Mormon Cowboy
On the morning of September 11, 1857, a wagon train of 120 men, women and children en route from Arkansas to California were murdered near Cedar City, Utah. The killers, history suggests, were likely God-fearing Mormons.
The Mountain Meadows Massacre, as the bloody event is known, provided the inspiration for director Christopher Cain’s new film, September Dawn. The movie, which hinges on a Romeo-and-Juliet love story, promises to be nothing short of a public relations disaster for the L.D.S. church.
“Whenever you do a film of this kind, a film with considerable controversy behind it, it’s not like telling a dirty joke—you’ve gotta do it well,” Mr. Cain, who also co-wrote and produced the film, told The Observer over the phone from his home in Aspen, Colorado. And in the case of September Dawn, a huge part of doing it well meant finding the right actor to play the lead, a maniacal Mormon bishop named Jacob Samuelson.
Enter Academy Award winner Jon Voight.
At 68 years old, Mr. Voight, is apparently still capable of evoking the frigid intensity that won him critical acclaim for his roles in classics like Midnight Cowboy, Deliverance and, more recently, Mission: Impossible. For Mr. Cain’s production, however, which largely took place in the Canadian Rockies, Mr. Voight brings a whole new sober malevolence to his role as Bishop Samuelson, whose sinister gaze and ice-water voice are nothing short of terrifying.
A longtime friend of Mr. Voight, Mr. Cain said he was the obvious choice for the film: “Jon is a very studious actor. He studied as much of the history as he could about this, so we were able to give him a lot of information, a lot of detail.” He continued, “I knew it needed somebody with courage to play this role, and he has that.”
September Dawn will open in theaters nationwide on Aug. 24.
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JON VOIGHT IS A REAL COWBOY WITH REAL GUTS!!!!
He supports our troops and is a great American Actor!
I am really looking forward to seeing this film!
I hear he may already win another Academy Award for his performance!!!!
Jon Voight and this movie is bringing to the American people a part of history that the Mormon Church has hidden for 150 years. I hope everyone will go see this movie and take their friends. We (Rocky and Helen Hulse had the pleasure of having four of the descendants of those massacred on the Fancher/Baker wagon train Phil Bolinger, Ron Wright, Bob Fancher and Scott Fancher of the Mountain Meadows Massacre Foundation on three of TV programs "Truth Outreach" which will air on our website www.nauvoochristian.org or www.ctni.org Sunday August 19th at 9:30 am and 10:30 pm (EST)
This is a horrible part of history that needs to be corrected only the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints can do this by allowing the descendant of this wagon train to bury their dead.
Look, this may have been a horrible part of history, and no one at all denies Mormons were involved, but no credible (or even slightly intelligent) historian argues that Brigham Young ordered the massacre. Historians argue to no end about whether Young was an "accessory-after-the-fact" but this movie stands alone in modern treatment of the massacre in blaming Young for ordering it. It may make a good movie, but it is bad history. What is the motive for impugning Young and other mormons who did not commit the tragedy?
The movie, by the admission of Jon Voight himself, provides no context for the tradegy which grew out of historically violent persecution including extermination orders issued by Missouri and Illinois governors against the Mormon people.
Nor does it bother to portray extreme isolation of the people who out of great fear perpetrated this terrible massacre. If you have ever been in Southern Utah, the extent of the geographical isolation can be clearly understood, being as they were a hard three day one way ride from Salt Lake City.
Michael Medved explains the disconnect between the movie and historical events in his USA Today column on the subject,
“Far from being "hidden in a cloak of secrecy and conspiracy," the awful occurrence has received regular historical commemoration (including regretful recognition from Mormon officials) and inspired numerous books, articles and documentary films.”
“The film, … downplays events preceding the Mountain Meadows rampage, including brutal persecution of Mormon settlements in Ohio, Missouri and Illinois, that led to the trek to Utah. Just before the incident the film portrays, the federal government sent troops [2,500 troops or about 25% of the U.S. Army marched to Utah in what was know as the Utah War, a Utah Expedition or Buchanan's Blunder] West with orders to remove Brigham Young as governor of the territory, and the movie never acknowledges Young's ultimate agreement to step down peacefully, avoiding the feared bloodbath between U.S. soldiers and Mormon militia.
http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2007/08/hollywoods-terr.html
There are several good books by historians (today) that prove Brighan Young was involved. You might want to read just one by John D. Lee, the one Mormon who was tried and found quilty wrote his own book before he was shot through the heart, in order to shed his own blood for the murders, think maybe he was telling the truth?
As for impugning Young and other Mormons, it goes right to top today. The current Mormon prophet Gordon B. Hinckley could with his signature release Mountain Meadows, admit guilt and apologize, but that will never happen until the America people know the truth about the Massacre American's First 9/11
Take a look at the website of just one of the descendants of the Fancher/Baker wagaon train and you might learn some uncensored history. Frank Kirkman's Mountain Meadows Massacre http://www.1857massacre.com/
New book "When Salt Lake City Calls" by Rocky Hulse
Chapter nine covers "Mountain Meadows Massacre"
There are no doubt bad people in all religions but that doesn't make the religion or its people bad, just the ones who perpetuated the bad deeds. Thank goodness there is a God who will straigten these things out and we don't have to. We will probably never know what really happened but the man upstairs does so let him take the revenge. Revenge is mine saith the Lord.
Without a doubt this was a great movie and should have been seem by every America. Why? This movie revealed a part of America History, that has been buried by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints {more commonly known as the Mormon Church or LDS)for 150 years! 'September Dawn' reveals what blind obedience to the LDS Church Prophets, Brethren and Priesthood Leaders held over its members then and now. Many did not get to see this movie for various reasons and that is sad; however, now it has been released on DVD. Buy it, rent it or find a way to watch it. Then learn all you can about the truth of what happen during the Mountain Meadows Massacre on September 11, 1857 - America's First 9/11. There are many good books available to read that reveal the truth, they are not hard to find. The Mormon Church should let those they murdered at Mountain Meadows go, the time has finally come. The Mormon Church can do the right thing and set Mountain Meadows free today with one signature from the current Mormon Prophet Gordon B Hinckley!
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