Review of Emma Smith: My Story (2008) by Okkay W — 14 Nov 2008

So, I actually saw this and it was just as I expected. It actually could have been a really interesting movie...if it actually did tell Emma's real story instead of being hung up on acting as faith affirming drivel targeting faithful mormon pockets. Emma is truly a perplexing and strange character who suffered a lot being married to Joseph Smith. The more interesting story to me would be in her hatred of Joseph's polygamy, her condemnation by later mormon leaders and her breaking away from the church lead by Brigham Young after Joseph's death. These things are almost entirely ignored. Polygamy gets a tiny mention in the movie but only as it is quickly dismissed by Emma (later in her life as she is telling her story) as something in the past that shouldn't be discussed or thought about. Of course, if the past were really so insignificant this movie shouldn't be made at all.

A more interesting and accurate history can be found in places like the book "Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith." She is a fascinating woman and this white-washed crap can't began to tell her darker and more interesting history. I don't expect a movie like this to even dare, though. In the end it is little more than the same blind faith fuzziness that mormon cinema normally is. There is a bit of pleasant camera work and costume and setting and such but it can't pull this film out of the muck.