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RDWinmill (not verified) says:
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.
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