September Dawn (R, 2007)
common sense media says
Massacre movie casts Mormons in villainous light.
parents & educators say
What parents need to know
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).
Violence:
Lots of violence, especially the massacre near the film's end, when women and children are killed in very bloody slow motion scenes that include hacking, shooting, and grisly use of hatchets. Flashbacks show looting and burning, as well as throats being cut; another flashback shows Arkansas townsfolk shooting Joseph Smith and his brother (body appears in a bloody puddle). A dead woman's body floats in a river. Jonathan fights the Mormons who restrain him (on his father's orders); he's chained in a cell. Micah repeatedly smashes a body with his rifle, then appears covered in blood; victims include young children and women. Samuelson shoots his son's fiancée; she dies in front of Jonathan, blood seeping from her chest.
Sex:
References to multiple wives (though viewers don't see them); mentions of "whoring" and a woman's "masculine" behavior as an "abomination." A young woman appears nude (full frontal, through a mostly obscuring gauzy curtain) during a religious ritual; Jonathan finds Emily bathing in the river -- she slips down her slip strap and he gasps, though viewers only see her shoulder.
Language:
One use of "damn."
Consumerism:
Not applicable.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
Mention of "drinking" in California (a state apparently full of vice...).
More on September Dawn
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joeaverageviewer
adult
adult
Powerful, we need more Non PC Movies like this
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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Kayte wynn
teen, 13 years old
teen, 13 years old
NOT TRUE!!!!
You know, if you know absolutely nothing about Mormons, then how about you don't do something like this. This might aswell be like saying Catholics suck blood from barney, and then do the hokey pokey. I am ashamed!!!!!!!
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