Six Days in August

I was familiar with the history and came into the movie with a pro bias. The movie however was a disappointment. It's as if the director and writers couldn't decide which story to tell so they told too many. Within five minutes they covered twenty years of highlights from Brigham's life. This made for disjointed story telling. The maudlin acting particularly of the women who played Maryann and Emma diminished the strength of the women and the complexities of the times they lived in. While Emma acknowledged why there would be tensions in Missouri, the mob and Plant were depicted overly villainous.

Went with my wife and two grandsons, we all liked the movie very much. Covered a difficult time for members of the church with the loss of the prophet Joseph. Told with skill and had humor sadness and a great range of emotions. My grandsons talked about the film all the way home, and pointed out the parts they especially enjoyed. I learned about a couple of things I hadn't known that happened to Brigham. I didn't know he had spoken in tongues, so that was enlightening. The music fit the movie vey well the photography was very well done and the acting was generally very good. Can't wait to see what is next from this group of film makers.

Just finished watching Six Days in August in theatres. Very professionally and creatively made film. The cinematography was awesome, the score was moving, and, while it seemed the writers struggled sometimes to narrow down the elements necessary for their story, the acting portrayed by the actors (particularly with John Donovan Wilson) was superb. The ensemble cast did a fantastic job of carrying the story and providing the audience with a close look into the days after the LDS prophets death. Definitely would recommend seeing in theatres. Very well made and would hope that the film's reach keeps extending.

In the film the martyrdom scene isn't too specific but because this film strives for historically accuracy I will critic it for it more harshly. They showed Joseph bolting out of the window in Carthage Jail and breaking the window. Eye witness testimony stated he crawled out of that small window with one leg, one arm, and his head out of the window before a great force flinging him out of the window as like a leap or push. Newspapers from that time also describe that the window section that lifts up was still present and was not knocked out by Joseph going out of the window. They don't address enough the placement of Hyrum in the room as he died with his back turned to the door facing the window as his head was 1 foot away from the north east corner of the room and blood splatter on his clothing suggest he died on his stomach. They don't address Willard Richards being behind Joseph when at the window and the mob not shooting Richards while he was in plain line of sight.

Beautiful cinematography and music pulled the viewer into this historical story of the early LDS church. It told the story of a defining moment in time as the church grappled with Joseph Smith's successor. We learned several things that we had not known before. The casting was excellent. The music was powerful in its subtle use of hymns recognizable to church members. The use of 'Praise to the Man' at the end underscored the film's theme of Joseph Smith as the Prophet. The actual run time of the film was longer than we thought as we never looked at our watches during it.

We enjoyed the movie and definitely would recommend it.