Brigham (1977) User Reviews

Mormon Primer

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 20 July 2014]

Seeing some of the other criticisms of Brigham and from members of the Mormon Church I'm not in a position to talk about accuracy. I've seen and reviewed several LDS films about the early church days and things like American Zion, The Work And The Glory and A House Divided which were also covering the same period of history as Brigham were better made and better production values. I don't see much different however in the subject matter and how it was treated.

I did see however a serious and sincere work that certainly could have turned out better say had it been shot at 20th Century Fox like their Brigham Young film. I did recognize some of the footage not too well integrated or colorized as part of the film.

The only actor that most outside the LDS church would know is Richard Moll who played the brain dead court officer in Night Court. He certainly had the height to play Joseph Smith who was reputed to be a tall man. So was Vincent Price who brought a certain saintly other worldliness to the role for 20th Century Fox. I'm sure Price also had better direction than Moll got here.

Joseph Grandmaison played Brigham Young as the kind of rugged guy I always conceived of him. Grandmaison seems to have limited his career to LDS features.

One has to remember that this is not a Hollywood production so a little charity is in order. Like Savage Journey the film edited from this for television it remains a kind of Mormon primer for young LDS members who can get more deeply involved in their church history with a little research and viewing those more recent films I've mentioned.

If Mormons are anything else they are good archivists. As I stated in my reviews of those other films the church obviously has a lot of archival material of people who lived through the times portrayed. This film has a good eye for the Jacksonian era it portrays.

More than LDS audiences might benefit from watching Brigham.

Good historical drama about the life of Brigham Young

[kolob · 6/10 · 6 October 1999]

This film deals with the early years of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), and more particularly with the life of Brigham Young. It is an accurate portrayal of his life from the time he met Joseph Smith (Richard Moll), through his leadership during the trek westward, and finishes with his last years of life as the President of the LDS Church. In these politically-correct times, many may be offended by the film's depiction of polygamy, but the subject is handled in a forthright and tasteful manner. The film also delves into some of the more profound beliefs and doctrine of the church, without resorting to sermonizing or a preachy tone. No apologies are made- only the portrayal of pioneer life among the Mormons, a "peculiar" people (by some people's standards), with a fascinating story that has yet to be told fully on the big screen.

This is good introduction to LDS Church history, albeit one of only two that exist in world of feature films.

Wilt Chamberlin as Martin Luther King...

[ewtube · 1/10 · 3 November 2008]

My dad was the third bigot in the credits. This laughable rendition of Mormon history was a patchwork lunacy staffed by local theater people and a shoddy productions company. At the time, the actors thought they were making an epic, they even were told the man who produced EL Cid was the brains behind the operation. The casting is way off. I mean, Richard Moll plays the founder of the Mormon Church, Joseph Smith. This was well before his fame in Night Court, as the tall bumbling court security guard, and the casting choice is hilarious. It would be like Wilt Chamberlain playing Martin Luther King. Any way, the joke in our family has always been to call our father the third bigot. Good Stuff for a campy night at the cinema

If you want history, go somewhere else

[zashby · 1/10 · 23 April 2005]

The only thing historical about this film is that there was once a man named Brigham that had many wives and went to Utah. Other then that, you have to look somewhere else to find out about the Mormons. Not one scene through this film is historically accurate. The makers take so much license in this film that you have to be very ignorant to believe it. My friends and I watched it once as a joke. Perhaps it works better if considered a parody. As for the question of polygamy, it is very clear from the beginning that the filmmakers have no idea how it was practiced among the Mormons. In fact, it appears that someone just sat down with a cold beer and dreamt up what it may have been like.

I was in this movie (the bartender) and thought it was a turkey.

[mgoodman · 1/10 · 17 May 2002]

While vaguely historical,i.e., the Mormons were persecuted and Brigham Young did lead them to Utah; this film is very inaccurate in portraying that history. The production quality is poor, splicing in badly color-tinted black and white stock footage and clips from the 1940 Brigham Young to show the westward trek and cricket plague. The acting of the minor characters and bit players runs from adequate to exceptional, but to say that the acting of the leads is pitiful is more than kind.

this is THE worst movie about the LDS church EVER!!!

[proudestmonkey · 1/10 · 7 November 2005]

I had the misfortune of watching this movie while I was serving a mission for the LDS Church. Contrary to the comment by Kolob, this movie was neither historically accurate, nor entertaining. The cinematography was crap, the editing was crap, the acting was crap. Please do not accept this trash as any accurate representation of the great men that Brigham Young and Joseph Smith were. It is certainly a discredit to their memories for something like this film to be made. Coincidentally, this same movie was edited a bit, then changed to "made for TV" under the title "Savage Journey." That movie (because it is the same movie) is also a blatant work of nonsense. Nice try though. The only semblance this movie has to actual historical fact is that, yes, Brigham Young did have a beard.

Very Good Movie

[Lenanne-1 · 9/10 · 17 August 2008]

You could be like those who persecuted the Mormoms and just say it's a bunch of baloney or watch with an open mind and you will laugh and cry. I loved it. Why would someone want to be in a movie they call a "turkey" anyway? They saw the movie every day being shot. I thought the actors did a great job. It is fun and informative . It's so easy to be negative and not give something a fair shot, even pure Hollywood movies. Just because it didn't earn any Oscars doesn't mean you are fair for taking pot shots at it. I loved it and my family learned much and enjoyed it. I don't always only watch Oscar movies. Many others are very worthwhile like this one.

The SECOND worst movie about LDS history

[ungy357 · 1/10 · 3 March 2008]

This is an awful,wretched,painful,terrible film, ranking second only to the excremental smear that is "September Dawn" on the list of inept cinematic portrayals of LDS history. Questions of history aside, it's just horribly made, with cinematography that looks like an 8mm home movie, and acting that wouldn't pass in a junior high school play.

The ending sequence is one of the most hilariously ludicrous in movie history.Unlike the utterly worthless "September Dawn" (which I cannot stress enough may be the worst film ever made), "Brigham" has some value as a sort "Plan 9 From Outer Space" type curiosity.If you want to laugh at the silliness of it all,and see Joseph Smith portrayed as Bull Shannon,it may be worth your time.