that was very distracting by the end of the movie.
This is a great period drama and captures the essence of the time period in Palmyra New York. Attention to detail is good and the the screenplay well written portraying best selling author Gerald N. Lund's intentions.The scenery is beautiful and attention to detail is strong. However, my one criticism is that the shop keeper's daughter seems to well dressed against the backdrop of the other's authentic dress which seems more believable. I found the characters very dramatic and the casting in general is a credit to the casting director. The story line blends fiction with historical facts. The whole story is very controversial if left alone as a piece of history. This film brings everything to life and brings a greater understand of Joseph Smith and this period of time, along with the story of the Restoration. Sam Hennings portrayal of Joseph Smith was very true to the character that others have recorded.
I thought this movie was really good I just got to see it tonight. I really do think that the members of The Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints or if u would like to call us Mormons needs to take a none member to go and see this movie. I'm a member of the church and I really thought it was really good and I hope that they make a second movie for the second book and just to let u all know their are 9 books of this movie and I also thought the guy that played Joseph Smith was a Hottie and I really do think everyone should go out and see this movie. The Book Of Mormon is another Testament of Jesus Christ and I really do believe that Joseph Smith seen Heavenly Father and his Son when he was 14 years old. I have a testimony of Joseph Smith and he's my favorite Prophet but still none members go out and talk to a member of the church and see if u can get a Book Of Mormon and read it its really good and well yeah just talk to a member or just go to the movie and see the movie for your self.
My chief complaint about this movie is that the advertising is ambiguous and misleading. It gives you the impression that it is an early American faming/romance movie when it is actually a Mormon recruiting film. I like learning about other faiths and I am proud to say I was one of the few adventurous soles who saw "Mohamed messenger of god". I am glad I learned about the formation of the Mormon faith but I do like being tricked into seeing it.If you judge this film solely as a religious film then it is better than average. However, if you judge it by normal standards then it falls short. It is a bit melodramatic with a weak plot that is contorted to show the founding of the Mormon Church. The acting is mediocre with inexperienced actors in key roles. In one particular scene it was obvious by the eye movements that they were reading lines. The main plot of two brothers vying for the same girl just sinks into nonsense. The cinematography was nice and the best part of this effort. In summary, see this movie if you would like to learn about the founding of the Mormon faith otherwise avoid it.I would warn that judging by the huge number of glowing recommendations on this website that Mormons are piling on the praise partly with pride in their faith and partly as a missionary effort. There is nothing wrong with that but you should be aware of it. My observation of Mormons is that they are fine people and a credit to their faith. If you doubt my observation, note that no credible source reviewed it.Finally, I say that the producers did this film a disservice by disguising the true nature of it. There are thousands of Mormons in my town yet the theater was empty probably because they did not know about it. Proper marketing would have done it better service and brought in a lot of people like me who like knowing about the religious diversity of this country.