The maddening thing about this film is that September Dawn has as many pluses as minuses, and whether or not you're going to like the film will probably depend on your own personal prism: if you like history and love stories, especially those with a western setting, you'll probably be willing to overlook some of the less satisfactory elements of the film. If you want subtlety and shades of gray, September Dawn will probably leave you scratching your head in wonderment at its paint-by-numbers villains (all but one of the Mormons) and heroes (pretty much all of the wagon train folk). For those able to take the good with the bad, the film is at times heavy-handed and dramatically uneven, but it also provides a fascinating (if somewhat fictionalized) glimpse at a riveting and tragic conflict in the opening of the American west that has sadly (some say due to Mormon influence) been heretofore unexplored.

September Dawn raised a bit of a ruckus upon its very short and limited theatrical release, decried by LDS advocates as patently anti-Mormon in an age both more sensitive about religious zealotry generally and, in this particular instance, perhaps specifically sensitive due to Mormon Mitt Romney's presidential campaign, which has brought a whole new level of examination to this American born and bred religion. Add to this intrigue the indisputable fact that the massacre at the core of this film took place on September 11 (1857), and that its director, Chris Cain (father of Dean, who appears in the film as Mormon "prophet" Joseph Smith) makes no bones (at least filmically) about drawing parallels between our current unease due to those who proclaim they are the "hands of God," and others who claimed the same thing over a century ago, and you have the makings of a brouhaha that in another culture might be termed "jihad." It's perhaps indicative of either the film's failings or the Mormons' clout to keep the film off the public radar that this contretemps ended, to quote T.S. Eliot, not with a bang but with a whimper.

The film (told in flashback) follows the travails of a wagon train that had the misfortune of asking to rest on Mormon-controlled land, land overseen by Bishop Samuelson (Jon Voight, in a mostly impressive and nuanced performance), one of the first followers of Joseph Smith and one who personally witnessed his execution at a mob's hands in Missouri. Voight is father to two sons (by two different wives), one of whom, Jonathan (Trent Ford) immediately has eyes for a comely girl in the wagon train, Emily (Tamara Hope). What soon develops is the Bishop's plot (perhaps part of a paranoid delusion that the Missourians in the wagon train were part of the Smith execution mob) to kill the "infidels" (sound familiar, anyone?) and take their cattle and other belongings to augment the Mormon stronghold. Samuelson finds total support in the Mormon powers-that-be, notably Brigham Young himself (Terence Stamp in what is probably his scariest performance since The Collector, and one with the same evil understatement as that earlier role).

Where September Dawn will probably fall apart for some viewers is its constant telegraphing of its intentions ("I would die to protect the woman I love," states Jonathan after an out-of-nowhere denouement concerning his own dead mother, leaving little doubt that there's tragedy in his future, though perhaps not the way he expects) and well as its sometimes inept dramatic throughline. At one moment we are focusing on Jonathan's attempts to tame a wild horse (did I mention he's a horse whisperer?), at another we're privy to the machinations of the Mormons' scheming, and at yet another we get dueling Biblical verses between Jonathan and Emily. Whether this is solely the fault of an unfocused screenplay, or a director who is trying to say too much at once is not entirely clear, but it robs the film of some of the visceral impact it is trying (and at times succeeding) to achieve. There's also a certain unevenness to acting style, most notably Tamara Hope, who, while lovely and full of spunk, more often than not gives line readings more indicative of a petulant Valley Girl than a determined mid-19th century pioneer. The Sam Peckinpah-inspired slow motion finale also could have been handled with a less clichéd directorial approach.

These qualms aside, there is a lot to like about September Dawn. It has the elegant epic sweep of Dances With Wolves, with a similar visual flair highlighting the glories of the American west. Voight, aside from one or two melodramatic missteps (mostly in the flashbacks, but also in the above-mentioned scene with his son concerning his now deceased wife), paints an admirable picture of a man simultaneously obsessed and haunted by his religious fervor.

September Dawn may not have been the overarching epic its creators intended, but it's certainly worth a look and will provide some thought-provoking, if at times over obvious, insight into religious zealotry and the tragedies it visits both on its victims and practicioners.

The DVD

Video:
This is an elegant looking film, full of sweeping vistas of the west. The enhanced 1.78:1 image is perfectly crisp and detailed, with excellent color and contrast.

Sound:
The standard Dolby stereo soundtrack is similarly excellently realized, with good attention to separation and well-realized balance between dialogue, effects and underscore.

Extras:
Two above-average featurettes are offered, one a historical retrospective on the "actual facts" of the massacre, and another, perhaps more riveting, dealing with descendants of those who were killed. Both provide ample background information and it may well be best to start with these before viewing the film.

Final Thoughts:
September Dawn is a maddening grab-bag of excellent and trite elements. Personally I'm recommending it for those with an interest in Mormonism or the history of the west in general, but this film will probably appeal to any lover of historical romance tinged with a tragic edge, as long as they don't expect a masterpiece in the John Ford tradition.

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"G-d made stars galore" & "Hey, what kind of a crappy fortune is this?" ZMK, modern prophet