Work and the Glory: American Zion (2005)

Synopsis: In November of 1833, the state of Missouri turned a blind eye as hundreds of its peaceful inhabitants were hunted down and driven from their homes in the dead of night. Against this impending... In November of 1833, the state of Missouri turned a blind eye as hundreds of its peaceful inhabitants were hunted down and driven from their homes in the dead of night. Against this impending strife, a young man with a divine vision leads a people against the aggression of an anti-hero with a vulnerable past. "The Work and The Glory: American Zion" sets the story of the fictional Steed family against the historically factual backdrop of the Mormon people's move into the West. Divided by their diverse reactions to a nascent ideology, the Steeds struggle to hold together as the strength of their convictions and their filial bonds are tested. The stirring narrative of the faith that led a persecuted people to Missouri and beyond is one of the most poignant untold tales of American history. It is the account of a valiant struggle to exercise the rights promised by a fledgling nation. "The Work and the Glory: American Zion" unearths the story of the passion behind the movement which eventually launched the largest American migration and the colonization of the West: the vision of a promised land in America. This film adopts a distinctive narrative style which examines its characters through a lens which deciphers their motivations through the course of their actions. Laying out the plot in a literary "slice-of-life" approach, the film is bold in refraining from over-contextualizing its characters or imposing ready-made conclusions on the difficult situations it portrays. "The Work and the Glory: American Zion" defies by a wide margin precedents of production value and scope set by other independent films of this genre. Shot entirely on location in Tennessee, cities, homestead estates, and temple sites were built on original sets ranging from early New York townships to settlements on Missouri's reckless Western Frontier. -- © Vineyard Distribution [More]