The Work and the Glory

My wife and I had just completed reading all nine volumes of TW&TG just a month or so previous to our taking in the motion picture. We are fortunate that we live in one of the few areas outside the Wasatch Front that is privileged to get these films for short engagements at one single Mega-plex here in west Houston.

I had read reviews here and elsewhere that had led me to believe the quality of the acting would be "below average," but I have to say that I cannot agree. No one is bucking for an "Oscar" here but the acting is at least on the level of your typical made-for-TV miniseries, the like of which were popular in the late-70s and 80s. Even some of the minor characters like that of "Will Murdock" were played quite believably; I did not note much in the way of "hammy" quality even in those scenes where you might expect it (crowd scenes e.g.) With minor changes the story was faithful to the first volume of Lund's "nonology," and although I thought the part of Joseph Smith Jr. was ably played the focus really was on the Steed family and friends and the reactions of those protagonists to what was transpiring.

They spent a good amount of script-time on the conflict between the family members--especially Joshua and his father--and I thought did a good job of efficiently moving the story along without the benefit of "backstory" that the novel affords.

I think I enjoyed most of all the seemingly accurate depiction of American frontier life in the 1830s (even though like the book, the dialog is glaringly "modern"), and the score.

The music's effectiveness was accompanied by a very good audio track that allowed a clear understanding of what was being said (even asides by "extras" during crowd scenes). The sound quality overall was just superb.

The camera work was likewise. I am amazed at how well-lighted even a low-budget film like this can be given current technology. There were a few scenes that were rather dim, but I thought this actually contributed to the feeling of being there at a time when coal-lamps were the source of light after dark. One scene of this type that comes to mind was that of Mary Ann Steed reading the concluding verses of the Gospel of John early on an Easter Sunday.

All in all, I quite enjoyed this film and will be sure to pick it up on DVD when it is released. I am quite critical of independent LDS films because I think too many of them fail to measure up to the standards set by the BYU Film Department/LDS Film Studios' official releases for the Church, most of which are about as good as they come.

I thought The Work and the Glory set the bar a little higher, and hope that the production company is able to realize a profit on the release so that we might possibly look forward to a continuation of the Steed saga in future releases based on the Lund series of books.

Because I was very disappointed in this movie. This movie to me was no better than any daytime made-for-T.V. special on some religious channel. The acting and storyline were so horrible and forced my friend and I laughed and joked throughout the whole flick. At the beginning of the movie we were surprised and glad we were alone and the only people in the whole theater; ten minutes into the movie we found out why. The actors had absolutely ZERO credibility, the dialog was inane, and just how did everyone seem to have the most beautiful, shiny, perfectly shaped, pearly white teeth when dentistry was almost non-existent back then? Hmmm...The only thing I did like was the great cinematography, as there were some really gorgeous Tennessee landscapes. Good scenery, bad script.A sugary, homogenized waste of what could have been a really good movie. Two thumbs down.(unless you are Mormon then you'll probably LOVE this movie, easy now...it's only my opinion) ;)

I was so happy to see that the story line hardly changed at all! These books have been some of my favorite since I was in 5th grade. I thought that everything was wonderfully done. The actors outdid themselves, and it came together very nicely. In fact, it was so good, I had to go see it again.

I disagree about the movie being bland. The first book in it's self is not a climatic book. It is more of a character introducer. Photography was great, story line was great, acting was great, and I would recommend this movie to anyone and everyone! I think we can expect great things to come from these movies.

The movie was as great as the the book it was based upon. I sincerely hope they make the rest of the series into movies as well.

The Work and the Glory has beautifully captured the hopes, fears, and prejudices of that era, and woven them into a fictional account as only Gerald Lund can do.

The entire cast was wonderful, and they couldn't have picked a better actor to play Joseph.

Emotions run high in this film, and you'll find yourself laughing, crying, and wanting to shout for joy.

If you are looking for a great movie with good family values, this one is certainly worth seeing.

An enjoyable movie. The story is well told with very few exceptions, and the characters are moving and likable. Good sets, very good period work, and very good acting from all involved. Also nice creativity in directing the film. It generally felt like a quality cinematic work, and it did a good job of eliciting emotions and spirit.

I actually would've preferred another 20 minutes or so to help develop the characters a little further. The pace was good and the story engaging; there were just so much to tell, that at times one would've liked to see or know more.

I particularly liked the Joseph Smith portrayal - well and tastefully done.

I hope this one does well enough to warrant an even better budget for the next installment.