Inadvands
Boring, over-political, tech fuzed mess
Whitech
It is not only a funny movie, but it allows a great amount of joy for anyone who watches it.
StyleSk8r
At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.
Spoon-5
Scott Renshaw of the Charleston City PaperOne of the flagship IMDb user reviews for September dawn is entitled, "Leanr (sic) the history before commenting." I couldn't agree more.To that end, and in the spirit of equal time and hearing both sides of the story, I am providing the following links so that those genuinely interested in what happened; the corresponding historical, social, and religious context; and how the LDS Church feels about it, can read it from an unfiltered source. The articles linked are fully cross-referenced to other LDS and non-LDS works.Statement by the LDS Church: http://tinyurl.com/2f44gow Review of the book and film by Craig L. Foster of BYU's Maxwell Institute: http://tinyurl.com/3n7gumdDon't believe everything you see in the movies.
blwilmeth
The love story between the local Mormon boy and the pastor's daughter is not something upon which I can comment; however, virtually all the other facts surrounding this sad episode as set forth in the film are accurate. Here in Utah, there remains a grave sense of unease over just how much (if any) participation by authorities in Salt Lake City impacted the decisions made with respect to Mountain Meadows. There certainly is circumstantial evidence that implicates the highest levels of the church. Moreover, and what makes this event so hard to put to rest, since the highest levels of the Mormon Church have never admitted to any involvement in the massacre, they cannot really apologize for the outcome. The incident remains a never ending stain on the history of Utah, and it is not likely that the truth (in re: church officials in SLC and their involvement) will ever be known or admitted.
revsolly
I must commend the stark reality portrayed in this movie.One has to remember that the Mormon church has always had shifting teachings, values & morals. Their stance, as portrayed for this time period, was that their "prophet" spoke directly from God (just as the Islamists claim that Mohammed spoke directly from their god, Allah). While there have been, and can be, those who prophesy what the Lord has given them, Christians have never created a whole religion around any of them. That is the key difference between Christianity & cults like the Mormons.This movie shows the terrible rift between Mormons & actual Christians & how, when man is involved, such a rift can end in bloody tragedy. The mere fact that the LDS group moved with such deception against the wagon train is proof enough of the waywardness of their stance.It is, indeed, a shame that one person was made the scapegoat of this whole affair, while his own father & the elders of their sect refuse to help him. Again, this is illustrative of the heart of this particular cult.I commend the son who attempted to stop the massacre. Although unsuccessful, his attempt was honest & properly motivated. His disillusionment was his own, personal greatest tragedy.
FightingWesterner
September Dawn is a dark tale of frontier fanaticism, paranoia, and rage. I'm not quite sure what message the filmmakers are trying to convey. Is the film anti-religion or anti-Mormon, or is it both?To me (and maybe I'm just reflecting my own views) it seems like an allusion to radical Islam as the date of September the eleventh is prominently highlighted and in one scene a fanatical Mormon invokes the name of Mohammed. Jon Voight's speech to his son about being saved by John Smith parallels that of the recruitment of suicide bombers. The manipulation by church leaders seems very much in keeping with modern events. Then again, Hollywood doesn't seem smart enough to disguise a critique of modern radical Islam as a movie about radical 1850's Mormonism!Jon Voight and Terence Stamp give powerful performances and the actors that play the teenage characters are good as well. One scene I thought was exceptionally chilling was the one that contrasted the hopeful prayers of the grateful settlers with the angry hate- filled (Islamic?) prayer of Voight.Watching the ambush scene, It's easy to see why the LDS are angry with their depiction in the film. Despite being an exceptional drama, I'm not sure about the film's assertions about Brigham Young (I wasn't there) but I think that there should be real evidence (not just suspicion) before a person is possibly slandered.
