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In 1857, a wagon train of 120 immigrants made its way west, toward new life in California. On their way, the travelers camped near the Mormon settlement, where they planned to rest for a while—to replenish their supplies and let their horses rebuild their strength before continuing the journey. September Dawn tells the tragic story of the travelers’ stop in Mountain Meadows.
On their arrival, they meet Bishop Jacob Samuelson (Jon Voight), who reluctantly allows them to stay. The cheery, ever-smiling travelers believe that God has blessed them through his kindness. But Samuelson—who couldn’t have been more blatantly menacing had Voight worn a black cape and a pointy handlebar mustache (while accompanied by ominous music)—immediately passes judgment on the travelers. Not only are they bringing racehorses to California for gambling purposes, but some of them are also from Missouri—and it was the people of Missouri who killed the Mormons’ leader before chasing them away.
Convinced that the travelers have come to attack the Mormons, Samuelson sends his sons, Jonathan (Trent Ford) and Micah (Taylor Handley), to spy on their camp. But Jonathan immediately falls in love with Emily (Tamara Hope), the minister’s daughter—and he begins to doubt his father and his faith.
This controversial film—which is based on actual events—has been ruffling a lot of feathers in the Mormon community lately. But, as far as I can see, the Mormons really have nothing to worry about. The few people who do actually see it will have a hard time taking it seriously—because September Dawn is little more than a Lifetime Original Movie gone bad. It’s pioneers in calico dresses and floppy bonnets carrying cute pioneer babies (also in bonnets). It’s a sickeningly sweet story of true love that overcomes religious differences. But there’s nothing sappy-sweet about the end of this pioneer love story.
Everything about September Dawn is overdone—from the acting to the sappy romance to the painfully obvious story, which repeatedly pounds viewers over the head with its message. The Mormons (who, incidentally, dress in lots of black and often wear black hats) are the Bad Guys. Their leaders are Pure Evil, and the others are some sort of blind cult-like followers. And while they gather at night to pray that God will send the immigrants to hell, the immigrants ask God to bless their new friends, the kind and helpful Mormons. The immigrants, you see, are as pure as the new-fallen snow. They’re happy and smiley. They all wear crosses around their necks and sing hymns around their fire at night. And they blindly accept that the Mormons are their friends—even after the Mormons’ cold reception…and after one of the women from their group is found dead…and after the Mormons’ allies, the Indians, attack. While the Mormons are Blindly Evil, the travelers are Blindly Good. And it’s hard to take any of them seriously—because they’re all just silly.
While the events that actually took place at Mountain Meadows in the 1850s are truly tragic, I found it difficult to be moved to anything but laughter by the cinematic interpretation in September Dawn. Avoid a tragedy of your own—stay home and find yourself a good made-for-TV movie instead.
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