I am proud to admit right here on the bloggernacle that I own DVDs of almost all of the Mormon movies that have come out. From “Johnny Lingo” to “The Best Two Years,” if they have a Mormon theme, I shell out the bucks. I spoke recently with a husband-and-wife team that is trying to put together a unique Mormon film called “The Smith Interviews.” This is no fly-by-night operation: Mark Deakins is an experienced actor, and Steve Young (yes, THE Steve Young) is the executive producer.
“The Smith Interviews” is nothing more than a business plan, a script and a short 10-minute movie right now. Mark and Joni Deakins are looking for $1 million from investors so they can film, produce and distribute the movie this year, the 200th anniversary of Joseph Smith’s birth. The idea of the project is to hear about Joseph Smith from the people who knew him in the 1830s and 1840s — both his supporters and critics. It will be a docu-drama of sorts.
The short is quite interesting. We hear from John Bennett, Hyrum Smith, Govs. Boggs and Ford and John Taylor and many others. They are interviewed giving their opinions of Joseph Smith. I think the project is really quite promising. We see Joseph Smith with his supporters in the Carthage Jail talking right before he is martyred.
I am mostly interested in this from a journalistic standpoint — what is it like to put together a movie, especially a Mormon movie? The Deakins report that it’s not easy. Although some Mormon themed movies have been successful financially, many of them have been panned by critics (think of “The Book of Mormon Movie,” which I actually thought was not nearly as bad as the critics said it was). There are not that many LDS people in Hollywood, according to the Deakins. (Kieth Merrill is of course an exception).
The Deakins used their own money, about $50,000, to put together the short in less than a week of filming with professional actors. They have been sending the short and a business case around the country looking for investors. Once they get $1 million, they plan to start shooting. They hope to have a film to send to the theaters by this fall.
Mark Deakins has been on Broadway and had some roles on “Star Trek: Insurrection,” “Judgment Day” and has been on “Star Trek: Voyager” among many, many acting projects. He was the original voice on the “Sundance Channel” and is the voice of “Audi.”
The Deakins make a convincing case that there is room for their approach to the Joseph Smith story. I’d like to see it make it to the big screen. I need some more movies for my video collection.