This film is a dramatization of Joseph Smith's account of his first vision.
Whether you believe the story or not, there is no denying that Joseph Smith and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints have strongly marked American history. Even to this day, being a member of this religion is a lightning rod for questions and examination. For example, Mitt Romney was grilled about his religion during the 2008 Presidential election. Yet who knows or even cares what the religion is of John S. McCain or Hillary Rodham Clinton or Barack Hussein Obama?
As the film is over 30 years old and it was no doubt filmed on a shoestring budget, it looks dated in many ways. It's easy to find fault with the film when comparing it to Hollywood productions. The Mormon Church didn't hire Sir Laurence Olivier to star or Akira Kurosawa to direct it. Yet it is a good, light introduction to the story that is very fundamental to the belief of Mormons. It's worth seeing by everyone just to know about this uniquely American religion, just as everyone should attend a Catholic Mass and visit a mosque to widen their horizons.
There are two versions of the film, an original longer one and an edited one. I prefer the longer one because I am a fan of shaped note singing and a scene with it was one of those cut.
