The Work and the Glory: American Zion
December 6, 2007
Another example of a movie that borders the line between PG and PG-13 is The Work and the Glory: American Zion, which is rated PG-13. There is actually extremely little offensive content in the movie–mostly dark thematic elements and brief violence. There is no profanity or innuendo. In fact the MPAA said it would have been rated PG except for the fact that a character the audience has come to care about, Joseph Smith, is a victim of the violence. Scott Swoford, who produced all three Work and the Glory films, as well as the films shown in the Legacy Theater on Temple Square (Legacy, Testaments, Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration) said the Church movies he produced are much more violent and bloody than American Zion.
However, many LDS families still refused to see the movie solely because it was rated PG-13 and “our family doesn’t watch PG-13 movies–no exceptions.” So many members of the Church missed out on a beautiful and spiritual film about the prophet Joseph Smith that tastefully hinted at some of the violence that took place in that period of history. Because of this, the final movie in the Work and the Glory trilogy was edited to make sure it would be PG. It is readily apparent that certain violent scenes were shortened because of this. The movie was still great, but it could have had even more impact if the audience had supported the addition of some of the darker material.
These movies are a prime example of why ratings sometimes just don’t matter. They are very important as an initial warning that there could be objectionable content, but it’s also important that we realize a PG-13 movie about Joseph Smith is probably much more uplifting and worthwhile than the Pokemon movie, even if it is rated G.
December 6, 2007 at 2:28 pm
In the past, LDS church leaders made specific comments about avoiding movies with certain ratings. However, today, top leaders have avoided reference to specific ratings (Such as in the “For the Strength of the Youth” guide), replacing them with guidelines on making appropriate entertainment choices.
Frankly, they’ve asked the us to be responsible to ourselves and make good entertainment choices, regardless of what the MPAA or Vanity Fair have to say. We need to use our minds, hearts, and the spirit to apply correct principles in our daily lives. For latter-day saints, worldly rating standards are a ridiculous method by which to measure anything.
December 6, 2007 at 3:36 pm
First of all I agree with the first comment that is basically, we should live by the spirit of the law, not letter of the law. We really just need to be smart about what we let in and keep out, considering so many things that should probably be kept out are, according to worldly standards are “good, wholesome, family entertainment.” I find it frustrating that what we see on television gets worse and worse (such as a recent add for a tv show called “look good naked”…), yet people are getting upset about Harry Potter being witchcraft in our schools, what about the TV’s in our own homes?!
December 6, 2007 at 4:23 pm
I agree with you about the importance of looking into the content of movies and what they really are about. I believe the this movie was very uplifting as you said. I have heard others say that it was rated PG-13 in order to attract others not of our faith… I wish that people would look further into things before they jump to conclusions.
December 6, 2007 at 5:06 pm
I wholeheartedly agree with looking at the content of films. There are some that are rated PG that seem ‘worse’ than some other PG-13 movies I have seen. My question is, do we draw the line with R movies? Some of them seem to be amazing pieces of art that may inspire people, including historical pieces. Do we write them off because they are R or do we allow ourselves to see them because they are based on history? I know it is up to each of us, but it is something to think about.
December 6, 2007 at 7:35 pm
a beautiful and spiritual film about the prophet Joseph Smith
Unfortunately, it was a terribly inaccurate film in its depiction of Mormon history.
December 6, 2007 at 10:45 pm
Sad that some people allow their movie choices to be determined my a rating that is given by someone else. Why allow someone else to make decisions for you? Some PG movies I would avoid completely, while other more maturely rated films I have enjoyed and wondered why they received the rating they did. The rating system seems terribly inaccurate and could vary depending on the group of people who sit on on the rating determination. How often have I heard of writers throwing things into the director’s cut knowing it will have to be cut to receive a PG-13 rating, thinking it will only end up in the “unrated” DVD version, and then receiving a PG-13 rating with no request to remove that portion. Also, try comparing a PG movie from 20 years ago witha PG movie now. People’s standards have changed, so the standards of those determining the ratings have also changed, meaning the ratings have changed what they mean as well. Decide what to see based on reviews of actual content and what you want to expose yourself to.
December 7, 2007 at 1:47 pm
After having done a large semester-long research project about depictions of Joseph Smith in film, I found the depiction in American Zion to be most historically accurate of any other film that has so far been made in or outside of the Church.
December 7, 2007 at 3:25 pm
The question isn’t how accurate the movie was, the question was whether the movie deserved a PG-13 rating, and whether that rating should hold any merit. I have a couple of examples about deciding what to watch and why:
Many parents will not allow their kids to see PG-13 movies on principle; often at sleep overs and parties, my siblings’ friends say they can’t watch something like Pirates 2 because it’s PG-13. Personally, I think that’s a little over kill. My parents say that if we’re under 13 and a movie is PG-13, we call them and they decide on a movie to movie basis. I think this system works quite a bit better because I wouldn’t want my little sister watching, say, The Haunting, but it’d be fine if she watched Lady in the Water or Harry Potter.
Also, sometimes my parents go out and see a movie with a higher rating together and decide that the whole family really should watch it. On the other hand, my mom went to see Monster House by herself, and now we aren’t allowed to watch it at all. The movie was animated and geared toward kids, so much so that the three main characters were made to look like the trio from Harry Potter. But the morals exercised and taught in there included stealing prescription drugs from parents, embezzling money(the girl scout), making out/pre-marital sex at an early age(the baby sitter and her boy friend), and other scary, pointless subject matter. That movie is rated PG and is a favorite of many of the kids I teach in Kindergarten through sixth grade.
Jakob the Liar, on the other hand, is rated PG-13, and rightfully so. It’s about a Polish ghetto during WWII, and the overall theme is pretty dark, but the message of compassion and hope in a time where nothing in the world is on your side, is something I would want to impart on impressionable young minds far more than some spooky animation in Monster House or the mindless supposed humor of Open Season.
Unfortunately, the rating of a movie is decided by a committee of people, and most of it is personal preference. The MPAA website says, “The rating system is a flexible one, meant to consider parental attitudes at the time the motion picture is rated. The raters attempt, as much as possible, to mirror the views of a contemporary cross-section of parents in the country.” So there really aren’t any specific guidelines this committee follows, and the system changes on a week-to-week basis. The only really efficient way to determine what is okay for you or for your children to watch is to be really careful; read reviews written by people who are known to be accurate, ask your friends and family members why they thought a movie earned a rating, and do everything in your power to find out about a movie before you go to see it.
That being said, let’s not complain about content of movies after we’ve seen them. If you’ve done your research and still decided to see a movie, don’t complain to everyone else about the fifteen f-bombs or those three sex scenes. You brought it upon yourself.
…Yeah. That’s all I have to say.
December 8, 2007 at 12:43 am
I think that we truly need to be careful what comes into our homes and what our families are exposed to. American Zion was a wonderful movie, despite the PG-13 rating, however, we also knew that this was a movie coming from a person who is now a general authority…we didn’t have to guess whether or not it would depict what truly happened in church history….for most of us have read the books. However, we do need to be very careful of other movies that have the same rating. I don’t believe than an R-rated movie is every appropriate. Does anyone remember when the movie came out about the life of Christ (I’m drawing a blank on a blatantly obvious name, i know)? In the stake I was living in, so many people said that simply because it was about Christ and Rated-R that it was okay to see. Our stake received a letter not long after that saying that we can learn more about our Lord and Savior by studying the doctrine of our own church rather than a Hollywood produced movie. I think this is true for everything. We all know the horrors that have accompanied some events in history but do we really need to see a movie that explicitly portrays those? They can be tastefully done like the Work and the Glory but how much violence do we really need to see to understand the true nature of those events? Isn’t it true that we can find out other ways?
December 8, 2007 at 6:34 pm
I agree as well with the general statement of this conversation: ratings are an indication, and then we need to decide for ourselves. I wouldn’t want my kids watching ANY movie without asking me first, but that doesn’t mean that just because they’re kids, I wouldn’t let them watch something just because it was PG or PG-13. It’s something we really need to think about. I personally feel that if a movie is rated R it indicates certain things that I definitely do not want to see or hear. But if after my research I find that certain things can be edited out, I have no problem watching an edited version–some of my favorite movies are Glory, Jerry McGuire, and Double Jeopardy, for instance. I say if you still feel confident and good about your decision to watch something, do it, but if you feel like it isn’t wise, then don’t. It really isn’t a difficult thing to do, that’s basically what everyone does already, anyway.