Mormon Movie Review: ****The Cokeville Miracle

This is a T.C. Christensen movie, and tells the true story of the Cokeville terrorist attack which took place in May 1986.  The movie is well done for the most part.  There was on line which I thought was odd or out of place, or given with the wrong attitude which is by the police officer when he heard of the hostage situation.
The story is that a former police officer, David Young and his wife, take the rural school of Cokeville, Wyoming hostage and demand a ransom of $2,000,000 per child.  The bomb explodes prematurely, but all of the children and their teachers escape.  Most have burns and other injuries, but it was deemed miraculous that not more died.  Only the hostage takes perished, Young by his own self inflicted bullet.  His wife was severely injured by the blast and he shot her as well before killing himself.
The movie continues after the blast, with the local police officer, who had given up on God, restoring his faith through the stories of the children, as well as attending church and observing the faith of the Children as they sing "Child's Prayer."
The ending of this movie is very well done as it shows the restoration of a family through faith.  I highly recommend this movie.  It has many familiar LDS actors throughout.

**Movie Review: ***^Ephraim's Rescue

Ephraim’s Rescue

This movie tells the story of a very fascinating man, Ephraim Hanks.  It also tells of Thomas Dobson, as he was one of the recipients of Ephraim’s miracles, and responded by dancing a jig.  Ephraim had a sense of listening to the Lord, and knowing what he should be about.  This sense comes to his benefit on several occasions.  He also was prepared to take part in the rescue, by his life and circumstances.  He also had the gift of healing healing, and this gift he was able to use in healing the Saints in his community, the handcart pioneers, and on one occasion an Indian boy. 

I find anything about the handcart pioneers emotional, and this was no different.

Movie Review: *****17 Miracles

This movie is very good at telling its story.  I am not sure of the title, 17 miracles.  There were miracles a plenty on this trek, and to limit oneself to number is a disservice.  Of course the film maker may be thinking they are showing only 17, but a miracle to one is not to another, so the number is somewhat arbitrary.  I can think of many other miracles which were not included in the story.  These included: The miracles with regards to food, the stranger giving jerky, and the pots filling with food, or finding food on the plains, rescue from wolves, escape from an abusive husband etc.
My only complaint is the mixture of two stories historically, Martin and Willie handcart companies.  I enjoyed the stories shown, some of which I was already familiar, and others I was not.  Brother Savage, as the narrator used words of many people, including Wallace Stegner, Frances Webster and Josiah Rogerson.  I am sure there were others I did not recognize. 

I was confused at times with the switch from the Martin to the Willie Company.  This also threw the timeline off.  Bodil, who is shown passing away, after the rescuers had reached the Willie Company, and after they had climbed Rocky Ridge.  However they showed the rescue of the Martin Company which was several days later, at Red Buttes.  I liked the bits about the Loader family who were with the Martin Company.  There is a story of the mother, pretending to fall one morning to get her girls up out of bed.  I would have like to have seen that story.  I also missed the Jacksons, whose husband died, but visited her in a dream telling her the rescuers were coming. 

As for my personal connection, I must admit, the story choked me up to the point I was in tears.  Not only for the people portrayed in the movie, but also for my own great-great-aunty Betsy Ashton, who froze her feet at last crossing, and passed away shortly after this.  Her two younger sisters survived the trip.  The youngest, Mary, is my great-great grandmother.  I also watched those digging graves, as my great-great grandfather was also on the trek, dug many graves.

My only objection to the movie is with regards the the written information at the end, which claimed that not many more on the the two treks passed away than with the regular pioneer trips.  Generally it is accepted that six percent of the pioneers passed away on the trips.  With regards to this journey, the number would be between 18 and 20 percent, or three times the normal death rate.  This rate is derived by adding the deaths for the two trips, 65 of the Willie Company and 135-150 of the Martin Company.  The total pioneers was 500 in the Wilie Company and 650 in the Martin Company.

Despite its problems with combining two stories, this movie for me receives the highest marks, and I will be viewing it over and over.