bkoganbing Gerald Lund's fictionalization of the origins of the Mormon Church gets its start in The Work And The Glory. His character creations, the Steed family move west from their farm in Vermont and go to the fresh area of Western New York and as fate would have it, settle on a tract of land near the town of Palmyra.Where they hire Hyrum and Joseph Smith as laborers to clear the rather large plot of land they've acquired. Joseph is a figure of controversy in the community, he has said that at the age of 14 angels appeared to him and promised that some gold tablets telling the story of a lost North American civilization would be given to him and he would be given the ability to translate from the lost language of said civilization.Joseph Smith as played by Jonathan Scarfe is a figure who has divided his community of Palmyra. Some see him as divinely blessed, others feel his inspiration is from an evil source. That division spills over into the Steed family.As if that isn't enough the two older Steed brothers, Eric Johnson and Alexander Carroll are divided not only about Smith, but are also rivals for the local merchant's daughter played by Tiffany Dupont. Johnson starts running with some of the local toughs as well and he's alienated from his parents Sam Hennings and Brenda Strong. But Carroll believes that Smith is the real deal and Hennings is against Smith while Strong wants to see he gets an even break in the marketplace of ideas. It's what Carroll says their grandfather fought in the American Revolution for. You don't have to be a believer in the Latter Day Saints church to appreciate a well written story that a well crafted piece of cinema was made from. You couldn't have shot The Work And The Glory in present day Palmyra as the place doesn't look anything remotely like it was during America's Era of Good Feelings. The makers of this film did a remarkable job in making Johnson City, Tennessee look like 1820s Palmyra with the Erie Canal running down the center of the town.I'm sure this film is shown at LDS gatherings a lot and well it should as it brings their history alive and renders it understandable. And its good for us Gentiles who want to know about such things.

amiedelrae21 This movie is uplifting and a little suspenseful at times. Not that it's scary, but this is not a predictable movie...it keeps you guessing and engrossed in it at all times. It is just as good as the book that it follows. I would (and have)recommend(ed) this movie to others. It is good for members and non-members alike to see this. It really goes into detail about the restoration and all the facts. If any one has friends of family that have questions about the LDS church, this would be a great starting point for them. It's a wholesome and fun movie for every one of all ages. My kids and my husband both love the movie and the book as much as I did. We can't wait until the second and third editions come out!!!

mikebevsaner First this movie was great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I think we could all learn something from it. I am not a Morman. I was raised a Catholic however in Highschool became a Baptist than went to no church Now I am a Presbyterian. I purchased the movie because I have gotten the book and i was turned on to the book by a Morman friend. Funny how things work I remember renting a movie about Brigham Young it caught my eye because of it being an old movie at the time I rented it I have no idea who the man was. I knew the Osmonds were Morman I do recommend this movie to all it really shows something about accepting people and what our forefathers came to this country for. It is not freedom from religion it is freedom of religion. I am beginning to have a new eye in regards to the Mormans and all the things I have heard in the past. Good movie

bobby-connolly Read about 6 reviews here about viewers' responses to this flick T W & T G which were highly laudatory. I very much did appreciate the cinematography and the amount of detail put into making this historically accurate. But the story was weak. The acting for the most part was painful to watch and the people who were supposed to be the founding members of the M church were so nice and polite and industrious that they weren't believable.In watching the scenes, particularly those with Nathan Steed, I felt embarrassed. I felt so embarrassed because of how sanitized the scenes seemed and how awkward his character was even though he was supposed to be so sensitive and loyal and nonjudgmental. The scenes reminded me of another young man who struggles with social and family situations, namely Napoleon Dynamite! But I knew it was okay to laugh out loud at his missteps. Napoleon was a comedy.A matter that was glossed over, I felt, was that in this period of American development quite a few men "found" amazing historical "finds" that today have mostly been proved to be fabrications. There is a petrified man, a giant, who was found during this same period on display in Cooperstown, NY. This crude statue that was supposedly dug up in NY has now been judged as a crude attempt at at creating an antiquity. I believe Mark Twain writes about a similar "discovery."