"Witnesses" Want a taster for how good it is?

[_I have a question]

On Tuesday, August 18, 2020, Dan Peterson spoke at a Fireside for the Stanford institute via Zoom about the Witnesses film. Both audio and video recordings of the fireside are available below. The video is also available on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lTuAQ29J_s.

https://interpreterfoundation.org/the-w ... omplexity/

[_Tom]

Thanks, IHAQ. I'm puzzled by the Witnesses translation clip. Emma Smith said the following: "In writing for your father I frequently wrote day after day, often sitting at the table close by him, he sitting with his face buried in his hat, with the stone in it, and dictating hour after hour with nothing between us." David Whitmer wrote: "I will now give you a description of the manner in which the Book of Mormon was translated. Joseph Smith would put the seer stone into a hat, and put his face in the hat, drawing it closely around his face to exclude the light; and in the darkness the spiritual light would shine."

Why, then, does the clip (at 00:05:00) show Joseph Smith dictating with several inches between his face and his hat?

Another issue: the object that Joseph's sister lifts (shown in another clip) doesn't strike me as weighing 40-60 pounds. She lifts it too easily.

[_Everybody Wang Chung]

Oh man, what a howler! I've just started watching.

So when Joseph comes running into his home, the dirt from wrestling with the assailants (that we witnessed in the Witness trailer) is miraculously gone and Joseph is now wearing different shoes. Maybe Joseph had time to get his clothes clean and go shopping for new boots? I guess where God is involved everything is possible.

More to follow.......

[_Everybody Wang Chung]

At 5:03 Oliver quickly glances at Joseph's butt while Joseph has his back to him. A little strange.

[_Everybody Wang Chung]

Watching Joseph actually read from his hat is going to elicit howls of laughter from anyone not familiar with the weirdness of the LDS Church.

The courtroom scene? Holy crap! That was horrible.

Words can't even begin to describe the mob scene.

This movie is going to be pure gold. I can't wait!!

[_Dr Moore]

Serious question -- what is the historical grounding for the mob scene? I'm not familiar with that story.

[_Doctor Scratch]

I have some thoughts on the clips.

--The music isn't bad! DCP issued a disclaimer about there still being problems with the sound. Well, at least the score in the first scene he screens sounds decent enough.
--I notice that one of the kids is asked to fetch some water. He later returns, but without any water. What's up with that? (He seems to be carrying a big box?)
--What is up with all the strange stroking and fondling of the plates? It's as if the filmmakers (read: Mopologists) think that if they fetishize the plates on-screen, it will make them more believable. Instead, this--to me--comes off as kind of creepy.
--I see what he means about the "color" not being there yet: they need to go in and do the color correction, because some shots from the same scene appear to be more brightly lit than others. That shouldn't be difficult to correct.
--The narration, at around 5:05, is muffled and difficult to hear. (Maybe that's the sound error he was referring to?)
--I can see why they cast the main guy as Joseph Smith: he has a rapscallion-esque insouciance. He is believable in terms of projecting certain traits that we know about Joseph Smith. That said, the acting in this is pretty wooden.
--I have serious questions about what's being depicted in the translation scene. Don't the Mopologists boast about the alleged speed at which the text was translated? And yet here the scribe and Joseph Smith are dilly-dallying, futzing around and not knuckling down and getting the work done. (Also, I like how the wall in the background features a slight smoke-smudge above the fireplace, but the rest of the wall is absolutely, immaculately spotless.)
--In the courtroom scene: is the U.S. flag period-accurate? You cannot see it all, but it looks like there might be more than 24 stars on it. Is there a way of verifying this?
--I agree that the courtroom scene is funny. I actually really like the Harris actor's intense performance, but it just creates such a strange contrast with the rest of the scene, including that smirking blond twerp, and the Koolaid Man-esque attorney. (Was he based on DCP, I wonder? LOL--just kidding.) And the judge is reminiscent of Gary Cole's performance as Lundbergh in Office Space. (Hello, Peter. Whaaaat's happening?")
--The mob scene actually looks pretty good. Nice job of casting the main guy: he's legitimately menacing. They've gone for some real intensity here, complete with one of the actors drooling as he speaks. It calls to mind the scene from The Walking Dead where Negan is introduced. Still, if this is meant to be propaganda, it fails. The lead guy ends up ordering the mob to "let them go." Well, it doesn't seem like he lets them go because the case for the gold plates is so compelling. You aren't left with the impression that he *believes* them, in any case, but rather that he pities them.

In any case, it is looking like a mixed bag here. There is no way of knowing if they've edited out the scene where you can see the wireless mic clipped to the guy's pants.

And, also, though I know it's unrelated, I just can't stop laughing about this recent line from Dr. Peterson:

The official adult magazine of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is, and will be until the end of this year, the Ensign.

Well, hey: I'm sure there are plenty of people who are hoping that the Church will declare a new "official adult magazine" in 2021. I leave it to you to imagine what that might be.

[_Dr Exiled]

At 5:03 Oliver quickly glances at Joseph's butt while Joseph has his back to him. A little strange.

There was a special relationship between Joseph and Oliver that Fanny destroyed. I thought that was understood by everyone here. Why is Oaks so anti biology? He can't admit to Joseph and Oliver's obvious bond.

[_Gadianton]

I've viewed the clip, and I have to agree with Doctor Scratch that the music is much better. They've ditched "Elf adventure land" and put a decent sound track together.

I about spit out my IPA when the translation scene came up. I'd love to borrow the HVLP sprayer they used to paint that room, I've got a project going on right now and using rollers and brushes and it looks good, but not THAT good. And then that solitary smoke stain, lol! The courtroom also has a perfect paint job.

Tom nailed it in his observation that there is no way Joseph Smith could ever see the writing on the stone with that much light going on. His head is about a foot and a half away from that hat? Get that face in there!

I have to chuckle at the observation that this isn't a Church film. An observation by a TBM and Internet Mormon, no doubt. this film is to Mormonism as "Unsung Heroes" was to North Korea.

Yes, they may try to acknowledge certain issues. Well, if the "hat" is any indication, then they only partly acknowledge certain issues. But they don't "win" those issues by an exact portrayal where the facts come down on the side of Mormonism. It's that old story-telling maxim, "show, don't tell". The prosecuting attorney accusing Joseph Smith of fraud is an ogre. Isn't Smac97 a small-town prosecuting attorney? Reality would be that a non-Mormon smac; kind of a hyper, overzealous weenie would be taking Smith to task but just doing his job. It's not always personal, where the opposition is rude and underhanded. The apologists have created the world that they see around them, where anybody who doesn't believe in Mormonism is a villain. So they don't actually need to "show the truth", but just portray a clear set of antagonists in obvious and familiar ways, and case closed. Mormonism wins.

[_Shulem]

The hinges on the double doors featured at 6:30 - 6:40 are not authentic but are modern day door hinges.

:rolleyes:

Now, what was this about Joseph Smith looking in a hat? Scrummy yummy. When I look at him perform it appears that he's laughing so hard inside he's having a hard time pulling the act off. I wonder when the last time he masturbated? The dude loves to masturbate, I can tell. Believe me, I have a talent in spotting that. Trust me. I'm dirty. I'm bad. I KNOW what I'm talking about.

Way to go, Joseph! Pounds his meat in a hat.

I guess FAT Dan knows how to pick em. Woohoo Dan. You got a masturbating Joseph on the set.