Wednesday, February 07, 2007

Historians weigh in on "Sepember Dawn"

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=871036
From KSL News:
...

The writer-director of "September Dawn" told us his portrayal is historically accurate. The church calls it a distortion, and some, but not all, historians agree. Some analysts predict the portrayal of 19th-century fanaticism will upset many in Utah and possibly hurt Mitt Romney's presidential campaign.

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Board members of the Utah Westerners were meeting so we showed them the trailer. One hundred fifty years after the fact, these eight historians and history buffs don't agree on Brigham Young's role in the massacre.

Will Bagley, Historian: "Brigham Young was the man in charge, and that's where the orders originated."

John Eldredge, Historian: "I do believe he found out about the massacre after the fact and probably was involved in some of the cover up."

In a show of hands only three of the eight agree that Young ordered the massacre, and one more said Young condoned it. All eight agreed he covered up the facts.

Writer-director Christopher Cain told us his film follows historical records closely. It portrays Young condoning, but not ordering, the massacre.

Christopher Cain: "I would say one of his speeches said that he felt that there was a need to protect his people." Q: By doing violence?" A: "By doing violence."

The director says he was drawn to the subject by parallels with modern-day religious fanaticism.

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It's scheduled to open May 4th in about a thousand theaters nationwide.

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