September Dawn was a film based on actual events that occurred in the state of Utah on September 11th, 1857. This film was extremely controversial and many people bashed its producer Christopher Cain for a film which they believed was filled with clichés and propaganda.

Truth be told, I knew very little about the Mormon religion coming into this film. I’ve read up on their beliefs in high school and watched some documentaries on their lives, but I have very little knowledge about them. I knew absolutely nothing about the Mountain Meadows Massacre which this story is based upon and its obviously something that educators don’t teach in schools. Apparently, Brigham Young (the Mormon prophet) and his followers had radically different views about the salvation of mankind which ultimately led to the demise of over 100 settlers who crossed the Mormons paths while they headed to the state of California.

As for the film itself, it definitely had many clichés, and yes it was completely one sided, but thats the perspective the film took. I took it all in with an open mind and really tried to understand what these Christian men, women, and children were feeling in such a hostile environment.

The acting in the movie was sub par at best. I couldn’t help but laugh when I heard some of the horrible dialogue and terrible accents in the movie. Even Jon Voight (Jacob Samuelson) who has been nominated for several Oscars and won one in 1979 could not save this film from its terrible cast.

The storyline was decent but focused much on a love story, when really it should have focused more on the historical accuracy of the event itself. The scenery was nice, especially the rolling mountains of Canada (they couldn’t shoot this on location for obvious reasons), and I thought the costumes fit the film pretty well.

I’d definitely give this movie a shot of your into drama and love stories. It has quite a bit of it. I can’t really tell you if the story is accurate or not, because it seems everyone has a different view on that. What should be considered is that the event did actually occur and the Mormons have never publicly apologized for it.

The bottom line is: Innocent lives were lost at the hands of these Mormon extremists. Although most Mormons probably don’t think this way, the events did occur and someone needed to tell the story.