Bonhoeffer, The Movie

Sniper rifle — Some online polemicists favor the rhetorical equivalent of a sniper rife, for long-distance, safe, and anonymous assault.

I liked this article in the Deseret News that was written by the invaluable Jacob Hess — and not merely because it cites, well, me: “‘I’m genuinely interested in your answers’: When pretended curiosity becomes a weapon to undermine faith: The image of an earnest truth seeker invokes feelings of reverence in modern society. Little wonder some have found ways to manipulate this trust to undermine and attack things they don’t like”

fsfkskfls. movie poster for Angel Studios "Bonhoeffer" — The theatrical poster for “Bonhoeffer” (2024). Fair use.

I’m now something of a bona fide movie mogul — albeit without the bling, the Hollywood starlets, and the Lamborghini that should attend me in such a status — so I spent a fair amount of the first part of the day today concerned with, well, movies. My wife and I met for much of the morning with the core of our team of film makers discussing how, exactly, we want to move forward with the “docudrama” portion of our Six Days in August film project. It’s going to be substantially different in form, I think, from Undaunted: Witnesses of the Book of Mormon, which was our documentary or docudrama companion to Witnesses. There were some very good ideas shared this morning, and I’m excited to see what will eventually come out of this. I will announce developments when I feel that the time is right for doing so.

We went directly from that meeting to a showing of the new Angel Studios film, Bonhoeffer. I’ve long been interested in the brilliant and heroic martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) and have read a fair amount about him and by him. I was absolutely not going to miss this film; today was, I think, its opening day in the United States. I might eventually have a bit more to say about the movie. At this point, though, I’ll content myself by simply noting that the communion scene near the end of the film actually had me, a notoriously heartless Scandinavian, tearing up just a bit.

Those who stick around for the credits — as a still relatively newly-minted movie mogul, I always do — might notice that the name Brandon Purdie appears in the list at the end of the film. Brandon oversaw distribution for Witnesses back in 2021 — but, in the interim since then, he sold his company, Purdie Distribution, to the twin brothers Adam and Donovan Montierth, who now serve as co-presidents of the company that continues to bear his name. He left in order to sign on as Executive Vice President and Global Head of Theatrical Distribution for Angel Studios.

So, to the perpetually over-eager young pups over at the Peterson Obsession Board who have been wondering why Six Days in August wasn’t distributed by Purdie Distribution — did Brandon refuse to work with us? did he refuse because he had grown tired of my comic-book villainy and my stunning incompetence? did he recognize that our films will inevitably be pathetically amateurish and badly made? — the answer is that Brandon now works with Angel Studios. Although he attended the premiere of Six Days in August, he is no longer in the Latter-day Saint movie business. (Angel Studios aims to reach the larger film market beyond Latter-day Saints.)

We seriously considered the Montierth brothers and their continuation (still under the same name) of Purdie Distribution. They were a real option for us and, I think, would have been a good one. I certainly wish them well. In the end, though, we opted to go with Susan Tuckett Media, Inc., which had just experienced very good success with T. C. Christensen’s Escape from Germany.

There is, alas, no gratifying corruption to be found here. No financial fraud. No conspiracy. No juicy scandal. No embarrassing buffoonery. Better luck next time!

Before leaving movies, though, let me mention this short Catholic response to the current Hugh Grant film, Heretic. The author isn’t exactly impressed with the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints but then, he’s not overly impressed with Heretic, either: “How ‘Heretic’ fails to engage religion in good faith” And here’s a somewhat more positive review from the Harvard Crimson: “‘Heretic’ Review: Profound Religious Horror Falls Short.”

It's still legal, as of this writing. — The Boston Massachusetts Temple. (LDS Media Library)

In the meantime, the Interpreter Foundation continues to conceal its long, slow decline from public notice by posting and publishing things. Included among today’s indicators of impending extinction are a number of items that have been newly posted on its website. Among them is The Temple: Symbols, Sermons, and Settings: “Clothed with Glory: Sacred Vestments and the Restoration,” which was written by Matthew Roper, one of our good friends at Scripture Central:

Part of our book chapter reprint series, this article originally appeared in The Temple: Symbols, Sermons, and Settings, edited by Stephen D. Ricks and Jeffrey M. Bradshaw. For more information, go to https://interpreterfoundation.org/books/the-temple-symbols-sermons-and-settings/.

“Recently President Russell M. Nelson discussed the great blessings of temple service that have been restored in these latter days. “Consider the great mercy and fairness of God, who, before the foundation of the world, provided a way to give temple blessings to those who died without a knowledge of the gospel. These sacred temple rites are ancient. To me that antiquity is thrilling and another evidence of their authenticity.” Others have addressed the ancient roots of temple worship that President Nelson mentioned, including how sacred clothing constitutes one such restoration of ancient priesthood blessings. This article will focus on some of the reasons why restored practices of wearing sacred temple clothing are so important to Latter-day Saints.”

Also new on the website of the essentially defunct Interpreter Foundation:

“Elder Bruce R. McConkie on Priesthood Restoration and the Doctrine of Keys”