Powerful performances by well-knowns and newcomers propel the story of this horrible, tragic event. The damage that results when religious delusion meets blind obedience is starkly laid out on the screen, under the tight direction of Christopher Cain. This is a movie that doesn't end in the theater, and invites further personal investigation. Telling a story many don't want told is a courageous undertaking, particularly with the solid writing and effective location ambiance in this movie. 4 stars out of 5
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September Dawn
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings(Flash is loading. If this text does not disappear you need to install the latest flash version)
Not age appropriate for kids under 15, age appropriate for kids over 16; suggested age 15. -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Massacre movie casts Mormons in villainous light.
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 15–16
What to watch out for
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What Parents Need to Know
About September Dawn
Parents need to know that this movie revolves around a very controversial -- and extremely brutal -- massacre that took place in 1857. The film presents most of its Mormon characters as righteous, bloodlust-driven zealots who planned and ultimately carried out the attack, which left an entire wagon train dead. The slow-motion scenes of the event itself are explicit and bloody, featuring images of young children and women being shot, chopped at with hatchets, and hit by arrows. One religious ritual scene shows a young woman nude from the front (she's covered by a gauzy curtain); another scene shows a girl with her shoulder bared as she's bathing in a river (which entrances her young man).
Read our full review by Cynthia Fuchs
Families Can Talk About
- Families can talk about how history is interpreted. How do different versions of a story shape belief systems and communities? Is it ever possible to know which is the "right" version of something that took place in the past? Families can also discuss how the various groups in the movie -- the Mormons, the Fancher party, the Paiute Indians -- are portrayed. How do you think the different groups would react to the movie? How could you find out more about the events depicted here? (One option is the PBS program The Mormons, which offers other views of the Mormon War.)
Our Members Say
Most Recent Reviews
- I rate this title on for age 17 and give it
Powerful, we need more Non PC Movies like this
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