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Home > Archive > Apr 17, 2008

'Emma Smith: My Story' Opens in Southern Utah
By Cami Cox
Staff Writer
The life story of one of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' foremost female historical figures hit the silver screen on April 11 and is set to play a six-week run in Utah and Idaho theaters.
“Emma Smith: My Story” is the tale of Emma Hale Smith, wife of first Latter-day Saint prophet, Joseph Smith Jr. Told from the viewpoint of Emma, “Emma Smith: My Story” details historical accounts of Emma's life, taken from Smith family journals, letters and other historical documents and sources.
St. George resident Gracia Jones is the great-great-granddaughter of Joseph and Emma Smith and a historian for the Joseph Smith Jr. and Emma Hale Smith Historical Society. She served as a historian for the new film about her great-great-grandmother, which was produced and sponsored by the Historical Society.
“Many people ask us questions about Emma, and it kind of boils down to the fact that a beautiful movie about Emma could be helpful to many, many people – not just our family members, but anybody who wonders about her,” Jones said.
Jones said “Emma Smith: My Story” is a film that will thrill Latter-day Saint viewers, and it will also increase the historical understanding of viewers not of that faith.
“Emma has been controversially skewed by many people,” Jones said. “Some people just love her, and some people have (negative) attitudes about her, and most of those attitudes are based on things that they have heard or read or thought they understood. What we wanted to do was to help people get a deeper understanding of her and what she did and how she supported her husband in her role in the whole scheme of things.”
The film portrays events from Emma Smith's adult life, both before and after the death of her husband, and also scenes from her courtship and marriage to Joseph Smith. The movie additionally depicts details of her childhood, including her upbringing in the home of a very strict father who was not fond of religion, according to information from Candlelight Media Group, the distribution company for the film.
Though the movie is not a complete biography of Emma's life, Jones said those involved with the film made every effort to be as historically accurate as possible in putting the story together, and she hopes those who see “Emma Smith: My Story” will walk away having been entertained and uplifted and “left with a feeling of understanding Emma far better than they ever would have before.”
“It's not an attempt to replicate Emma's life,” Jones said. “It's to represent her.”
“We hope (audiences) enjoy it, and we think they will,” she went on to say. “It is a delightful experience to watch this movie. The music is beautiful and the colors and the actors are just marvelous.”
“Emma Smith: My Story” has been funded by private donations and is in no way sanctioned by the LDS Church, but the Church did allow personnel from the LDS motion picture studio to volunteer their services for the project, Jones said. Additionally, the Church granted permission to the Historical Society to use a small amount of footage, featuring Emma, that was cut from the Church-produced film “Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration.”
“Emma Smith: My Story” features in its starring roles actress Katherine Nelson and actor Nathan Mitchell, who are reprising the roles of Emma and Joseph Smith. The two portrayed those characters in 2005 for “Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration,” which can currently be viewed free of charge at the LDS Temple Visitor's Center, 490 S. 300 East in St. George.
“Emma Smith: My Story” is a full-length feature film and has been rated PG for some mild violence associated with the martyrdom of Joseph Smith. There is no vulgar language or graphic violence in the film, Jones said, and people can, with confidence, take their children to see it.
“It is family-friendly,” she said.
The film is currently showing at the St. George Stadium 8 and the Pine View Stadium 10 in St. George, the Cedar City Cinema 8 in Cedar City and the Coral Cliffs Cinema 8 in Hurricane.
For showtimes, trailers, behind-the-scenes details and other information about “Emma Smith: My Story,” visit www.emmasmithmovie.com. For more information about the Joseph Smith Jr. and Emma Hale Smith Historical Society, visit www.josephsmithjr.org.

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