This film is beautifully made, moving, and remarkably revealing about events leading up to World War II. It is based on careful research about real events, yet at the same time tells an almost unbelievably powerful story. The closing credits were one of my favorite parts of the film: we see photos of the real people who are portrayed in the film, along with information that confirms the veracity of the story we have seen while extending that story beyond what the film portrays. The issues dealt with are thought provoking and chillingly relevant, including the plight of refugees, racial and religious prejudice, and the abuse of government power. But we also see the power of goodness in so many who are willing to risk their own safety to help and protect others.
Reviews
3 Reviews
Out of Liberty
(2019)
A compelling story, powerfully presented
29 September 2019
"Out of Liberty" tells the story of the men incarcerated in Liberty Jail in the 1830s but brilliantly does so from the point of view of the jailer, a good, even idealistic man whose view of the inmates gradually changes. This surprising choice in point of view makes this more than a retelling of a story you may have heard before and highlights important themes that, again, go beyond the ones usually associated with this historical episode. At issue, for instance, are the relation between truth and shifting popular opinion, the blinding effect even of an understandable desire for revenge, and the pressures that test personal integrity.
The film's story is familiar to Latter-day Saints (their first leader, Joseph Smith, figures in the story) but deserves to be more widely known. Even most Latter-day Saints know the story only partially and superficially. This film brings to life the characters, with their flaws and complex motives, adds surprising but historically accurate detail, and raises issues of current importance, including our tendency to reduce everyone to a villain or a victim.
Given the subject matter, this is a serious film. The harsh conditions of the jail are relieved by some outdoor moments, by the visits (brief but moving) of the inmates' wives, and by a few humorous bits. Though some characters come close to being villains, no one is painted as completely good or bad. We even come away with some understanding of and empathy for the persecutors and a sense of the inmates' flawed humanity.
Given the focus on the jailer, background information is supplied subtly and gradually, and our sense of the characters develops in a similar way. Joseph Smith (beautifully portrayed by Brandon Ray Olive) is presented sympathetically but humanly--and the film illuminates elements of his character that may be unfamiliar to many but that are supported by the historical record. Corbin Allred is a delightful Porter Rockwell, and Brock Roberts is an agonized Sidney Rigdon. All the acting is good, but the best performance, not surprisingly, presents the central character: Samuel Tillery, the jailer, played by Jasen Wade as a man of rock solid integrity and real but restrained compassion, but with limited and growing understanding. He reminded me, in some respects, of Gary Cooper.
"Out of Liberty" is powerful and thought provoking, with first-rate acting and cinematography. If you're interested in a moving, stimulating, and beautifully crafted film, please see this one!
The film's story is familiar to Latter-day Saints (their first leader, Joseph Smith, figures in the story) but deserves to be more widely known. Even most Latter-day Saints know the story only partially and superficially. This film brings to life the characters, with their flaws and complex motives, adds surprising but historically accurate detail, and raises issues of current importance, including our tendency to reduce everyone to a villain or a victim.
Given the subject matter, this is a serious film. The harsh conditions of the jail are relieved by some outdoor moments, by the visits (brief but moving) of the inmates' wives, and by a few humorous bits. Though some characters come close to being villains, no one is painted as completely good or bad. We even come away with some understanding of and empathy for the persecutors and a sense of the inmates' flawed humanity.
Given the focus on the jailer, background information is supplied subtly and gradually, and our sense of the characters develops in a similar way. Joseph Smith (beautifully portrayed by Brandon Ray Olive) is presented sympathetically but humanly--and the film illuminates elements of his character that may be unfamiliar to many but that are supported by the historical record. Corbin Allred is a delightful Porter Rockwell, and Brock Roberts is an agonized Sidney Rigdon. All the acting is good, but the best performance, not surprisingly, presents the central character: Samuel Tillery, the jailer, played by Jasen Wade as a man of rock solid integrity and real but restrained compassion, but with limited and growing understanding. He reminded me, in some respects, of Gary Cooper.
"Out of Liberty" is powerful and thought provoking, with first-rate acting and cinematography. If you're interested in a moving, stimulating, and beautifully crafted film, please see this one!
Meet the Mormons
(2014)
A reminder of the meaning and possibilities of human life
11 October 2014
I would have given the film 9.5 out of 10 if that had been an option. I want to save a perfect 10 for perfection when and if I run into it. But for me, this film comes close.
No film can be everything to everyone. But this film provide both a visual and an emotional feast for anyone who is open to it. I suspect that those who resist the magic of this film may be saying more about themselves than about the film's content--and if there's resistance, I suspect it begins with the very thought of joining in a celebration of the lives of Mormons or any people driven by faith or perhaps even with the thought of joining in a celebration at all. (Imagine how Dr. House might react.)
"Meet the Mormons" is one of the most beautiful and inspiring films I have seen. All of the segments are fascinating and inspiring, and in many, the cinematography is stunning. The last one especially, though in some ways quieter, keeps tugging at your heart after you've left the theater.
It's hard to compare "Meet the Mormons" to other films. It's a documentary, but it feels more like an adventure, an intense experience with life compressed into a little over an hour. Though the two films are very different, it reminds me in some ways of "The Tree of Life," except that "Meet the Mormons" is intelligible on a first viewing. But it is also rich enough to deserve repeated viewings.
It is entertaining, illuminating, moving, at times breathtaking. It is not preachy, but there is a sort of theme, or an intertwined set of themes. Themes that stand out include the insight that every individual matters, that each of us has a role to play in the magnificent symphony of life. Another theme is the power of goodness--especially in the sense that word is used by the philosopher Emmanuel Levinas: "being-for-the-other." Every one of the people featured in the film has found meaning and purpose because of relationships with others and because of a desire to serve and bless others. As Levinas suggests, that is essentially what it means to be human: to be responsible to and in relationship with others. To welcome that responsibility is to enjoy a rich and meaningful existence. To resist it is to be diminished.
In a sense, then, "Meet the Mormons" is a reminder of the meaning and the wondrous possibilities of human life.
No film can be everything to everyone. But this film provide both a visual and an emotional feast for anyone who is open to it. I suspect that those who resist the magic of this film may be saying more about themselves than about the film's content--and if there's resistance, I suspect it begins with the very thought of joining in a celebration of the lives of Mormons or any people driven by faith or perhaps even with the thought of joining in a celebration at all. (Imagine how Dr. House might react.)
"Meet the Mormons" is one of the most beautiful and inspiring films I have seen. All of the segments are fascinating and inspiring, and in many, the cinematography is stunning. The last one especially, though in some ways quieter, keeps tugging at your heart after you've left the theater.
It's hard to compare "Meet the Mormons" to other films. It's a documentary, but it feels more like an adventure, an intense experience with life compressed into a little over an hour. Though the two films are very different, it reminds me in some ways of "The Tree of Life," except that "Meet the Mormons" is intelligible on a first viewing. But it is also rich enough to deserve repeated viewings.
It is entertaining, illuminating, moving, at times breathtaking. It is not preachy, but there is a sort of theme, or an intertwined set of themes. Themes that stand out include the insight that every individual matters, that each of us has a role to play in the magnificent symphony of life. Another theme is the power of goodness--especially in the sense that word is used by the philosopher Emmanuel Levinas: "being-for-the-other." Every one of the people featured in the film has found meaning and purpose because of relationships with others and because of a desire to serve and bless others. As Levinas suggests, that is essentially what it means to be human: to be responsible to and in relationship with others. To welcome that responsibility is to enjoy a rich and meaningful existence. To resist it is to be diminished.
In a sense, then, "Meet the Mormons" is a reminder of the meaning and the wondrous possibilities of human life.
Tell Your Friends