Comments on: From Our Exchanges: Commercial Propaganda in the Silent Film: A Case Study of “A Mormon Maid” (1917)

By: Steve C.

Steve C. — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 17:47:02 +0000

Bookslinger: Brigham Young is pretty favorable to the LDS. The makers even consulted with the First Presidency on it and HJG gave his approval to the historical inaccuracies because it painted an overall better picture. BY was produced as a protest to religious bigotry, primarily in Germany with the Jews. Ironically, after Kristallnacht in 1938 when Germany was harshly criticized for attacks on the Jews, German newspapers responded by using Missouri’s persecution of the Mormons as justification for persecuting Jews. US newspapers such as the NY Times denounced this analogy.

Sorry if I’ve gotten this post a little off track, though.

By: Bookslinger

Bookslinger — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 13:48:51 +0000

Brigham Young, was released in September 1940, according to IMDB. So it could have been filmed in 1939 or 1940.

A VHS copy of “Mormon Maid” is listed for sale right this moment on Ebay, $14.99, plus $2.99 shipping. B/W, silent.

I own a VHS copy of the 1940 Brigham Young, staring Tyrone Power, Dean Jagger as Brigham Young, and Vincent Price as Joseph Smith.

There are several copies of Brigham Young for sale on ebay, both DVD and VHS, starting at under $4.

It’s actually quite favorable to the church, even though there are some glaring historical inaccuracies. I forget what exectly the inaccuracies were, but I remember thinking they were forgiveable given Hollywood’s normal treatment of events and the usual “creative license” that has to be granted.

I know that radio shows of the 1930′s and 1940′s are now public domain according to US copyright laws. I wonder what the cut-off date or age for movies entering the public domain is. Or whether they are renewable.

By: Clark

Clark — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 05:19:25 +0000

Re: Hunter If Clay Christiansen would play something like that for a “Music and the Spoken Word” segment, I’d become a regular listener!

By: Steve C.

Steve C. — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 21:12:14 +0000

It’s interesting that polygamy was so central to the “plot” of the movie. When they made “Brigham Young” in the 1930s (20 years later) one of the primary concerns in making the movie was the issue of polygamy. They thought the subject of plural marriage would be too controversial so they down-played it. Instead, it BY was made as a criticism of religious bigotry (in response to the anti-Semitic policies of Germany in the late 1930s).

By: kevinf

kevinf — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 20:10:10 +0000

I’m feeling the vibes of the Catholic church, re Tom Hanks/Ron Howard/Dan Brown and “Angels & Demons”. We see the formula still applies.

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 18:37:16 +0000

Researcher, I’d have ordered it if I could have found it, too — the article is illustrated, showing “A Mormon Maid” to have predated “Big Love” in its screen depiction of fairly accurate temple dress.

Ugly Mahana, you have a fine sense of cinematic history, evidently. The author claims that “A Mormon Maid” owes specific debts to “Birth of a Nation,” but since I am unfamiliar with BOAN I wasn’t certain I understood the debts.

And Hunter, you can select the music for any silent movies I produce in future! The author (Nelson) would no doubt agree with your #3, too. The usual power of film was enhanced in this case by the new level of seeming realism brought to it by the skill of its artists. Add that to what the ignorant public already thinks it knows, and you have a juggernaut.

By: Hunter

Hunter — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 18:08:14 +0000

And if this silent film were to have live theatre organ accompaniment, might I, well, suggest this?

By: Hunter

Hunter — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 17:47:12 +0000

As for the part where Dora’s father chooses "to sacrifice his own honor by marrying polygamously," rather than suffer his daughter to have the same fate, I could just hear Dora's father intoning, "Oh, ohhh kay. I will agree to condemn myself to a fate of having additional opportunity for conjugal relations with a young, nubile Mormon lass. It'll be tough, but someone has to do it." On the serious side, though, the contemporary reviews ratifying the film's message leads me to that same old conclusion: What other non-Mormon/non-Utah folks perceive of Mormons is real to them. The fact that their understanding might be deeply flawed doesn't matter, really. That's why I think the Church is smart to occasionally release media clarifications. The marketplace of ideas needs to be, well, a marketplace.

By: Ugly Mahana

Ugly Mahana — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 17:42:39 +0000

I am reminded of another stirring docudrama that was just as factual: “Birth of a Nation.”

By: Researcher

Researcher — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 15:24:54 +0000

Oh my goodness. That is an absolute hoot. I see an entry for the movie on imdb. Mixed reviews. The movie is unfortunately not on netflix, or I would be tempted to watch it. (The first movie that came up when I did the search was It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World -- rather appropriate, since it's another over-the-top production from Hollywood.)