Friday, April 20, 2007

The Mormons: The PBS Experience

Here's one that makes my bones quiver with delight. I blogged on this four-hour documentary before, a documentary about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints called, simply, The Mormons. But the show, which is a co-production of American Experience and Frontline, now has a website up with a trailer that scintillates. (One wonders if co-production makes for a better documentary.)

Already, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has taken notice, and even visited, on the Church's official newsroom website, the issues surrounding the documentary:

A few scholars, including some who appear in the documentary, have seen substantial parts of the program.

Their initial reaction: Church leaders and members are extraordinarily eloquent in explaining the tenets of their faith. The film is not superficial, which is often a criticism leveled at television coverage.

However, some raised concern about what they feel is a disproportionate amount of time given to topics that are not central to the Church’s faith...Other scholars criticize what they say is an imbalance in the treatment of some topics...

...Michael Purdy of the Church’s Public Affairs Department has followed the Whitney documentary closely for the past three years.

“The big question that members of the Church are asking is whether these programs will come close to capturing the essence of how Latter-day Saints define and see themselves,” he said.

Purdy never answers the question, though, as has been previously noted, experienced writer & director Helen Whitney's intent is to dispel the great myths surrounding Mormonism. Will she succeed? Are we entering a new era of understanding concerning the Church? Are Mormons becoming more mainstream in the American experience? What is an acceptable view of the Mormon faith?

Perhaps the timing of the film couldn't be better, at least for those who may just want to take a step back and (re)examine all the cultural and social angles of the faith. Anyone with any political knowhow, is aware of the so-called "Mormon issue" surrounding the recent presidential candidacy run of Latter-day Saint and former Massachusetts Governor, Mitt Romney. The whole Mormon experience has been held aloft—mostly from unscrupulous left-wing media sources that would have it labeled Evangelical conservative anti-Mormon picketing—under the watchful eye of the nation, on television, on YouTube, in the papers, on the Internet, on the blogosphere. Questions about the Mormon experience are amplified—perhaps as the final frontier of American bigotry, the last hold out for A Posse Out West.

As a side note, political pundit and radio blogger, Hugh Hewitt, examines quite well in his book, A Mormon in the White House?: 10 Things Every American Should Know about Mitt Romney, the specific question of a so-called "Mormon issue," with regards to Romney, in light of the United States historical precedence and adherence to a good-faith following of the Constitution's Article VI:

...no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.

(Hewitt, by the way, has worked previously as a reporter for PBS, covering various Mormon-related topics. Just an interesting comparative note.)

So while the country debates the political issue and takes sides, this documentary provides a nice opportunity for many to get away from the political questions at hand.

Again, the trailer for the documentary thrills me. Sure it ventures into uncomfortable territory, especially, since I, as a Mormon, am all too familiar with prejudices and misunderstanding about my faith. But that is precisely what thrills me about it. I only hope that the film will sustain my euphoria going into it.

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As an endnote: I will be leaving my blogging post for an unknown period of time. I have accepted a position working on a presidential campaign in Boston (see if you can guess who), and my time will be occupied. However, like all good things, as a cadence in the Mormon aesthetic experience, this blog wants to live! For anyone who remains interested or supercharged in the goings on of anything remotely resembling a continued movement of the Mormon artistic intelligentsia in the modern world, pay attention: this sabbatical-taking blogger seeks replacement co-bloggers. So, to make it plain, if you want to blog about Mormons, the Mormon aesthetic experience, especially of and concerning the cinema, but by and of anything remotely artistic, please submit your interests and curriculum vitae (okay, we're not really that hyperbolic, but we do take things seriously at Rhapsdiom.com) to: langbert at hotmail dot com.

This blogger will miss the experience, and is grateful for all the participants.

posted by Rhapsidiomite @ 6:14 PM
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