September Dawn
Encyclopedia
September Dawn is a 2007 Canadian film by Christopher Cain
, released on August 24, 2007. It sets a fictional love story against a controversial historical interpretation of the Mountain Meadows massacre
. During the massacre a wagon train of emigrants was attacked by a group of Mormon
militiamen and members of the Paiute
tribe; around 120 men, women, and children were murdered.
The film stars Jon Voight
as Jacob Samuelson, Terence Stamp
as Brigham Young
, and Jon Gries
as John D. Lee
.
), the daughter of the wagon train's pastor, and Jonathan Samuelson (Trent Ford
), the son of the local Mormon bishop, plays out against the build-up to the tragedy itself. The movie begins with the deposition of Mormon leader Brigham Young (Terence Stamp). The Fancher party is then depicted crossing Utah on its way to California. The party encounters a group of Mormon militiamen, who advise them to move on. Bishop Jacob Samuelson (Jon Voight) defuses the situation but is disturbed that the Fanchers have a woman wearing men's clothing and are delivering racehorses to California to be used in gambling. He is also upset that some are from Missouri, whose inhabitants he blames for the death of Joseph Smith and for persecuting them. He instructs his sons Jonathan and Micah to keep an eye on them.
A scene follows where the pastor for the Fancher party (Daniel Libman) praises God for their deliverance, while Bishop Samuelson thanks God for delivering the Gentiles (non-Mormons) into their hands for divine punishment. As the Mormon leadership prepares to defend Utah from an attack by the Federal government, Samuelson's son Jonathan develops a relationship with the daughter of the pastor, Emily. At the direction of Brigham Young local Mormons are directed to massacre the gentiles, using their allies the Paiute Indians. By pointing to a rival Indian tribe as their mutual enemy, John D. Lee (Jon Gries), who we find out later is the adopted son of Brigham Young, convinces the Paiutes that it is God's will to kill the Gentiles. Jonathan objects to the plan, which his father has just conveyed to the local Mormons, and is imprisoned by his father. Jonathan has become disillusioned by the Mormon faith not only because of the planned massacre, but because of what he allowed to happen to his mother. In a flashback earlier in the movie Jonathan remembers that his mother was ordered away by a senior religious leader who took her as is his wife. She returned to get her children, for which she was executed in full view of Jonathan and his father.
The Fancher party repels the Indian attack, and the local Mormons are forced to complete the mission themselves. The Mormon militia under the command of John D. Lee is ordered to kill anyone who is old enough to talk. John D. Lee offers to lead the Fancher party to safety; however, they lead them instead to an ambush where they are all killed. Escaping his imprisonment, Jonathan arrives too late to save them and his lover Emily, who is killed by his father. John Lee is executed for his role in the massacre in 1877 and Brigham Young denies any knowledge or involvement.
is particularly relevant today. Cain drew on historical records of the massacre, excerpts from speeches by Brigham Young, and the signed confession of John D. Lee
, who led the attack. The depiction of the massacre in the film was based on the confession of Lee and staged as he had described it. The film is controversial, representing the view that Brigham Young had a direct role in the massacre, while the LDS Church maintains that "[t]he weight of historical evidence shows that Brigham Young did not authorize the massacre". Officially, the LDS Church "is not commenting about this particular depiction" of the massacre but has published an article marking 150 years since the tragedy occurred.
Screenplay writer Carole Whang Schutter said: "Creating likeable characters that take part in unimaginably atrocious acts is a chilling reminder that terrorists can be anyone who chooses to blindly follow fanatical, charismatic leaders.[...] Our fight is not against certain religions [but...] 'powers of darkness' which are prejudice, hate, ignorance, and fear perpetuated by leaders who history will surely judge by their deeds." Schutter claims that she was inspired by God to write the story. "I got this crazy idea to write a story about a pioneer woman going in a wagon train to the California gold rush, and the train gets attacked by Mormons dressed as Indians [...] The idea wouldn't leave me. I believe it was from God." She also states that she finds the coincidental date of the massacre – September 11 – to be "very odd" and "strange," but that "people can draw their own conclusions" about the date.
as of February 6, 2008. September Dawn received a rare "zero stars" review from film critic Roger Ebert
, who described it as "a strange, confused, unpleasant movie" unworthy of Voight's talents; the New York Post
gave the movie an unusual 0/4. Justin Chang's review for Variety
described it as, "not torture porn; it's massacre porn." Though he realized that the film was meant to draw parallels to the September 11 attacks, Chang remarked that the film does not "convey any insights into the psychology of extremism, aside from some choice moments in Voight's persuasively complex performance" and that it was "ultimately less interested in understanding its Mormon characters than in demonizing them"; the only praise he offered for the film went to the photography and location scouting done for the film.
However, the film did receive some more positive reviews. Ken Fox of TV Guide
gave the film 2.5/4 stars saying the film "sheds some much-needed light on a 150-year-old crime." William Arnold of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer
praised Jon Voight's portrayal of Bishop Samuelson stating the character had "a soft brutality that is all the more terrifying for its compassionate veneer." Ted Fry of the The Seattle Times stated, "Religious and thematic issues aside, "September Dawn" is well-crafted as a revisionist Western with a message. If the message is muddled, there's plenty of literature to clear the facts — or to make the matter even more bewildering for those seeking truth."
The movie flopped financially, losing $9.9 million, and only remaining in nationwide release for two weeks.
Christopher Cain
Christopher Cain is an American screenwriter, actor, director, and singer. He married Sharon Thomas in 1969 and adopted her two sons, Roger and Dean Cain. The couple's daughter Krisinda Cain Schafer was born in 1973....
, released on August 24, 2007. It sets a fictional love story against a controversial historical interpretation of the Mountain Meadows massacre
Mountain Meadows massacre
The Mountain Meadows massacre was a series of attacks on the Baker–Fancher emigrant wagon train, at Mountain Meadows in southern Utah. The attacks culminated on September 11, 1857 in the mass slaughter of the emigrant party by the Iron County district of the Utah Territorial Militia and some local...
. During the massacre a wagon train of emigrants was attacked by a group of Mormon
Mormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
militiamen and members of the Paiute
Paiute
Paiute refers to three closely related groups of Native Americans — the Northern Paiute of California, Idaho, Nevada and Oregon; the Owens Valley Paiute of California and Nevada; and the Southern Paiute of Arizona, southeastern California and Nevada, and Utah.-Origin of name:The origin of...
tribe; around 120 men, women, and children were murdered.
The film stars Jon Voight
Jon Voight
Jonathan Vincent "Jon" Voight is an American actor. He has received an Academy Award, out of four nominations, and three Golden Globe Awards, out of nine nominations. Voight is the father of actress Angelina Jolie....
as Jacob Samuelson, Terence Stamp
Terence Stamp
Terence Henry Stamp is an English actor. Since starting his career in 1962 he has appeared in over 60 films. His title role as Billy Budd in his film debut earned Stamp an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor and a BAFTA nomination for Best Newcomer.His other major roles include...
as Brigham Young
Brigham Young
Brigham Young was an American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and a settler of the Western United States. He was the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death in 1877, he founded Salt Lake City, and he served as the first governor of the Utah...
, and Jon Gries
Jon Gries
Jonathan Francis "Jon" Gries is an American actor, writer and director. He is also credited under the names Jon Francis and Jonathan Gries. He is known for his role in Napoleon Dynamite as Uncle Rico, and more recently as recurring character Roger Linus on Lost...
as John D. Lee
John D. Lee
John Doyle Lee was a prominent early Latter-day Saint who was executed for his role in the Mountain Meadows massacre.-Early Mormon leader:...
.
Plot
The fictional love story between Emily Hudson (Tamara HopeTamara Hope
Tamara Hope is a Canadian actress. Her starring roles include Guinevere Jones and The Nickel Children, a film about teenage prostitution, as well as a recurring role on CTV's Whistler as Leah McLure....
), the daughter of the wagon train's pastor, and Jonathan Samuelson (Trent Ford
Trent Ford
Trent Ford is a British-American actor and model.-Biography:Ford was born in Akron, Ohio to a US Navy test pilot father and an English mother from Birmingham...
), the son of the local Mormon bishop, plays out against the build-up to the tragedy itself. The movie begins with the deposition of Mormon leader Brigham Young (Terence Stamp). The Fancher party is then depicted crossing Utah on its way to California. The party encounters a group of Mormon militiamen, who advise them to move on. Bishop Jacob Samuelson (Jon Voight) defuses the situation but is disturbed that the Fanchers have a woman wearing men's clothing and are delivering racehorses to California to be used in gambling. He is also upset that some are from Missouri, whose inhabitants he blames for the death of Joseph Smith and for persecuting them. He instructs his sons Jonathan and Micah to keep an eye on them.
A scene follows where the pastor for the Fancher party (Daniel Libman) praises God for their deliverance, while Bishop Samuelson thanks God for delivering the Gentiles (non-Mormons) into their hands for divine punishment. As the Mormon leadership prepares to defend Utah from an attack by the Federal government, Samuelson's son Jonathan develops a relationship with the daughter of the pastor, Emily. At the direction of Brigham Young local Mormons are directed to massacre the gentiles, using their allies the Paiute Indians. By pointing to a rival Indian tribe as their mutual enemy, John D. Lee (Jon Gries), who we find out later is the adopted son of Brigham Young, convinces the Paiutes that it is God's will to kill the Gentiles. Jonathan objects to the plan, which his father has just conveyed to the local Mormons, and is imprisoned by his father. Jonathan has become disillusioned by the Mormon faith not only because of the planned massacre, but because of what he allowed to happen to his mother. In a flashback earlier in the movie Jonathan remembers that his mother was ordered away by a senior religious leader who took her as is his wife. She returned to get her children, for which she was executed in full view of Jonathan and his father.
The Fancher party repels the Indian attack, and the local Mormons are forced to complete the mission themselves. The Mormon militia under the command of John D. Lee is ordered to kill anyone who is old enough to talk. John D. Lee offers to lead the Fancher party to safety; however, they lead them instead to an ambush where they are all killed. Escaping his imprisonment, Jonathan arrives too late to save them and his lover Emily, who is killed by his father. John Lee is executed for his role in the massacre in 1877 and Brigham Young denies any knowledge or involvement.
Cast
- Jon VoightJon VoightJonathan Vincent "Jon" Voight is an American actor. He has received an Academy Award, out of four nominations, and three Golden Globe Awards, out of nine nominations. Voight is the father of actress Angelina Jolie....
as Jacob Samuelson - Terence StampTerence StampTerence Henry Stamp is an English actor. Since starting his career in 1962 he has appeared in over 60 films. His title role as Billy Budd in his film debut earned Stamp an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor and a BAFTA nomination for Best Newcomer.His other major roles include...
as Brigham Young - Dean CainDean CainDean Cain is an American actor. He is most widely known for his role as Clark Kent/Superman in the popular American television series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.-Early life:...
as Joseph Smith - Trent FordTrent FordTrent Ford is a British-American actor and model.-Biography:Ford was born in Akron, Ohio to a US Navy test pilot father and an English mother from Birmingham...
as Jonathan Samuelson - Tamara HopeTamara HopeTamara Hope is a Canadian actress. Her starring roles include Guinevere Jones and The Nickel Children, a film about teenage prostitution, as well as a recurring role on CTV's Whistler as Leah McLure....
as Emily Hudson - Jon GriesJon GriesJonathan Francis "Jon" Gries is an American actor, writer and director. He is also credited under the names Jon Francis and Jonathan Gries. He is known for his role in Napoleon Dynamite as Uncle Rico, and more recently as recurring character Roger Linus on Lost...
as John D. Lee - Taylor HandleyTaylor HandleyTaylor Laurence Handley is an American actor.In 1998, Taylor played Rory Buck in the movie Jack Frost. In 2000, Handley starred in the Disney Channel Original Movie, Phantom of the Megaplex. Handley appeared in three episodes during the last season of Dawson's Creek and guest starred during an...
as Micah Samuelson - Lolita DavidovichLolita DavidovichLolita Davidovich is a Canadian film and television actress.-Early life and career:Davidovich was born in London, Ontario, the daughter of immigrants from Yugoslavia. Her father was from Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, and her mother was from Slovenia; she spoke only Serbian during her early years...
as Nancy Dunlap - Shaun Johnston as Captain Fancher
- Huntley RitterHuntley RitterHuntley Ritter is an American actor/pro-hunter/producer from Atlanta, Georgia.Huntley Ritter is an avid outdoorsman and hunter who has worked as a professional actor, an industry he claims that has allowed him the flexibility to pursue his passion in the outdoors...
as Robert Humphries
Development
Director Christopher Cain was prompted to make September Dawn because of his opinion that religious extremismExtremism
Extremism is any ideology or political act far outside the perceived political center of a society; or otherwise claimed to violate common moral standards...
is particularly relevant today. Cain drew on historical records of the massacre, excerpts from speeches by Brigham Young, and the signed confession of John D. Lee
John D. Lee
John Doyle Lee was a prominent early Latter-day Saint who was executed for his role in the Mountain Meadows massacre.-Early Mormon leader:...
, who led the attack. The depiction of the massacre in the film was based on the confession of Lee and staged as he had described it. The film is controversial, representing the view that Brigham Young had a direct role in the massacre, while the LDS Church maintains that "[t]he weight of historical evidence shows that Brigham Young did not authorize the massacre". Officially, the LDS Church "is not commenting about this particular depiction" of the massacre but has published an article marking 150 years since the tragedy occurred.
Screenplay writer Carole Whang Schutter said: "Creating likeable characters that take part in unimaginably atrocious acts is a chilling reminder that terrorists can be anyone who chooses to blindly follow fanatical, charismatic leaders.[...] Our fight is not against certain religions [but...] 'powers of darkness' which are prejudice, hate, ignorance, and fear perpetuated by leaders who history will surely judge by their deeds." Schutter claims that she was inspired by God to write the story. "I got this crazy idea to write a story about a pioneer woman going in a wagon train to the California gold rush, and the train gets attacked by Mormons dressed as Indians [...] The idea wouldn't leave me. I believe it was from God." She also states that she finds the coincidental date of the massacre – September 11 – to be "very odd" and "strange," but that "people can draw their own conclusions" about the date.
Reception
The film has received mostly negative reviews and is considered to be controversial. It holds a 13% overall rating and a 0% Cream of the Crop rating at the aggregate site Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
as of February 6, 2008. September Dawn received a rare "zero stars" review from film critic Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
, who described it as "a strange, confused, unpleasant movie" unworthy of Voight's talents; the New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
gave the movie an unusual 0/4. Justin Chang's review for Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
described it as, "not torture porn; it's massacre porn." Though he realized that the film was meant to draw parallels to the September 11 attacks, Chang remarked that the film does not "convey any insights into the psychology of extremism, aside from some choice moments in Voight's persuasively complex performance" and that it was "ultimately less interested in understanding its Mormon characters than in demonizing them"; the only praise he offered for the film went to the photography and location scouting done for the film.
However, the film did receive some more positive reviews. Ken Fox of TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
gave the film 2.5/4 stars saying the film "sheds some much-needed light on a 150-year-old crime." William Arnold of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer is an online newspaper and former print newspaper covering Seattle, Washington, United States, and the surrounding metropolitan area...
praised Jon Voight's portrayal of Bishop Samuelson stating the character had "a soft brutality that is all the more terrifying for its compassionate veneer." Ted Fry of the The Seattle Times stated, "Religious and thematic issues aside, "September Dawn" is well-crafted as a revisionist Western with a message. If the message is muddled, there's plenty of literature to clear the facts — or to make the matter even more bewildering for those seeking truth."
The movie flopped financially, losing $9.9 million, and only remaining in nationwide release for two weeks.
See also
- Anti-Mormonism
- Mormonism and violenceMormonism and violenceMormonism, throughout much of its history, has had a relationship with violence. The effect of this violence has had an impact on the history of the Latter Day Saint movement and its doctrines....
- Portrayals of Mormons in popular mediaPortrayals of Mormons in popular mediaMormons have been portrayed in popular media many times. These portrayals often emphasize controversy such as polygamy or myths about the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints .- In the 19th and 20th centuries :...
News coverage
- Is film controversial if it isn't seen? by Jeff Vice, Deseret News, 2 September 2007
- September "Yawn" by David BrodyDavid Brody (correspondent)David Brody is an American journalist, and White House Correspondent for the Christian Broadcasting Network.- Early career :Brody graduated from Ithaca College in 1988 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications...
, Christian Broadcasting NetworkChristian Broadcasting NetworkThe Christian Broadcasting Network, or CBN, is a fundamentalist Christian television broadcasting network in the United States. Its headquarters and main studios are in Virginia Beach, Virginia.-Background:...
News, 23 August 2007 - "Patriot Act: Jon Voight understands that America is under attack. Why don't you?" (John Voigt on September Dawn), Adam Laukhuf, Radar Magazine, April 2007
- "Movie Examines Violent Religious Fanatacism", Carrie Sheffield, The PoliticoThe PoliticoThe Politico is an American political journalism organization based in Arlington, Virginia, that distributes its content via television, the Internet, newspaper, and radio. Its coverage of Washington, D.C., includes the U.S. Congress, lobbying, media and the Presidency...
, 27 March 2007 - "Historian discusses 1857 massacre", Laura Hancock, Deseret News, 17 February 2007
- "Mountain Meadows movie being filmed: September Dawn", Carrie A. Moore, Deseret News, 26 August 2005
Reviews
- 'September Dawn' fights fanatics fanatically by Janos Gereben, San Francisco Examiner, August 24, 2007
- "'September Dawn' a campy screen disaster" by Sean P. Means, The Salt Lake TribuneThe Salt Lake TribuneThe Salt Lake Tribune is the largest-circulated daily newspaper in the U.S. city of Salt Lake City. It is distributed by Newspaper Agency Corporation, which also distributes the Deseret News. The Tribune — or "Trib," as it is locally known — is currently owned by the Denver-based MediaNews Group....
, August 23, 2007 - September Dawn by Justin Chang, VarietyVariety (magazine)Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
, August 21, 2007 - "Hollywood's terrorists: Mormon, not Muslim" by Michael Medved, USA TodayUSA TodayUSA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, August 13, 2007 - "'Dawn' recalls Sept. 11 killings – but in 1857 Utah" by Martin Grove, The Hollywood ReporterThe Hollywood ReporterFormerly a daily trade magazine, The Hollywood Reporter re-launched in late 2010 as a unique hybrid publication serving the entertainment industry and a consumer audience...
, April 25, 2007