September Dawn (2007)

A love story set during a tense encounter between a wagon train of settlers and a renegade Mormon group.

Director:

Christopher Cain

Writers:

Christopher Cain, Carole Whang Schutter

Stars:

Terence Stamp, Trent Ford, Jon Voight

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Terence Stamp	...	Brigham Young
Trent Ford	...	Jonathan Samuelson
Krisinda Cain	...	Young Woman
Shaun Johnston	...	Captain Fancher
Franklin E. Levinson	...	Captain Baker
Jon Gries	...	John D. Lee
Lolita Davidovich	...	Nancy Dunlap
Jon Voight	...	Jacob Samuelson
Taylor Handley	...	Micah Samuelson
Daniel Libman	...	Reverend Grant Hudson
Tamara Hope	...	Emily Hudson
Barbara Gates Wilson	...	Martha Hudson
Huntley Ritter	...	Robert Humphries
Dean Cain	...	Joseph Smith
Ron Webber	...	Hyrum Smith

Storyline

A story set against the Mountain Meadows Massacre, the film is based upon the tragedy which occurred in Utah in 1857. A group of settlers, traveling on wagons, was murdered by the native Mormons. All together, about 140 souls of men, women and children, were taken. Amidst this, two young lovers-to-be, one a Mormon and the other one of the doomed settlers from Arkansas, develop a relationship in an atmosphere of suspicion and rancor.

---

Plot Keywords:

mormon | settler | love | utah | massacre | 

---

Taglines:

The untold story of an American tragedy.

---

Genres:

Drama | History | Western

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA Canada

Release Date:

24 August 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

Crime ao Amanhecer

Filming Locations:

CL Western Studio & Backlot, Cochrane, Alberta, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$11,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$635,000 (USA) (24 August 2007)

Gross:

$1,066,555 (USA) (7 September 2007)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Black Diamond Pictures, September Dawn, Voice Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

There is a memorial dedicated to those who died in the massacre. It is in Washington County, Utah.

---

Goofs

Brigham Young was born in rural Vermont, but in the film he is played by a British actor with a prominent and proper British accent.

---

Soundtracks

"Love Will Still Be There"
Performed by Lee Ann Womack
Arranged and Produced by Steve Dorff
Written by Steve Dorff, Eric Kaz, Roger Cain
(p) 2007 MCA Nashville
Courtesy of MCA Nashville

User Reviews

A tragic historical event spiced up with an unlikely love story

This is a story that needs telling, and perhaps a bare documentary would have gone unnoticed. I was bothered, however, by the introduction of an unlikely horse-breaking scene, a subsequent act of remarkable generosity, and a love-at-first-sight romance. These run counter to the actual events and distort the nature of the massacre. Apart from that I liked the portrayal very much. It does a good job of portraying the distrust the Mormons had of the rest of the nation, including the government, of their resentment toward Missouri and toward the mob that murdered Joseph Smith in Illinois, and the failure of the government that had him in its custody.

Although the movie was shot in Alberta, the scenery is not unlike that in the Mountain Meadows area, except, of course, for the lake or river in which the young emigrant was able to bathe. I could be mistaken, but I don't think there is one.