It seems that since late 2007, Mormonism is getting a bit more of the spotlight than normal.  Thanks to Mitt Romney having to defend (or dodge) questions about his beliefs, more and more Americans are exploring just what Mormonism is.  Perhaps that’s why Jon Krakauer's 2004 book, Under The Banner of Heaven is still sitting on "Best Seller" tables in your favorite bookstore and rests in the top 20 of true crime novels on .

Either way, I think it’s a good thing, because in many ways, the history of Mormonism is a microcosm of the history of America itself.   

Krakauer's book examines Mormonism's history from its inception to the present day, as a way of understanding the motivations of a particularly brutal crime.  It's a history filled with struggle, persecution, sacrifice, questionable choices and a seemingly endless quest for religious freedom that is often violent and blood-soaked.  Arguably the most notorious example of that is the Mountain Meadows Massacre of 1857.  On Sept. 11 (yes... I know... weird, huh?) Mormon fundamentalists in Utah ambushed a wagon train headed for California.  Over a matter of days, the Mormons and some local Indians killed 120 men, women and children and ever since, there has been some question as to why the killing took place.  

-  Was it done as an act of revenge for persecution the Mormons received from Christians?  

-  Was it done out of sheer greed?

-  Did the Mormons think that perhaps this was the US government's attempt to get soldiers in position to surround them and bring down the church?

-  Did Brigham Young himself know about it or was it done without his permission? 

-  Why did the church go to such great lengths to cover it up over the years?

These are the questions that are ripe for exploring in a well made, unbiased, historical drama about the event.  September Dawn is not that movie.

In fact, September Dawn is about as unbiased in its examination of the event as Andy Rooney is about the artistic merit of 50 Cent’s “Candy Shop”.  There’s no doubt in my mind that the Mountain Meadows Massacre took place and that it was ruthless, bloody and reprehensible.  But I don’t need a Romeo and Juliet subplot to tell me that.  I don’t need Brigham Young, John D. Lee or Jacob Samuelson painted as the equivalent of the Osama Bin Ladens of the 19th century either.  The fact is, the Mormon religion had seen its own gunned down by the very people who left Europe looking for religious tolerance and yet there’s little to no mention of that in this portrayal.

If the Mormon Church made a film about the massacre at Haun’s Mill (where Christians stuck their rifles through slats in the walls and gunned down unarmed Mormons in Missouri just 19 years earlier) I think most folks would write it off as Mormon propaganda. 

However, just as there is irrefutable evidence that the Mountain Meadows Massacre happened, there is the same at Haun’s Mill.  America was built on violence.  As a culture we embrace it more than almost any other on the planet.  That’s how a movie like September Dawn (with its graphic depictions of mothers shot at point blank range) can get funded and completed.

Krakauer’s book (which I’m not supposed to be reviewing here but it seems like I am) shines a harsh light on Mormonism’s fundamentalist sects, but it works because his words come across as unbiased toward the main body of Latter Day Saints.  For every accounting of a Mountain Meadows Massacre or Haun’s Mill event, there is undeniable admiration for the perseverance and dedication to the family that the LDS promotes.   

September Dawn cannot say that.  As a movie, the cinematography is done well, the acting is adequate, but historical accuracy is not its forte.  Generally, I wouldn’t harp on that, except that September Dawn’s entire marketing strategy is based around exposing this crime to the world.  In fact, the tagline is “The Story of an American tragedy that has never been told… until now”.   

Which is also a lie, as there are more than a few great books on this event, but I digress.  If you need any more evidence that this film is nothing more than a smear campaign, look no further than the fact that the Christians look bright, smiling and beautiful while the Mormons look evil, dour and shifty.   

That said; find a better way to spend 111 minutes of your life.  To help you, here are the first 25 things I can think of for alternatives:  

1.  Read a book about the Mountain Meadow Massacre.

2.  Masturbate

3.  Try to eat a live goldfish.

4.  Attempt 2 and 3 simultaneously.

5.  If successful at number 4, put a name to your new kink, you pioneer, you.

7.  Try to jump from your roof to your neighbors’ roof.  Go on.  You can make it.

8.  Take four Valium and watch The View (it's about the only way I could sit through it)

9.  Start a myspace page and futilely resist the urge not to populate it with dark ugly Photoshopped imagery and 30 second snippets of songs by Pig Destroyer.

10.  Fantasize about Judge Judy.

11.  Come up with an original baby name for the Antichrist.  Face it, Damien is getting kind of old.

12.  Play Rockband and ignore e-mails and messages from your friends.  (WARNING:  This could last longer than 111 minutes.)

13.  Explore the DIMP forum.  Look for the thread about Noto trying to hire a hooker long distance for a third party.

14.  Shoot your own documentary on dust mite breeding rituals.

15.  Set the dust mite breeding ritual documentary to the music of Pig Destroyer.

16.  Make the documentary its own myspace page and decorate accordingly.

17.  Play Hungry Hungry Hippos

18.  Knock on your neighbor's door and introduce yourself as if you've never seen them before.

19.  Create an imaginary pet.  Take your imaginary pet for a walk.  Scold it loudly for humping passersby.

21.  Try to figure out why I skipped the number “6” on this list.  There was a reason.

22.  Go to a restaurant and take pictures of the meals at each table.  Explain that they’re for your Bulimics Anonymous group.

23.  Name each cup or glass in your cupboard and attach stickers for identification.  Assign them all personalities ("this one is for when I'm grumpy!")

24. Create your own religion around the Sunday Parade Magazine supplemental.

25.  Join a bigfoot expedition through www.bfro.net.   

Better yet, ignore all of those and just go make a better movie about the Mountain Meadow Massacre than September Dawn.  PM me when you’re finished.  I’d love to see it.

Presentation
Well, it looks good and sounds fine.  I don’t really want to spend any more time on this though.

Extras
There are two on here.  True Events:  A Historical Perspective and Descendants:  Remembering the Tragedy.  Both are pretty meh.