Church Releases First Book of Mormon Video

[Scott Lloyd]

5 hours ago, Calm said:

It was more a "if/then" statement (given we are taught there are mansions, it is logical there is furniture in them rather than empty spaces).

Could not the term “mansion” be figurative, denoting a state of being, a degree of glory, a state of exaltation? Not ruling out a literal interpretation here, but why not both?

[Scott Lloyd]

2 hours ago, Bernard Gui said:

Ahhh....Hollywood stereotypes.... 

I’m talking about movie actors in Book of Mormon videos. Type casting? The Look. All that stuff. I’m reminded of the Arnold Friberg illustrations that came straight out of Central Casting.

Just engaged in some wishful thinking. Who knows what Lehi and his family looked like?

“Central Casting” is, of course, a cliché, but be it remembered that Arnold Friberg was commissioned to do  the set of paintings after which the scenes in Cecil B. DeMille’s “The Ten Commandments” were modeled (you can see his name in the movie credits). If I’m not mistaken, he did the Book of Mormon paintings thereafter. 

[MiserereNobis]

7 minutes ago, Scott Lloyd said:

Could not the term “mansion” be figurative, denoting a state of being, a degree of glory, a state of exaltation? Not ruling out a literal interpretation here, but why not both?

 I thought the literal view of mansions unusual. 

[MiserereNobis]

10 hours ago, Ahab said:

We make such good videos in our Church!  

This is demonstrably false. It’s not a problem, though. True church doesn’t equal good videos. Unless you think so..?

[Scott Lloyd]

20 minutes ago, MiserereNobis said:

 I thought the literal view of mansions unusual. 

I don’t know that I’d call it unusual. But if it be one’s only interpretation, it is infinitely too limiting for the God of the universe. 

[Hamba Tuhan]

I clearly had no idea what was coming. I assumed we would be getting scriptural clips, like the Bible videos. Instead, it appears that we can expect a dramatisation of the entire Book of Mormon?

[Scott Lloyd]

1 hour ago, Hamba Tuhan said:

I clearly had no idea what was coming. I assumed we would be getting scriptural clips, like the Bible videos. Instead, it appears that we can expect a dramatisation of the entire Book of Mormon?

Indeed. 

I hope there will be a full-length version with all of them presented together seamlessly in one entity. 

[Scott Lloyd]

9 hours ago, MiserereNobis said:

If I were to write an academic paper on this video, perhaps it would be called:

The Razor's Edge:

The Ideology of Facial Hair in Official Video Depictions of the Book of Mormon

Why is Nephi, the good son, clean shaven? And why does the other good son hardly have any facial hair? (but he has a little, so we know he's not the hero). And the bad brothers nice dark beards? Yes, Lehi has a beard, but his is grey, one of age and wisdom (perhaps mirroring the beards of previous of LDS prophets prior to the beard ban?). And as to hair length, Nephi has the shortest hair of them all.

All humor aside, Lehi is presented as a prophet without a hierarchal role, yet he still prophesizes something that is meant for all, not just his family or the realm of his responsibility. This seems in contrast to the current LDS view, where the prophet is part of the hierarchy, actually at the top of the hierarchy, whose realm is greater than his family. Isn't there something subversive about Lehi in the context of his religion at that time? He wasn't at the top yet he still prophesized for everyone in Jerusalem and I'm guessing beyond.

I feel like I can't really blame the bad brothers. Imagine a similar situation today. You're LDS and you live in Salt Lake City. Your father goes out on the streets and preaches that he has had a vision that Salt Lake City will be destroyed. He is not part of the hierarchy of the LDS church, but he claims that he has seen God and has been told this. And then he makes you leave your nice house and travel off somewhere without you knowing the end destination. Nothing in the video shows that they have done anything wrong except question the vision of their father.

I'll also say that this appears directed at LDS audiences, which makes perfect sense and isn't a criticism. I just wanted to acknowledge it. From little things (like the numbers of "even" used in the dialogue, something that this board has shown me is LDS vernacular), to the focus on drinking -- the first sin we are shown is some drunkards, and the bad brothers want to keep the gold and silver to drink.

What y'all need is some independent artists to create LDS masterpieces, such as Dante for Catholicism  

Two or three points by way of response. 

On the facial hair thing, I know you are speaking somewhat with tongue in cheek, but I would point out that culturally, we are to a great extent bound to the Friberg depictions of the 1960s. He had Nephi clean shaven, perhaps to clearly portray that Nephi was the younger brother. I have wished on occasion that artists could not be so beholden to Friberg in their Book of Mormon depictions. If I were to offer an analogue, it would be that depictions of Christ have largely been similar from artist to artist through the years. 

Second point: I’m afraid our custom of referring to the president of the Church as “the prophet” may have wrongly and unwittingly conveyed the impression that there can be only one prophet at a time and that it is a hierarchical position. The theology of the Latter-day Saints holds that there can be many prophets. The First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve are sustained as prophets, seers and revelators. We hold with John in the Book of Revelation that “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy,” meaning that anyone who has that spiritual gift is, in a broader sense, a prophet. Moses said, “Would that all God’s people were prophets and that he would put his spirit upon every one of them.” Of course, only the president of the Church may receive revelation binding upon the Church as a whole. This is illustrated in the very next chapter, where Miriam and Aaron are punished for trying to usurp the authority of Moses. 

Finally, the idiomatic use of “even” among Latter-day Saints — mainly among older Church leaders — is ultimately drawn from phrasing in the King James Version of the Bible. Since the phrasing in the English version of the Book of Mormon is consistent with that Bible version, it stands to reason this “even” idiom would be present in a motion picture depicting Book of Mormon events. 

 

[Bill “Papa” Lee]

20 hours ago, SettingDogStar said:

And the Bees in a submarine!

Since that would have nothing to do with Lehi, his family, or his people, I would say nowhere. 

[Hamba Tuhan]

1 hour ago, Scott Lloyd said:

I hope there will be a full-length version with all of them presented together seamlessly in one entity. 

That sounds very long! 

[Scott Lloyd]

3 minutes ago, Hamba Tuhan said:

That sounds very long! 

Perhaps. Maybe split it up into a few sequels?

[longview]

13 hours ago, Bernard Gui said:

Ahhh....Hollywood stereotypes.... 

I’m talking about movie actors in Book of Mormon videos. Type casting? The Look. All that stuff. I’m reminded of the Arnold Friberg illustrations that came straight out of Central Casting.

Just engaged in some wishful thinking. Who knows what Lehi and his family looked like?

Is it just me or is that face of the warrior leader look freakishly like Mitt Romney?

ETA:  Captain Moroni, of course.

Edited September 21, 2019 by longview

[ksfisher]

8 minutes ago, longview said:

Is it just me or is that face of the warrior leader look freakishly like Mitt Romney?

ETA:  Captain Moroni, of course.

That’s because the painting has been altered.

 

[Tacenda]

4 hours ago, Hamba Tuhan said:

I clearly had no idea what was coming. I assumed we would be getting scriptural clips, like the Bible videos. Instead, it appears that we can expect a dramatisation of the entire Book of Mormon?

I wish they'd make a movie of "The Saints", book. But highly doubt that would ever happen.

[Bernard Gui]

39 minutes ago, longview said:

Is it just me or is that face of the warrior leader look freakishly like Mitt Romney?

ETA:  Captain Moroni, of course.

That’s Captain Romni....

[longview]

28 minutes ago, Tacenda said:

I wish they'd make a movie of "The Saints", book. But highly doubt that would ever happen.

But surely you have seen the "The Work and the Glory" series?  Pretty close to the saga of the pioneers.

[Tacenda]

1 hour ago, longview said:

But surely you have seen the "The Work and the Glory" series?  Pretty close to the saga of the pioneers.

No, it stopped short of Joseph Smith actually following through on living polygamy. Now that is a truth I'd like to see them be open about. Until then, I just can't trust yet. 

[SettingDogStar]

4 hours ago, Bill “Papa” Lee said:

Since that would have nothing to do with Lehi, his family, or his people, I would say nowhere. 

But these are Book of Mormon videos, and would this include the Brother of Jared’s adventures. The comment I responded to included elements from the Book of Ether.

[SettingDogStar]

1 hour ago, Tacenda said:

No, it stopped short of Joseph Smith actually following through on living polygamy. Now that is a truth I'd like to see them be open about. Until then, I just can't trust yet. 

I think there’s just a lot of controversy surrounding that event and practice that would be difficult to present as fact in a video series.

[Kenngo1969]

23 hours ago, katherine the great said:

That's an insult to the memory of all good Neanderthals. 😊

I have to agree that if Laman and Lemuel were presented as attractive and charming, it would make more sense that they were able to lead so many people away.

I think Laman and Lemuel were attractive and charming ... to people who wanted to be attracted and charmed by them.    I think it all depends upon by whom, and, perhaps more to the point, upon by what, one wishes to be attracted and charmed.  You might be repulsed by something which "attracts" and "charms" me, and, conversely, I might be repulsed by something which "attracts" and "charms" you.  We're all "attracted" and "charmed" by whatever spirit we "list to obey." That's rather the way life in this fallen world works, I think.

Edited September 21, 2019 by Kenngo1969

[SettingDogStar]

10 minutes ago, Kenngo1969 said:

I think Laman and Lemuel were attractive and charming ... to people who wanted to be attracted and charmed by them.    I think it all depends upon by whom, and, perhaps more to the point, upon by what, one wishes to be attracted and charmed by.  You might be repulsed by something which "attracts" and "charms" me, and, conversely, I might be repulsed by something which "attracts" and "charms" you.  We're all "attracted" and "charmed" by whatever spirit we "list to obey." That's rather the way life in this fallen world works, I think.

I mean people were apparently charmed by Warren Jeffs soooo your point stands haha

Edited September 21, 2019 by SettingDogStar

[Kenngo1969]

Perhaps this is one of those cases in which one sees what one wants to see or he sees what he's looking for, I suppose.  Perhaps one's views of a production intended to depict Book of Mormon events are shaped by one's views of the Book of Mormon itself.  That said, I think the production values are quite high, and that, given the fact that the film's writer, its director, and others involved in its production see something like the Book of Mormon, not as it is, but, rather, as they are, this production is as true-to-life as one can make a depiction of events that occurred 2,600 years ago.

My $0.02.  Likely, your mileage varies.  Vive le difference and to each, his or her own.  I wonder what @cinepro thinks of this.  I wonder if his view of it would be as jaundiced as some others expressed in the thread.

[Robert F. Smith]

On 9/20/2019 at 11:09 AM, smac97 said:

...............It was released earlier today, and has 11,500 views so far.............

I don't like the script or the sets.

The first scene should be of Jeremiah the Prophet (and his scribes, Baruch and Seraiah) declaiming to Jerusalemites in poetic fashion directly from the text of Jeremiah.  The set should be a fine and expensive one of Jerusalem, perhaps the Temple precincts.  What we see instead is a ruin.  Perhaps CGI is necessary.

The first concept should be Lehi as a powerful and convincing patriarch whose word is law.  Otherwise, Laman and Lemuel would not follow him anywhere.  Young Nephi needed to be a powerful physical specimen, even if unshaven and Mr nice guy.  Any prayers delivered which are not already in the BofM chapters 1-2, should have been modeled on something in Psalms or other part of OT.

Lehi's first declamation to Jerusalemites should include Nephi as scribe visibly copying what his father says.  Instead, we get a scene of rabble and chaos.

The first encampment is reached with no reference to the Red Sea coast, Lehi does not build an altar and sacrifice, and the place is not that of a desert wadi with sheer canyon walls and a stream heading down to the Red Sea, thus making Lehi's declamation to his sons weak and meaningless -- almost an afterthought.

Maybe the Church should have contracted with Robert Redford to do the job for them, instead of Church personnel.  At least Redford knows what "gravitas" means.

[Robert F. Smith]

On 9/20/2019 at 11:34 AM, SettingDogStar said:

And the Bees in a submarine!

Except that there were no bees in the barges.  Indeed, honey-bees already existed in the New World.

[Robert F. Smith]

On 9/20/2019 at 11:54 AM, LoudmouthMormon said:

....................- Ain't no camels mentioned in the BoM.

True enough, but camels would have been so constant a presence in that day and time, that mentioning them would be unnecessary.

On 9/20/2019 at 11:54 AM, LoudmouthMormon said:

- Lehi's "house" - sort of small, compared to the image I've had in my head for years, of his household consisting of various extended relatives and servants and hired hands and whatnot.

Yes, a family compound in a village near Jerusalem.  The problem with that is that the Babylonian troops of Nebuchadrezzar had just been in that area -- the same year that Lehi began to preach -- and had taken lots of prisoners back to Babylon.  How could Lehi's home come through unscathed?  His treasure would have to have been carefully secreted nearby in a rocky crag.