Mystic Voices: The Story of the Pequot War

A wonderfully written Documentary that brings tears to your eyes. The effort it took to make this is abundantly clear; The research alone must have been a Herculean task, and having all the characters speak in the colloquialisms of that era was amazing! Reflecting on some of my ancestors and the parts they must've played in order to establish their dominance over Native Americans makes me sick to my stomach... There should be more stories like this! I would love to see an in-depth study done on the Lost Colony of Roanoke Island. Oh, and what's up with "Underhill"? He seems to have had a change of heart after "his" massacre. Why? What made him sorry? So much history needs to be clarified...

I want to introduce you to Guy Perrotta and Charles Clemmons, the filmmakers who wrote and produced MYSTIC VOICES, which was screened at the CT Filmmaker Festival in 2004.

The story of the origin of the Pequot Wars is not well known. MYSTIC VOICES, through beautiful cinematography and reenactments, makes the history come alive. It presents an engrossing story of the confrontation between the culture of the European settlers and that of the native Americans in this area. The historic figures are human and the depth of research is apparent.

The live-audience response to MYSTIC VOICES is impressive. At the Film Fest New Haven screening last February, a packed audience (including standees) remained completely focused for this film. The Q&A was very lively and could easily have continued way beyond the allotted time. The audience was universally enthusiastic, commenting on the depth of previously unknown history and the absence of simplistic portraits of good and bad.

The audience seemed in agreement that this film should be viewed widely and public television was mentioned as the perfect vehicle, with a probably eager audience. Many also thought that the film should be in teaching curricula. The length and the wealth of material led to suggestions for a two-part presentation, perhaps combined with suggested reading and other films.

I have seen this film at two different film festivals and on television and each time it continues to mesmerize me with its artful yet accurate portrayal of a very little known or publicized event in our local (New England)history. I very much enjoyed seeing my husband, Dennis J. Smith (Lieutenant Lion Gardiner) and my uncle, Chris Ortiz (Sachem Uncas of the Mohegan Tribe) on the "big screen" and am proud of them and all the rest of the dedicated cast and crew of "Mystic Voices"! I hope that eventually this will be shown in schools as an educational film, since it provides a lot of information about our past. Best of luck to Guy Perrotta and Charles Clemmons in all their future endeavors.

I've seen this film twice and both times it was a sell out audience (at least in New Haven and at the second screening in Rhode Island). Friends found it stimulating. While engrossing it was also objective and this alone is commendable.

All the elements worked--from the on-camera interviews, to the production design, the cinematography and editing, the music of Emmy winner Charles David Denler and Joanne Shenandoah, dramatic reenactments,the voice of Roy Scheider, the atmospheric locales-- this is a winner all the way. It certainly makes you think about the bloody origins of the US.

This film deconstructs the Puritan myth as we currently know it. An eye opener.