The Errand of Angels
Encyclopedia
The Errand of Angels is a 2008 American LDS cinema
drama film directed and produced by Christian Vuissa
who also wrote the screenplay. Starring Erin Chambers
, Rachel Emmers and Bettina Schwarz, the film is based on the experiences of Heidi Johnson while working as a missionary
in Austria
for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
) of Boise
, Idaho
is an eager young missionary
of the LDS Church who has been sent on an 18-month long mission to Austria
. Rachel finds herself having a hard time adjusting to her new cultural surroundings in the foreign country. Due to differences in opinion, she is also unable to get along with the companion missionary that was assigned to her by the church. She is reassigned to work with another companion but this relationship fares no better. Taking a note from the very teachings she is trying to spread, Rachel eventually learns to accept others' differences and get along peacefully with her companions even if they disagree on how to go about conducting the work for which they volunteered.
, Utah
on July 31, 2008. The film was released theatrically on August 22 to a limited number of theatres. Filmed on an estimated budget of US$
160,000, The Errand of Angels was in theatrical release until October 10, 2008 during which time it earned $195,184.
The film was released on DVD
on December 2, 2008 for Region 1. It was also shown on Brigham Young University
's BYU Television
channel on Thanksgiving Day
in 2008.
finding them similar in story and structure although believing that the former would be better had it contained some of the humor and light-heartedness found in the latter.
Richard Propes of The Independent Critic called the film an "insightful, touching and funny story" and he commended the director claiming that "Vuissa paints a richly human portrait of Sister Taylor".
LDS cinema
LDS or Mormon cinema typically refers to films with themes relevant to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, though the terminology has also been used to refer to films that do not necessarily reflect Mormon themes but have been made by Mormon filmmakers...
drama film directed and produced by Christian Vuissa
Christian Vuissa
Christian Vuissa is a Latter-day Saint filmmaker. He is also the founder and head of the LDS Film Festival.Vuissa is a native of Austria and served an LDS mission in Leipzig, Germany from 1994-96. He was involved in the making of Pirates of the Great Salt Lake...
who also wrote the screenplay. Starring Erin Chambers
Erin Chambers
Erin Chambers is an American actress commonly known for her roles in LDS films and as the Irish girl Siobhan McKenna on General Hospital. She has made guest appearances in a number of television shows...
, Rachel Emmers and Bettina Schwarz, the film is based on the experiences of Heidi Johnson while working as a missionary
Missionary (LDS Church)
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over 52,000 full-time missionaries worldwide, as of the end of 2010...
in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Plot
Sister Rachel Taylor (Erin ChambersErin Chambers
Erin Chambers is an American actress commonly known for her roles in LDS films and as the Irish girl Siobhan McKenna on General Hospital. She has made guest appearances in a number of television shows...
) of Boise
Boise, Idaho
Boise is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho, as well as the county seat of Ada County. Located on the Boise River, it anchors the Boise City-Nampa metropolitan area and is the largest city between Salt Lake City, Utah and Portland, Oregon.As of the 2010 Census Bureau,...
, Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
is an eager young missionary
Missionary (LDS Church)
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over 52,000 full-time missionaries worldwide, as of the end of 2010...
of the LDS Church who has been sent on an 18-month long mission to Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. Rachel finds herself having a hard time adjusting to her new cultural surroundings in the foreign country. Due to differences in opinion, she is also unable to get along with the companion missionary that was assigned to her by the church. She is reassigned to work with another companion but this relationship fares no better. Taking a note from the very teachings she is trying to spread, Rachel eventually learns to accept others' differences and get along peacefully with her companions even if they disagree on how to go about conducting the work for which they volunteered.
Release and box office performance
The Errand of Angels was screened at several locations before its theatrical release, starting on January 1, 2008. This included a screening at the Gloria Film Festival in West Valley CityWest Valley City, Utah
West Valley City is a city in Salt Lake County and a suburb of Salt Lake City in the U.S. state of Utah. The population was 129,480 at the 2010 census,...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
on July 31, 2008. The film was released theatrically on August 22 to a limited number of theatres. Filmed on an estimated budget of US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
160,000, The Errand of Angels was in theatrical release until October 10, 2008 during which time it earned $195,184.
The film was released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
on December 2, 2008 for Region 1. It was also shown on Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
's BYU Television
BYU Television
__NOEDITSECTION__Brigham Young University Television is a cable/satellite television channel operated by Brigham Young University...
channel on Thanksgiving Day
Thanksgiving (United States)
Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, is a holiday celebrated in the United States on the fourth Thursday in November. It has officially been an annual tradition since 1863, when, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving to be celebrated on Thursday,...
in 2008.
Critical response
Film critic Jeff Vice of the Salt Lake City-based Deseret News awarded The Errand of Angels two and a half stars in his review of the film. Vice praised the film as being "one of the more earnest and well-intentioned movies in recent memory" while, at the same, faulting it for being "preachy" and "a little talky and a little dry as a result". Vice compared The Errand of Angels to The Best Two YearsThe Best Two Years
The Best Two Years is a 2003 dramedy film written and directed by Scott S. Anderson. It is based on the stage play The Best Two Years of My Life, also by Anderson. It portrays the experience of four LDS missionaries living in an apartment in the Holland region of the Netherlands. The stage play...
finding them similar in story and structure although believing that the former would be better had it contained some of the humor and light-heartedness found in the latter.
Richard Propes of The Independent Critic called the film an "insightful, touching and funny story" and he commended the director claiming that "Vuissa paints a richly human portrait of Sister Taylor".
Soundtrack
The Errand of Angels Soundtrack is the accompanying music album containing original music from the motion picture written and performed by Robert Allen Elliott. It was released on Mirror Films record label on September 5, 2008.Track listing
- "As Sisters in Zion" (featuring Tiffany Fronk) (2:57)
- "Mission to Austria" (2:32)
- "The Rules" (0:58)
- "Goodbye Sonja" (0:52)
- "She's Nice" (1:01)
- "Resistance" (1:19)
- "Answered Prayer" (2:35)
- "Trying It Alone" (2:38)
- "Before the Storm" (2:20)
- "Salzburg" (1:00)
- "A Good Missionary" (4:08)
- "Hypocrite" (2:45)
- "Entrusted to Her Care" (3:29)
- "Back to Vienna" (4:03)
- "Farewell to a Friend" (2:30)
- "Rainy Day" (2:19)
- "Baptism" (3:52)
- "The Errand of Angels" (2:27)
See also
- 2008 in film2008 in filmThis is a list of all major films made in 2008.-Highest-grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2008...
- Cinema of the United StatesCinema of the United StatesThe cinema of the United States, also known as Hollywood, has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the silent film era, classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood, and the contemporary period...
- List of American films of 2008