Savage Journey

I originally saw this while I was living in Norway. As such, it had Norwegian subtitles across the bottom of the screen. I was, at the time, serving as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (the Mormons).

The two main players in the early days of the church were Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. Joseph Smith was the founder of the church, and Brigham Young later took the reins after his death, leading the members of the church to modern-day Utah. This movie deals with these early days of the church.

Brigham Young was well portrayed. Everything I've read about the man says this portrayal was spot-on. At first, I thought Joseph Smith had been miscast. I mean, come on: Richard Moll (who plays Joseph Smith) is better known as "Bull" Shannon on "Night Court." In retrospect, it's not that far off. The real Joseph Smith was well over six feet tall, and was generally known for being a very gentle person.

The early persecution of the church, and the subject of polygamy are dealt with head-on, and accurately.

All-told, a decent movie, carried by the strength of the stories and the portrayals. The budget is pretty low, so don't expect too much flash.

I only about the Mormon Church through the haters that run it today. I have no knowledge of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. I am told that this portrayal is accurate about the early years of the church and of the men.

I only remember Richard Moll as Bull from Night Court. Here, he plays Joseph Smith to a Brigham Young played by Maurice Grandmaison, who also played Brigham Young in the 1977 movie of the same name.

Watching the massacre of women and children at the hands of the rednecks was tough.

The acting was terrible and the production values were decidedly amateurish, but the story was compelling about the struggles of a people who have lost their way.

I thought this movie was a pleasant surprise! It doesn't deserve its lowly rating I noted!!! - I assume that's connected to a prevailing dislike for religiousness, too often associated with bigotry & hypocrisy, with good reason!

I have no affiliation to such a church as the Mormons I understand this is centred on! I have also left my own mainstream religion that I intend never to return to!

But what I saw here was an impressive depiction of how hard it can be for a minority that might appear to be a sect to some, to find acceptance in any circumstances! It doesn't matter if someone is a visionary, an inventor, a prophet, or an innocent bystander! Likewise surely for God, whatever you conceive him to be!

Suddenly, you can find yourself in the middle of a storm, having your family threatened or even destroyed, having your property or existence or even letters confiscated, for your trust in God &/or man! While others gossip about you! Or bring on a sea of fireballs in the hands of rednecks, when you are in no position to defend yourselves! It can happen at the hands of a multi-national corporation, something like the slick tobacco or fast-food networks!

I have seen such red-necks & oppressors as portrayed here, as Christians or their adversaries! Equally distasteful! I have seen similar red-necks & oppressors amidst the unbelieving in any form of 'God' they might believe or not believe in! I have witnessed their individual & collective responses without tolerance & with amazing audacity & narrowmindedness!

I didn't know this was about Joseph Smith, only read it on your website later! I'd only vaguely heard of him, & don't even know the difference between the Mormons & the Seventh-day Adventists! But I respect the value of each & countless others from faithful to all manner of visions of God, or their perceptions of such a God, that I have met in churches or temples, to hotels & much beyond! I'm not sorry I watched this movie rated 3.2/10 & would recommend you view it for yourself!

You find both sides of it here! It has drama & action! It is poverty, even desperation! I don't understand why it is judged so poorly, but for the association of many churches to be centred or judged to be based on bigotry & hypocrisy! There's the old-fashioned version of a tels-evangelist (without requests for donations) & a mob of nasty rednecks (who don't like to be challenged in their perceptions) ... so much like the pharisees, while the outcasts & downtrodden were depicted in Jesus' times, variously worthy of condemnation & respect are still to be found!

It's not hard to see how anyone of faith in any belief, on anything from politics to religion, to how the world, could or should be, finding themselves to be a victim here! This deserves a favourable rating! 8/10!

Here's a quick question: Did I watch this because I have an active interest in the Church of the Latter Day Saints or because I'm a moron who just has to watch every film in Mill Creek's Drive In Classics box set? Answer: Only two to go! (now that I've also watched Invasion of the Bee Girls).

So as you should know unless you stumbled upon this page by accident is that this film is the story of the early days of the Mormon Church, what with the Joseph Smith and the….Brigham Young guy? And wee Jimmy Osmond.

Thing is, I didn't hate this one! I didn't think it was great either, but nonetheless it wasn't boring. I'm no god-fearing person (I worship Massimo Vanni) so the 'God will provide' speeches did rankle up my heathen gland, but then again it was interesting to watch how xenophobic and intolerant Americans were even back then. I knew of Joseph Smith but didn't realised he was murdered. Nor did I know that Jimmy Osmond parted the Red Sea and (must think of something funnier and more asinine before posting).

You're not going to be seeking this one out but if you have that box set please know that this isn't the worst film on there (that's Black Hooker, or maybe Who's Killing Her Now).

Or now that I've started watching it, Throw Out the Anchor.

Savage Journey tells the story about the original founders of the Church of the Latter-Day Saints as they trek across the United States looking for a home in the 19th century. Persecuted wherever they go, the Mormons end up in the unsettled land that will one day become known as Utah. The drama centres on the two founding members Joseph Smith and Brigham Young.

This film is certainly pretty ambitious in scope but it ultimately fails primarily on account of its poor production values which are not good enough to execute such an expansive story. It has to be said that this is a highly biased presentation of the Mormons, which whitewashes such contentious issues such as the groups endorsement of polygamy. The Mormons in this story are shown to be very worthy and good to a level that seems unlikely. The film itself gets plus points for its educational value, yet despite this it's still not exactly very good and simply does not engage the viewer as much as it should.