When I first found out that “The Work and the Glory” series by Gerald Lund was being made into three movies, I was ecstatic. While the movies were, in some ways, everything I’d hoped for, they did fall short in other ways. The third movie is the perfect example of this.
The Saints are now living in Kirtland, Ohio. Benjamin Steed still doesn’t know how he feels about the Church. He supports Joseph Smith, but as a man, not so much as a prophet. Nathan, his second-oldest son, follows Joseph with absolute devotion. Joshua, the oldest son, is still as full of anger as he ever was, determined to help wipe out the Mormon population. He has amassed quite a bit of money through gambling and is building up his shipping business, and doing quite well. Mary Ann, Benjamin’s wife, still firmly believes in the Gospel and wishes Ben would join, but doesn’t pressure him.
While Joshua is out investigating new ventures for his business, he makes a trip to the south to look into the possibility of adding cotton to his product line. While there, he meets Caroline, a beautiful widow with a young son. It’s not long before he’s head over heels smitten with her, and marries her. He takes her home to Missouri, ensconces her in his lovely home, and soon they are expecting a child of their own.
Meanwhile, the economy is getting shaky. Joseph Smith suggests that the Saints all invest in a bank together, in hopes of shoring up their foundations. But as the money market the whole country over goes down, the Saints consider that to be a direct result of their trust in “Joe” Smith, and some demand his removal from the presidency of the Church, not understanding that banks across the nation were also failing.
Caroline learns that Joshua has been married before, a truth he conveniently forget to tell her, and she goes in search of his family, anxious to know the truth of his past for herself. This trip leads to the reconciliation of Ben and Joshua, which, strangely enough, ends the movie and the trilogy.
I was disappointed in this film. Many things were set up but not resolved – some of the characters move to Haun’s Mill, but the massacre doesn’t take place. We’re never shown a resolution to the banking problem or how the uprising among the Saints was resolved. In addition, Governor Boggs set events in motion for the extermination order, but we didn’t see that brought to pass either. I do realize that it wasn’t logical to show every detail from all nine volumes of the series in the movies, but some highly important scenes were left out. I thought we should at least have been shown the martyrdom.
My thoughts on the whole series – Jonathan Scarfe did a fabulous job in his portrayal of Joseph Smith. Not a member of the Church, he still tapped into the character and played it very well. I did not like the lady they cast to play Lydia for the second and third movies – she didn’t have near enough spunk. And they really goofed with Caroline. She should have been a little older and a lot more gutsy.
That said, I was still glad to see these films. Something special always touches my heart when I think about the early Saints in this dispensation, and it was a treat to see them portrayed on film.
This film was rated PG.
Related Blogs:
The Work and the Glory: American Zion