The Work and the Glory (2004)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Russell Holt

Writers:

Russell Holt (writer)
Gerald N. Lund (novel)

Release Date:

21 January 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Romance | Drama

Tagline:

One Man....A Remarkable Vision; One Family....A Desperate Struggle

Plot:

Recently moved to upstate New York from the comfort of their Vermont homestead, the Benjamin Steed family...

Plot Keywords:

Lds Film | 1820s | First Of Series | Religion | Mormon

Cast

Sam Hennings	...	Benjamin Steed
Brenda Strong	...	Mary Ann Steed
Eric Johnson	...	Joshua Steed
Alexander Carroll	...	Nathan Steed
Tiffany Dupont	...	Lydia McBride
Brighton Hertford	...	Melissa Steed / Narrator
Kimberly Varadi	...	Becca Steed
Colin Ford	...	Matthew Steed
Kathryn Firago	...	Hannah McBride
Jim Grimshaw	...	Josiah McBride
Jonathan Scarfe	...	Joseph Smith
Sarah Darling	...	Emma Smith
Edward Albert	...	Martin Harris
Ryan Wood	...	Hyrum Smith
Jordan Rose Tarter	...	Sophronia Smith

Also Known As:

Pillar of Light: The Work and the Glory (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for some mild thematic elements and violence.

Runtime:

USA:110 min | USA:118 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Johnson City, Tennessee, USA

Company:

Manchester Pictures

Trivia:

The Erie Canal flows down Main Street of Palmyra, New York. Because the movie was shot in Tennessee, production designers actually built an artificial Erie Canal down the middle of the 19th century Main Street they had built.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Joshua Steed says he is regressing back to an ape but Charles Darwin didn't publish his theory of evolution till 1859. Almost 30 years after the time period in the film.

Movie Connections:

Followed by The Work and the Glory III: A House Divided (2006)

Excellent!

This was very well done and is obvious that a much larger budget was used than what is typically used on an LDS movie. The setting was beautiful and the acting was very good also. The actor that portrayed Joseph Smith left us with a greater sense of the kind of person he may have been and some of the persecution he endured (although I believe it was on a much larger scale than what was shone). The characters that played the part of the Steed family couldn't have been a better cast. I also enjoyed the occasional subtle humor that rounded out the movie. I will definitely add this one to my DVD collection when it is released. Go see it! Now, excuse me while I "go get some more eggs"!