The Work and the Glory

I am not a mormon, but have heard of this movie and wanted to see it. I thought it was beautifully done, full of texture and depth visually.

Not being a mormon, I was afraid it would not be interesting. But it was. I liked the story line, and the plots that were developed within the story. I thought the character of Joe Smith was played well, innocence within his mission.

But I thought the character of Nathan Steed was brilliant. He had intensity and made me really care about his love for Lydia and the conflicts in his family. Wow. I researched the guy, and he is a newcomer to the screen. I can't wait to see him in more films.

I also liked Joshua. He had a look about him that enhanced the conflicts in the story. I felt that the subtlety of their acting (his and Nathan's) made the story more real, and helped to enhance the uniqueness of the character of Joe Smith.

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 have read 6 of the 8 books in The Work and the Glory series and have been awaiting this movie. I thought the photography was excellent and the music was moving. The acting was good although Joshua Steed rolled his eyes and huffed just a bit too much in the beginning. But his blue eyes make you forget the bit of over acting.The costumes were great.I enjoyed this movie very much I hope that it is successful enough to make a sequel.The movie stayed very close to the plot of the book so as not to disappoint those of us who couldn't put the books down.I don't know where they filmed it but the landscapes were gorgeous. I liked the shot of Lydia Mcbride's walking up the hill it was beautiful.I have had fun looking up the actors to see what they have been in. Mary Ann Steed or Brenda Strong was a surprise to know that she was Sue Ann Mishkie on Seinfeld. What a versatile actress she is.She did a great job as the mother of the Steed family.

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.