From: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com (aml-list-digest) To: aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: aml-list-digest V1 #837 Reply-To: aml-list Sender: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk aml-list-digest Tuesday, September 24 2002 Volume 01 : Number 837 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 20 Sep 2002 14:19:11 -0600 From: "Thom Duncan" Subject: Re: [AML] Destroying Art > I don't really want to get into a discussion of pornography either, so if it is > a sticking point I will withdraw the case and simply reassert the fact that > decent people have in the past and should today remove and destroy those parts > of their personal art collection which they find offensive to the spiritual > climate they want in their life and in their home. I, for one, would not call that censorship but personal choice. And I don't see that your scriptural examples give any authorization to the act of public censorship. They only show that those attempts were made, not they were necessarily the right thing to do. The Old Testament has Lot's daughters getting their father drunk and then having sex with him. Are we therefore to assume that because there is no condemnation of this act that incest is okay? The Old Testament lived under different laws than we do today. For one thing, they didn't have the constitution that allowed for freedom of expression of even ideas the majority of people may find offensive. IMO, what may or may not have been acceptable with regard to offensive documents in the Old Testament times is absolutely irrelevant in this New Dispensation where individual rights are supreme. Don't forget, they also sacrificed animals back then. Thom - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 20 Sep 2002 22:33:48 -0600 From: Barbara Hume Subject: Re: [AML] Truth & Responsibility in Writing >(Does that make any sense? What the character says or believes or does and >what the narrative reveals about the whole situation are often different. >The characters can be confused, manipulative, or deluded, but the implied >storyteller should exist above the interpretations of the individual >characters and allow the reader to see a larger world than the characters >can. Or at least in the fiction I most like to read; fiction that allows my >interpretations as a reader to be quite different than the interpretations >of either the characters or the storyteller.) Of course this makes sense. Writing a narrative that does not reflect the POV of the character is not easy. One of my favorite examples of this is Browning's "My Last Duchess" or, even better, "Soliliquy of the Spanish Cloister." Remember how those characters expressed anger against someone else, when it was clear to the reader that they were the ones who were evil? Another good example is Elizabeth Peters' character, Amelia Peabody Emerson. Her view of the world and the perception the reader gets are often at odds. But it doesn't keep the character from being sure of herself! I so often wonder how often we see ourselves in one way and everyone else sees us another. At any rate, it makes for an interesting literary technique. > From my own experience I can suggest that sometimes the wounds are > reopened and the pain made more poignant by the sinner's repentance. This is an interesting statement. It makes me think of the prophet Jonah, who was angry that the people of Nineveh repented because he had looked forward to seeing them burn. But I don't think that's what you mean. And I won't prod you to be more specific. "It may not be fair for the repentent sinner to be harrowed up again in his sin, but it wasn't fair for the sinner to harrow up the souls of others in the first place. It seems to me that true repentence must allow for the rage of its victims as well." My business partner told me that her therapist said that, even as you are trying to get over what other people have done to you, somewhere out there is someone trying to get over you! That's a lowering thought. >Too many of our storytellers seem to pick a pet concept or methodology and >explore it to the exclusion of all other truths. Some say that the only way >to explore real truth is in either the ecstatic or the grotesque, and I >think both writers sin equally in exploring only the one direction while >excluding all other methods as valid. When I was in graduate school just before the Norman Invasion, we used to call this "riding a hobbyhorse." I remember one critic who said that Hamlet's problem was that he had an Oedipus complex. Then he said that Macbeth's problem was that he had an Oedipus complex. Then he said that Prince Hal's problem was that. . . . you get the picture. The whole thing made me worry about whether the themes I found in Shakespeare were really there, or whether I saw them because I hold to those themes myself. Literary criticism is not for those who dislike ambiguity. I always enjoy your posts, Scott. It's good for me to be made to think outside the box, even though it isn't exactly my best thing. barbara hume - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 21 Sep 2002 10:35:45 -0600 From: "Brown" Subject: Re: [AML] Rachel Ann NUNES New Book Well, this is Marilyn Brown. We are very proud to be publishing Rachel's book. The publishing staff is bursting its buttons. Rachel can probably tell you some things. But I'm not sure she's on line at the moment. All I can say is that Cedar Fort is getting better. Kudos! Marilyn - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 21 Sep 2002 10:38:32 -0600 From: "Brown" Subject: Re: [AML] "Religious Educator" Article on Creative Arts Aside from reminding students, this is a great list for me to review. (On second thought, I guess I'm still a student.) Thank you, Eric, for giving it to us. Marilyn Brown - ----- Original Message ----- From: Eric R. Samuelsen > Okay, so what I do for a living is teach young LDS people who want careers in the creative arts. So here's this helpful list designed to help me do that. And a lot of it is nice, vague, warm fuzzy stuff about teaching students some fundamental gospel principles, which, of course, we all could use a refresher course in. > > But here's what such a list seems to be missing. > [snip] - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 21 Sep 2002 11:02:21 -0600 From: "Brown" Subject: Re: [AML] Not All Bad in Mormontown Scott, this message came on the heels of your treatise about telling stories illuminating both sides of the "coin" so to speak. That was why I loved your true story. Disasters bring out the FACTS, don't they? We are not wondering what your motives are to pack sandbags for everyone, or even what the motives of your neighbor are to offer his topsoil for the cause. I think that heroism becomes more black and white in times of trouble and trial. That is why I like to write about it---to investigate trouble and trial. And to write about the resultant heroism. But I'm also thinking that in times of peace there are also other heroic actions, and I would like to explore how we can discover a person's motive for hard work in times of peace. (Are they another Enron, for example?) Do a person's motives always come out in the long run? (What was Todd Beamer really like, for example, and could we have painted him with other colors also? I heard he didn't spend much time with his family.) I am interested in this post for the examination of inspirational literature. Your careful treatment of your father is fascinating, for example. Your mother is probably a hero. I am also interested in finding the heroic people who can inspire us to do better. I'd like people to name some modern heroes if you know of any. Quiet ones. Like your mother, your wife, etc. Maybe it will take literature to paint these people accurately. Yes, of course we can add those shades of gray so they aren't impossible to believe (gray is in everybody's color!) but there are definitely people who can inspire us, and they aren't always in the public eye. Often we don't even know who they are. As for you, Scott, I'd like some profiles on the heroes in this disaster--your bishop, for example. I know there are great people right under our noses, and for now I'd like to concentrate on them. (Margaret Young and Darius Gray are two of them, and they are doing just what I'm talking about. Plus I think the up and coming great Mormon artists, film makers, teachers, families, display that kind of courage, also.) Sincerely, Marilyn Brown - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 21 Sep 2002 13:22:26 -0600 (MDT) From: Ivan Angus Wolfe Subject: Re: [AML] Destroying Art > D. Michael Martindale said: > I'm saying the only examples you gave of art that should be destroyed > was pornography. But I don't know of anyone involved into his discussion who > categorizes pornorgaphy as art. Therefore the point you were making in that > message was not relevant. I'm not sure. There are many movies, books,etc. I consider to be pornography, but I've known people on this list to defend them as not such. No judgements on those people - my threshhold is apparently a bit more sesnsitive than others - and as long as they have valid, well-thought out reasons (and the work isn't blatantly porn like Debbie does whatever town) I have no problems. But unless we can come up with a clear-cut definition of porn, there will always be people on this list defending what others consider porn - so his message could be relevant. - --Ivan Wolfe - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 20 Sep 2002 21:56:21 -0600 From: Barbara Hume Subject: Re: [AML] World Without Credit At 02:30 AM 9/18/02 -0500, you wrote: > From my slightly (?) twisted mind conflating the subject line and the > topic of the list: what if "credit" meant "attribution", IOW, anyone > want to discuss what the world would be like if no one got any "credit" > for their work (writing or whatever)? Well, I've heard the saying that much more would be accomplished if no one worried about who got the credit. Is striving for immortality and fame in direct opposition to striving for quality? I've done some very good work as a ghostwriter and I never cared that I got no credit for it. But that may be because I do receive ego strokes for other writing that I do. (It may also be because I was well paid for it.) barbara hume - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 21 Sep 2002 13:35:01 -0600 (MDT) From: Ivan Angus Wolfe Subject: Re: [AML] "Religious Educator" Article on Creative Arts Eric wrote: > But here's what such a list seems to be missing. > > 1) Teach students to overcome the handicaps their culture imposes on them, = > to work actively to purge from their minds parochialism, i.e. cultural = > practices likely to hold them back. Please identify which practices do so. Otherwise, based on this we could say "get rid of those ten commandments and other narrow-minded rules suppossedly put down by God." > 2) Teach students that inspiration is well and good, but that dogged = > determination, hard work, and an utter willingness to rethink projects win = > out in the long run. "Well and good" is a phrase used to backhandedly slap something usually seen as worthless. So - while I agree with the second half, you seem to be saying inspiration is not important. > 3) Teach students to look at the world clearly, unsentimentally, frankly, = > with as few preconceptions as possible, and to be unafraid of darkness and = > misery and despair as subjects for art. I agree, but at the same time, realize that great art can be made out of things that are sunny and happy. > 4) Teach students that they are children of a culture that's frankly = > pretty hostile to art and that will hold them back if they let it. Don't agree with this one, unless you mean the current "art" culture that suppossedly controls art in this country. Now that crowd is hostile to true art. > 5) Teach students to be careful what contracts they sign and to stay on = > top of their finances. This is especially true if they work in a Mormon = > cultural setting, where crooks abound. Yep - all of us Mormons are evil crooks, ready to screw each other at the least excuse. I don't buy this argument because there are crooks anywhere - most song and pome sharks aren't LDS and they are the most dangerous ways. Singling out Mormons as especially ready to be dishonest seems quite odd to me - there are crooks everywhere. > 6) Remind students that the principle of opposition in all things is the = > founding principle of art, and that art without conflict does not and = > cannot move anyone to do anything. No argument here. As long as this doesn't lead to the argument "If it has a happy ending it can't move anyone, so keep those endings as depressing as possible." > 7) Teach students to be unafraid, to take chances, to not worry about what = > the neighbors or bishop or their parents will think, but express as = > honestly as possible their own perceptions regarding life. I like this point. Except I read an essay be a wonderful personal essayist (name escapes me at the moment) who wrote (parphrased): "Write whatever you want. Except there is one reason you may not want to write this particular essay - if you do, your mother will never speak to you again." > 8) Teach students to read voraciously, to experience vicariously what they = > can't experience personally. This one is truer than most people realize. > 9) Encourage students to grow a thick skin, to discount criticism from = > those unqualified to give it, but to value deeply the most scathing > criticism from peers. This argument is often used by authors to discount literay critics. Being a literary critic I have a hard time accepting it in that use. > 10) Teach students to learn their art form thoroughly, front and back, to = > see and hear and experience the best work by the best artists in their = > field, and especially to actively seek out the avant-garde. Yes. > 11) Teach students to find inspiration not in abstractions, but in the = > careful and attentive observation of the world. I would say that inspirations in abstractions is acceptable if grounded in something concrete from the actual world. > 12) Teach students to how to find the balance between doing what you need = > to for money, and doing what you have to for love. Yes, yes a thousnad times yes. Ivan Wolfe - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 21 Sep 2002 13:51:45 -0600 From: "Kirk Strickland" Subject: Re: [AML] "Religious Educator" Article on Creative Arts Reads like the basis of a very good and much needed book for aspiring artists.--Kirk >>> ersamuel@byugate.byu.edu 09/19/02 10:14AM >>> Okay, so what I do for a living is teach young LDS people who want careers in the creative arts. So here's this helpful list designed to help me do that. And a lot of it is nice, vague, warm fuzzy stuff about teaching students some fundamental gospel principles, which, of course, we all could use a refresher course in. But here's what such a list seems to be missing. [snip] - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 21 Sep 2002 14:43:04 -0700 From: "Sue Ann" Subject: [AML] Tree-of-Life Stone [MOD: This is a bit off-topic for AML-List, but I'm letting it out anyway. Please respond directly to Sue unless you have a literary slant to give it all.] A friend asked me to do some research for him. He is looking for a video about the Tree-of-Life stone that was found in ruins in Izapa. I found a section on the stone in Joseph L. Allen's "Exploring the Lands of the Book of Mormon" which I will let him use. I'm sure that he wants this for missionary work and am wondering if there isn't another book that would work better for him. Actually he did request a video. I just enjoy reading and lerk here for the reviews. I just finished Prodical Journey (never would have heard about it if it wasn't for this list) and really enjoyed it. Yes, it did go on a bit in spots but this mainstream convert is greatful for an interesting novel and looking forward to the next in the series. I would appreciate it if any of you folks could help me out with references on the 'stone'. Sue Reuser Cormo Sheep & Wool Farm http://www.cwo.com/~reuser Orland, CA USA cormos@orland.net - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 21 Sep 2002 15:59:50 -0600 From: "Jacob Proffitt" Subject: RE: [AML] "Religious Educator" Article on Creative Arts > -----Original Message----- > > Okay, so what I do for a living is teach young LDS people who > want careers in the creative arts. So here's this helpful > list designed to help me do that. And a lot of it is nice, > vague, warm fuzzy stuff about teaching students some > fundamental gospel principles, which, of course, we all could > use a refresher course in. > > But here's what such a list seems to be missing. [snip] I can't see any institution adopting this as official policy. I think that it is a good set of principles, but it isn't one you'll get away with publicly. For one, in our litigious society, it is a potentially expensive policy. Encouraging students to take risks is one thing--an official policy of doing so is going to open you up to responsibility for failure. Any institution that wrote down and disseminated this list is going to find themselves on the receiving end of some nasty litigation (not to mention campaigns by parents who don't want their children taking risks). Jacob Proffitt - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 23 Sep 2002 01:58:08 +0000 From: "Andrew Hall" Subject: [AML] Advice for LDS Cinema (SL Tribune) Salt Lake Tribune Free Advice to Help LDS Filmmakers Avoid Sophomore Slump Sunday, September 22, 2002 BY SEAN P. MEANS LDS Cinema marches on, again. A genre that scarcely existed two years ago, when Richard Dutcher's "God's Army" hit Utah screens and spread across the country, now is popping up everywhere. Two more LDS-themed movies arrive in Utah in the next month: the romance "Charly" on Friday and the pioneer drama "Handcart: The Movie" on Oct. 11. The current issue of Newsweek has a short item, headlined "Mormons: They're a Laugh Riot," that mentions how the success of "The Singles Ward" has spawned eight more LDS-themed comedies -- including Nathan Smith Jones' in-the-works mockumentary of the genre, "The Work and the Story," which (if the film's Web site is not itself a spoof) also stars Dutcher. It sometimes seems as if everybody who ever took a film course at BYU or the University of Utah saw "God's Army," said to themselves, "Hey, my buddies and I can do that!", grabbed their camcorders and hit the town. But in the evolution of any movie niche -- whether it's African-American films, Latino films, gay films or LDS cinema - -- there comes a crucial point where "we're making a movie about us!" doesn't cut it anymore. The novelty has worn off, and audiences who flocked to "God's Army" and "The Other Side of Heaven" will start expecting more. LDS filmmakers will have to learn to grow on the job. Here is a little unsolicited advice, in 10 easy steps: Step 1: Broaden your horizons. Stories that speak only to the faithful will get you an audience of a certain size, but no more. If you put LDS characters within universal stories, the LDS audience will stay -- and non-Mormons won't feel alienated, and they may even learn a few things about an unfamiliar culture. Step 2: Take your time. The best thing you can do for your movie is to rewrite the script a few times, polish it until it gleams. Here's the beauty part: Rethinking your script, if you do it before you start production, doesn't cost you a dime. Step 3: Think digitally. If you have a limited budget (and everybody who ever made a movie had a limited budget), the new high-tech cameras may help you spend it more wisely. Think about this: If the bulk of your revenue will come from video sales, and digital-to-film transfers are cheap, why spend a lot of money on pricey 35mm film? Step 4: Think cinema- tically. On the other hand, if you're shooting in the South Pacific (like "The Other Side of Heaven") or a historic epic (like Dutcher's in-the-works Joseph Smith biopic), only film will do. Step 5: Hire real actors. So your roommate at BYU acted in the Mormon Miracle Pageant in Manti -- big deal. There are plenty of people in Utah (and, for that matter, out of Utah) who carry both a SAG card and a temple recommend in their wallets. Hire them. Step 6: Assemble a professional crew. Alas, some LDS-themed movies I have seen were missing that certain something -- like a focus puller or a decent sound mix. Utah film crews are among the best in the country, as the Utah Film Commission likes to remind us. Try shooting your movie in May or June, when the productions of "Touched by an Angel" and (if they make it through a full season) "Everwood" go on summer hiatus. Those guys are good and often looking for work during the break. Step 7: Know your core market. The "Out of Step" folks made a good movie, then released it in mid-February at one Salt Lake- area theater -- when most of the target audience was paying attention to the Olympics. It was a hard lesson, but they learned it well, re-releasing their movie last month at several theaters. Step 8: Listen to the local critics. We are your first impartial audience and will provide the first honest appraisal your movie will get. We know the culture you are depicting, so we can tell you how well it may translate to a mass audience. Don't just blow us off and say, "Oh, they don't get it" -- believe me, we get it. Step 9: Listen to the national critics. Movie critics (the ones who aspire to be good ones, anyway) do not trash movies just to see how clever and cruel they can be. We do it because we want the movies to be better. Step 10: Don't try to make the best LDS movie. Just try to make the best movie. The rest will sort itself out. Copyright 2002, The Salt Lake Tribune _________________________________________________________________ Join the world’s largest e-mail service with MSN Hotmail. http://www.hotmail.com - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 23 Sep 2002 02:08:41 +0000 From: "Andrew Hall" Subject: [AML] COBB, _Promised Land_ (Deseret News) Deseret News Sunday, September 22, 2002 New Productions By Ivan M. Lincoln Deseret News theater editor "PROMISED LAND," a new musical centered around the battle of wills between two Book of Mormon brothers - Laman and Nephi - - will premiere Sept. 27-Oct. 12 at the SCERA Center Showhouse II theater, 745 S. State, Orem. The new work was created by brothers Tony and Karroll Cobb (lyrics by the former and musical score by the latter). Paul "Wally" Walstad is directing a cast that includes Casey Reeves as Nephi, Josh Shimizu as Laman and Josh Tenney as Lemuel. Performances will be 7:30 p.m. nightly except Sundays and Wednesdays. Tickets are $9 for adults and $4 for children (ages 3-11). For reservations, call 225-2569 or 225-2787. Copyright 2002 Deseret News Publishing Company _________________________________________________________________ Join the world’s largest e-mail service with MSN Hotmail. http://www.hotmail.com - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 23 Sep 2002 11:46:17 -0600 From: Christopher Bigelow Subject: [AML] S.L. Trib on CleanFlicks Lawsuit Directors Sue Over Film Edits Saturday, September 21, 2002 BY VINCE HORIUCHI THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE Sixteen of the most powerful filmmakers in Hollywood, including Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese and Robert Redford, filed a federal lawsuit Friday to stop companies from editing, selling or renting videos in which the swearing, sex and violence have been cut out. The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Colorado, is a counterclaim to an earlier lawsuit by CleanFlicks of Colorado, a franchisee of CleanFlicks of Pleasant Grove. The suit, filed by the Directors Guild of America (DGA) on behalf of the directors, claims CleanFlicks of Colorado is "undoing, undermining and superseding the artistic work in which a director has invested considerable time, effort and talent." "It's not about whether it's a very serious film like 'Schindler's List,' or 'There's Something About Mary' or 'Animal House.' It's the same," said Jay Roth, national executive director of the DGA, the directors' union. "When is it OK to take [a movie], change it on a whim and sell it for profit and leave my name and title on it?" The editing hurts filmmakers because "it associates directors with altered versions of films which the directors simply did not create," the lawsuit states. The DGA also filed a motion Friday to include other movie-editing companies in the case, including Utah-based Trilogy Studios, Video II and CleanFlicks in Pleasant Grove. Another motion asks that MGM, Universal, Warner Bros. and other movie studios be brought into the suit to side with the directors. "The altering of a film by anyone not involved in the creation of that film is to enter a dangerous arena, and is a legitimate concern to all Americans who value private property," Jack Valenti, president of the Motion Picture Association of America, said in a statement. The group represents the movie studios. The filmmakers believe these editing companies violate the power of a movie's trademarks when the videos are sold and rented to customers. In other words, censoring these movies without the consent of the director means it really is not "a Steven Spielberg movie" or a movie by Paramount Pictures. And that can confuse customers and damage the value of those names, the DGA claims. "You do not have the right to represent something as mine that is not," Roth said. "And you don't have the right to do it for profit." Also at issue is whether those editing practices violate federal copyright law, the statutes that protect artists and their work and prevent others from profiting from it. But what CleanFlicks and others do to videos never has been tested in court, and legal experts say this case is likely to rewrite copyright and trademark law. "We wholeheartedly believe that CleanFlicks is allowed to be doing what we are doing. We're not breaking any copyright laws," said John Dixon, president of CleanFlicks of Pleasant Grove, which has 76 stores in 18 states. "Is there a law prohibiting us from making money on this? I'm not aware of one." Last August, CleanFlicks of Colorado and Robert Huntsman, a Boise man who is patenting a new method to edit videos, filed a lawsuit against the DGA in the Colorado court as a "preemptive strike." They are asking the court to rule that what they do is legal. "If the courts side with the DGA claims down the line, it would be the end of this editing business," Huntsman said Friday. "We're prepared to fight this through until we get a final judgment from the appropriate court." - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 23 Sep 2002 11:49:19 -0600 From: Christopher Bigelow Subject: [AML] S.L. Trib on Excel An Excel-lent Niche Distributing Utah-based Films and Music is a No-brainer BY GLEN WARCHOL THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE Jeff Simpson, president of the small but flourishing film and music distributor Excel, knows the best way to cross over to a broad audience is to first serve -- extremely well -- a niche audience. Excel, which began its foray into film distribution in 2000, found broad audience appeal for its independent films Brigham City and God's Army that were about, and targeted to a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints audience. "There's a misconception that to cross over with a niche film, you have to gener-ify it," says Simpson, speaking from his offices in the International Center a few miles west of downtown Salt Lake City. "The truth is, a story has to go even deeper into a culture to make in universal." It's a philosophy that seems to be working for Excel. The entertainment weekly Variety recently rated Excel among the nation's top 10 limited-release -- or "niche" -- film distributors. Niche distributors deal in films playing in less than 600 markets nationwide. Miramax topped the list with nearly 34 percent of the niche market. But eighth on the list -- just behind Sony Classics and ahead of Fine Line -- was Simpson's Excel, which had grossed $8 million on its films. The company entered the market two years ago with the God's Army, which followed the lives of a group of LDS missionaries. Excel followed with an even bigger crossover success in the murder mystery Brigham City. Excel also found a nationwide audience for The Other Side of Heaven which has grossed over $4.4 million. Excel's newest crossover bid is a love story, Charly, opening this month in Utah and southeastern Idaho. Based on the novel by Jack Weyland, non-Mormon free spirit Charly collides with Sam, a self-satisfied, goal-setting believer. Cultural differences and family attitudes threatened to destroy their love. It's definitely an LDS niche film, but if you take the word "Mormon" out of a script like Charly, replace it with "Jewish," "Catholic," "Italian" or even "Greek" -- you've got standard Hollywood fare -- not a limited-release cultural-ethnic film. Moonstruck (Italian Catholics), Crossing Delancy (New York Jews), or My Big Fat Greek Wedding were never considered niche films. But it is only recently that the human condition has been examined through the eyes of Mormon filmmakers. "LDS people see our films as a mirror," Simpson says of his products. "But they are also a window into the LDS culture." Perhaps another sign of crossover success is criticism from the originating niche group itself. Excel has gotten complaints for opening the LDS window a little too wide. For instance, some Mormons squirmed at scenes of the church's sacraments being shown in Brigham City. "The LDS culture is still nervous about how it is portrayed to the outside world," Simpson says. "There have been so many unfair caricatures over the years." But he says the artists at Excel understand their market and as for crossover, "The best is yet to come." "The real limitation is: How good are we at making movies and writing stories?" Simpson says. "They can have all the attributes of the religion, but they have to be stories well told. The passion of the story is where your limits lie." glenwarchol@sltrib.com - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 23 Sep 2002 14:45:44 -0400 From: Tony Markham Subject: Re: [AML] Sept. 11 Tape I would like to thank all of you who have made suggestions for my project, so, "Thank You!" Most of the songs are new to me, and that was the point of my asking...lots of good stuff out there that I never would have stumbled across. I'm already prioritizing my CD budget to make lots of acquisitions. I'm blushingly grateful to Fred Pinegar and Mike Martindale for suggesting classic songs that resonated eerily and that I somehow completely overlooked ("All Along the Watchtower [which will forever bear Fred's revised lyric "said the jumper to the bee"] and "Fire and Rain" with its "Sweet dreams and Flying machines in pieces on the ground. Chills.). Two songs that surfaced that I didn't pass along to the list were Ani DiFranco's "Roll With It," that anticipates the "Let's Roll" anthem. I especially like her lyric (heavily paraphrased because I'm working from Swiss-cheese memory here): What if the enemy isn't in distant lands What if they hide behind the voice of command The sound of war is a baby's cry While they hide behind dark windows in cars that roll by I'm not going to roll with it this time... My original post said I would try to end the tape with a Cat Stevens/Yusef Islam song, and I'll go with "Ruins" from his Catch Bull at Four album. It's all about walking in the bombed-out smoking ruins of a once-happy place. In a final feeble effort to tie this all into Mormon Arts and Letters (other than the obvious connection that I will be listening to this tape over and over as I write) at least one list member recommended the Hymns. I found one that fits all too well, but I won't be including it on my tape. See if you can name that tune: ...Babylon the great is falling/All her towers will God o'erthrow... It's one thing to sing it every week or so, but quite another to see our collective musical prayers come to pass. Again, thank you all for your collective help. Tony Markham - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 23 Sep 2002 19:28:21 -0600 From: "Clark Goble" Subject: RE: [AML] Robert REMINI, _Joseph Smith_ (Review) Jeff, I'm intrigued and you left me wanting. If his thesis is that we understand America by understanding Joseph Smith, what new does this offer to our understanding of America? i.e. what is it about America we learn? You seem to think he achieved his thesis, but I'm wondering about the influence. Could you perhaps give your thoughts here? - -- Clark Goble --- clark@lextek.com ----------------------------- - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 21 Sep 2002 15:57:25 -0700 From: "Kim Madsen" Subject: [AML] Jeff CALL, _Mormonville_ (Review) Title: MORMONVILLE by Jeff Call (302 pages) Author: Jeff Call Publisher: Cedar Fort, Inc. Year: 2002 ISBN: 1-5517-618-6 Price: $18.95 Reviewed by Kim Madsen I turned the final page of MORMONVILLE by Jeff Call, and had to admit, like the cover blurb said, I wanted to "cheer for the Saints, and give thanks to the Lord for this treasured way of life (George Durrant)". I laughed. I cried. I found a few typos. I wondered why the author felt the need to end each chapter with a summary sentence that smacked of Nancy Drew mysteries. But in the end, I forgave the shortcomings of this first novel by journalist Jeff Call, and let myself be drawn in by the characters. MORMONVILLE isn't great literary writing. Its short, punchy sentence structure is proof that the writer comes from a newspaper background and doesn't waste words. There are no breath-catching metaphors or lovely turns of phrase. But it is a solid story, plot and character driven, with a satisfying ending. Some may say too satisfying, given the penchant we Mormon's are accused of--too many happy endings, too much "all is well". However, Jeff Call approaches it through the cynical eyes of protagonist Luke Manning, and once we've been through Manning's "year among the Mormons", learn of his past, and experience the protective wall he has built around himself, we are willing to let him have a happy ending. The chinks in his wall happen slowly, and not from some major life changing moment, but from a series of small events. More than anything else, those small events combined to make this conversion story real. It occurred to me in the middle of reading MORMONVILLE, that this is what a "romance" story looks like from a macho sports-type guy's point of view. I had recently finished reading THE HEALING PLACE by Sharon Downing Jarvis (Deseret Book, 1994, ISBN 0-87579-817-9). The plot lines developed from a similar premise--a non-member drawn into a Mormon community against his/her better judgment, mostly through the innocence of children. However, Call's plot device of using a caustic journalist from NYC as the protagonist, and allowing us glimpses into his sarcastic writings and judgments of the people he meets, was a lot more palatable than rattling around the heroine's endless ruminations as was the case in THE HEALING PLACE. Call's approach left a lot more room for zingers, quips and negative responses towards the people the "outsider" meets. In MORMONVILLE, casting the protagonist as a sarcastic, self-absorbed elitist posing as a Mormon wanna-be causes a bit of discomfort for the reader. How much is one willing to like this person when his whole interaction with the rest of the people in the book is one of deceit and duplicity? Call handles that conundrum with a subtle hand. In spite of the circumstances developing in the plot, there is something about Luke Manning that makes the reader sympathetic. Perhaps it is this twist that lifts the novel above run-of-the-mill Mormon fiction. Interestingly, MORMONVILLE reads almost like a screen play. One can almost envision the writer thinking in terms of scenes and camera angles when crafting the work. It won't surprise me if one of the up and coming Mormon filmmakers opts this work. It would make a fun movie. It's not at all what I expected from the bits and pieces I'd heard discussed on the AML list prior to the book's release, but I enjoyed the read. And it's one I can pass on to any fellow "Mo" and not wonder what they will think of my testimony and commitment to the church. Sad but true indictment of the general Mormon community's reaction to literature. Challenging, difficult question raising works like John Bennion's FALLING TOWARD HEAVEN cause some people to judge my judgment...as Sisters McGowan and Fridrych would. Who are they you ask? Better read MORMONVILLE and find out. - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ End of aml-list-digest V1 #837 ******************************