Just in time for Utah's 24th of July celebrations, a new dramatization of the Mormons' 1847 arrival in the Salt Lake Valley has found its way to video rental stores.
"The Avenging Angel" brings to four the number of commercial movies that portray Brigham Young. And with this one, there are now three that depict Brother Brigham leading Mormon pioneers westward and declaring that the future site of Salt Lake City is indeed "the place."With the 1940 "Brigham Young" having been released on videotape for the first time earlier this year, all four are now available for home viewing.
But "The Avenging Angel" is no "Brigham Young," and viewers looking for a flattering portrayal of the early days of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints should look elsewhere.
A made-for-TV movie from the Ted Turner stable, which had its debut in January on the TNT cable channel, "The Avenging Angel" is a violent Western that casts Tom Berenger (who also co-produced) in the lead role of gunfighter Miles Utley.
This purely fictional character is a Danite, trained as a killer (under the tutelage of Porter Rockwell, played by James Coburn) to protect Mormon Church President Brigham Young (Charlton Heston). And though he is shown to be prayerful, speaks in support of the church and swears allegiance to Brigham, Utley is also sleeping with one of Brigham's daughters and is quick to kill (he slits the throat of an innocent man in the film's opening sequence).
Meanwhile, the purely fictional story line has to do with a conspiracy in the church hierarchy as villainous leaders close to Brigham plot to assassinate and displace him.
This is all pretty silly stuff, with Mormon characters portrayed more like gunslingers in a Clint Eastwood spaghetti Western than pioneer farmers.
But the casting of Heston (who, you may recall, also played Moses in "The Ten Commandments") as the man history refers to as a "Modern Moses" certainly bears scrutiny, and perhaps comparison to the other three cinematic Brighams.
- BRIGHAM YOUNG (a k a "Brigham Young - Frontiersman") (1940, Fox Video, $19.95) stars Dean Jagger as the title character and certainly has the lead role, though he is third-billed under Tyrone Power and Linda Darnell, who provide a fictional romantic subplot.
In fact, this was Jagger's first film lead, and he gives it his considerable all playing Brigham as an everyman who is an inspired leader of his people, and whose revelations come only after prayerful consideration. He is also often shown to be concerned about his actions and perhaps even doubtful.
It was this latter element that led to the most famous interchurch review of Jagger's performance, as President Spencer W. Kimball in his book "Faith Precedes the Miracle" assessed the movie version this way:
"The motion picture `Brigham Young' pictured President Young wondering if he were called of God. The picture showed him vacillating, unsure and questioning his calling. . . .
"But there was nothing vacillating or weak or wavering about Brigham Young. He knew he was God's leader; he knew that the Lord was revealing to him the things to do. And he went vigorously and courageously into his program of bringing the Saints West and then colonizing the valleys of the mountain."
One can only wonder, if President Kimball felt that way about Jagger's performance, how would he feel about those that followed - much less the myriad films that have portrayed the LDS Church in a less than favorable light.
Actually, Jagger's acting turn in "Brigham Young," though perhaps less tough and sure than it might have been, is at least quite dignified. The character of Brigham Young in this film is shown to be faithful and humble, frequently seeking spiritual guidance and always looking for the best in his fellow man. He is also most assuredly a nonviolent man of peace (which, as you will see, is not exactly the case in a couple of the other films).
In addition, Jagger's naturally authoritative demeanor, which would be used in many more movies as sage authority figures, certainly helps.
"This is the place" connection: When the Mormons arrive at the Salt Lake Valley, Brigham is sick and sleeping in a wagon. He awakens and, without looking out, describes to one of his wives the surroundings. He then calls the wagon train to a halt, climbs out and goes to an overlook and observes the valley firsthand. As the weary pioneer travelers surround him, Brigham declares: "This is the place. We'll build our homes down there." A few moments later he kneels on the spot and says, "We'll make this desert blossom."
- BRIGHAM (a k a "Savage Journey") (1977, Star Classics/
Platinum Productions, $19.95) is a low-budget, locally produced independent film, essentially a remake of "Brigham Young." Like the 1940 original, this version begins with Brigham meeting Joseph Smith, depicts Joseph's martyrdom and then spends the bulk of the film following the Mormon migration West.
Maurice Grandmaison, bearded throughout the film, stars as Brigham and his performance is quite ineffectual. But the film suffers more from the amateurish acting that surrounds him, poor directing choices and the obvious trappings of an extremely low budget. This is especially evident as the Mormons settle in the Salt Lake Valley, and it sometimes appears as if Brigham has come West with less than a dozen pioneers.
"This is the place" connection: Again, Brigham is ill and sleeping when the Mormons drive over the Wasatch Mountains. The pioneers enter the valley and Brigham sits up in his wagon - as an orchestral version of "Come, Come Ye Saints" swells in the background - and he says, "This is it, Heber. Not a sign of man. We'll be the first, we'll plant roots, deep roots."
- ROCKWELL (a k a "Rockwell: A Legend of the Wild West") (1994, Imperial Entertainment, $89.99) is also a locally produced independent film, which languished on the shelf for several years before finally getting a video release. The top-billed draw here is basketball superstar Karl Malone, who takes a break from the Utah Jazz long enough to make his acting debut in the supporting role of Elijah Abel, a sharp-shooting sidekick to the title character, Porter Rockwell (played by third-billed Randy Gleave).
Brigham Young (Michael Ruud) is a supporting character this time, with only four dialogue scenes and a total of less than 5 minutes on screen. Here, Brigham is portrayed as someone who not only condones Porter's notions of revenge and violence, but encourages them. At one point, Brigham rides up to Porter's cabin, driving a wagon that carries a bloody dead body. It's Porter's friend, and Brigham hands Porter a deputy marshal badge and suggests he take action.
"This is the place" connection: The arrival of Mormon pioneers in the valley and Brigham's famous statement are not portrayed, but we do get to hear Brigham say, as he finds Porter in a drunken stupor: "Nothing is worth drinking yourself to hell over."
- THE AVENGING ANGEL (1995, Turner Home Video, $89.99) relies heavily on Charlton Heston's cinematic baggage to carry his extended cameo as Brigham Young. After all, in addition to Moses, Heston also played "Ben-Hur" (1959), John the Baptist in "The Greatest Story Ever Told" (1965) and God in "Almost an Angel" (1990).
Though the character of Brigham does not have a lot of screen time, it's a prominent part, beginning in the very first scene, as a younger President Young must find an adoptive parent for the orphaned Miles (played as a child by T.J. Lowther, who co-starred with Kevin Costner and Clint Eastwood in "A Perfect World").
The film then quickly leaps to the arrival in the Salt Lake Valley, and then moves ahead several more years as the Mormon settlement is unsettled by infighting. (All this before the opening credits!)
Heston's Brigham is quite stern and stiff (or is that just Heston's acting style?), and like everyone else in this picture the prophet carries a gun. This, despite the fact that, as in "Rockwell," Brigham has others commit violent acts for him.
In the film's climax, Miles is captured by a duplicitous Mormon leader and is ushered into Brigham's office as if he's a criminal. Brigham opens his arms to embrace the unarmed and unfairly accused Miles, then gestures to the pistol on his hip so Miles can take it and shoot a would-be assassin.
"How did you know?" an incredulous Miles asks afterward.
"After all that's happened," Brigham replies, "why else would you have come back to me, my son?"
"This is the place" connection: Before the opening credits, Brigham is shown on a cliff overlooking the Salt Lake Valley, flanked by two high-ranking church officials. There do not seem to be any pioneers around, however, and Brigham is the picture of health as he says: "As Moses brought Israel through the wilderness, so God delivered us to a good land. This is the place. Behold the new Canaan, where the Lord's people shall dwell."
- SO WHICH OF THESE Brighams is best?
Despite the film's age, no one comes close to Dean Jagger's performance in "Brigham Young." His is still the cinematic Brigham of choice.
On the other hand, we're still waiting for the "definitive" Brigham Young performance on film. Not to mention an accurate portrayal of what he said when he announced that the Lord had led the Saints to the Salt Lake Valley.
According to Latter-day Saint reference materials, Brigham's statement was actually, "This is the right place! Drive on."