I am impressed. Considering the material it has to work with, The Work and the Glory does about as good a job as it can do. While the book had problems on a number of levels, director Russell Holt manages to tell a story that is strong, sincere and spiritual as well.

Following along closely with Gerald Lund’s books, the film tells us about the Steed family, which has moved to upstate New York in the 1820’s, just in time to be involved with the excitement surrounding the events of Joseph Smith (Jonathan Scarfe). The family soon becomes divided over the issue. The mother Mary Ann (Brenda Strong) and children, Nathan (Alexander Carroll) and Melissa (Brighton Herford) believe, while the father Benjamin (Sam Hennings) doubts and Joshua (Eric Johnson) has joined in fighting against it. Meanwhile Joshua and Nathan compete for the attention of Lydia (Tiffany Dupont).

Truth be told, I was crying throughout a good deal of the film. Of course, because of my erratic sleep schedule, I had been fully awake for well over 24 hours before going into the theater. So I attribute at least 90% of my tears to my exhausted state. Nevertheless, I do think the film managed to hit some solid dramatic chords in this respect.

As The Book of Mormon comes forth, the story’s characters are split as to whether they’re willing to take it seriously or not. This creates some real tension between the characters. Even more so than the book, the film manages to portray the deep love that the characters have for each other as well as the deep hurt that comes through the religious strife between them. That tension is genuine, complex and honestly uplifting all at the same time.

The Work and the Glory is also surprisingly strong on a religious level. Joseph Smith is perfectly portrayed and is given just the right amount of screen time. I think my favorite scene from the film is the very understated depiction of the first vision. The film builds up tension with a flashback of the event, but climaxes with a return to present time as Joseph describes the actual vision in his own words. Granted, the depiction of such a vision was probably too difficult/expensive/controversial to do well, but the final product ends up being something that was probably more powerful than if they had shown it.

Besides the first vision, very little is actually told about religion. There’s a lot to do with the gold plates, especially as Joshua Steed joins with the Murdoch boys in attempts to get them. But the word “Moroni” is never mentioned. We don’t know much more than that they were found in the ground and that they have something to do with the coming forth of The Book of Mormon. I like the decision. While nonmembers may be a little confused as to what exactly is going on, a full explanation would have begun to turn the film into a first discussion.

At the same time, a good deal of the film felt directed at nonmembers. I was highly amused, for example, to hear liberal new age rhetoric used in defense of the church – Nathan Steed uses words like “bigotry” and “intolerance” in regards to the persecutors of Joseph on multiple occasions. Blind persecutors of the church would surely feel crusty after watching this film – if one ever does.

The primary problem with the film is that the story, like the book, is a rambling spiritual soap opera. Because this is just the first of many episodes, there is not unity or closure to much of anything. In fact, it’s difficult to see it as a traditional story at all, rather than a narrative historical commentary. The problem is, the issues, emotions and beliefs involved are all way too complex for a single movie. That’s not to say that such things can’t be addressed in film, but The Work and the Glory stretches it out fairly thin with a large number of characters and conflicts.

I don’t know if the film is going to be successful enough to warrant a second, but the film sure acts like it will. A good deal of time is spent on storylines, such as Joshua getting rich in Missouri and a hint at his relationship with Jessica (Emily Podleski), that are valuable only insomuch as they are part of an ongoing story. They are meaningless in this one.

By the way, just because I think it’s funny. There’s an absurd scene where Joshua is playing poker and decides to go all in, only after Jessica, a waitress at the bar, has managed to see the other guy’s cards and signal to him that he has the better hand. We then discover Joshua has four kings. What the heck? Like he needed to be told he had the better hand. He must have known the odds of him not having the high hand are well over 1/100,000.

Anyway, I think the film largely accomplishes what it intends to. Living the restoration through the lives of the Steed family, rather than a straightforward historical account of Joseph’s life himself allows for an understanding an appreciation of what it must have been like for many of the members in the early days of the church.

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