Saints and Soldiers

Saints and Soldiers is a 2003 war drama film directed by Ryan Little and produced by Little and Adam Abel. It is loosely based on events that took place after the Malmedy massacre during the Battle of the Bulge. The film stars Corbin Allred, Alexander Niver, Lawrence Bagby, and Peter Asle Holden as the four American soldiers trying to return Kirby Heyborne, a British soldier with vital intelligence, to the Allied lines.

Saints and Soldiers
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRyan Little
Produced byAdam Abel
Ryan Little
Screenplay byGeoffrey Panos
Matt Whitaker
Story byGeoffrey Panos
StarringCorbin Allred
Alexander Niver
Kirby Heyborne
Lawrence Bagby
Peter Asle Holden
Music byJason Bateman
Bart Hendrickson
CinematographyRyan Little
Edited byWynn Hougaard
Production
company
Go Films
Medal of Honor Productions LLC
Distributed byExcel Entertainment Group
Release date
  • August 6, 2004 (2004-08-06)
Running time
90 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
German
Budget$780,000[1]
Box office$1.3 million[1]

After conducting research on World War II and Battle of the Bulge, Little began shooting in January 2003 in Utah. Filming lasted 30 days. Little and Abel were able to save money on production by recruiting a group of World War II reenactors who volunteered their services, costumes, and props. Excel Entertainment released the film at festivals to garner publicity before it was released to the public. The movie won numerous Best Picture awards from over 15 film festivals.

Critical reception was generally positive with praise towards the message, story, performances (particularly of Allred and Niver), production values and action sequences. Though the screenplay, pacing and ties to Mormonism were criticized by some reviewers, several film scholars argued that despite the LDS-related themes, the film appeals to a wide audience. The film generated two sequels: Saints and Soldiers: Airborne Creed and Saints and Soldiers: The Void.

Plot

During the Battle of the Bulge in 1944, the Germans open fire on their American prisoners of war, in what is known as the Malmedy massacre, killing many troops as they try to run away. Medic Steven Gould (Alexander Niver) manages to escape with Corporal Nathan 'Deacon' Greer (Corbin Allred). Gould and Deacon are joined by two other survivors, Shirl Kendrick (Larry Bagby), a member in Gould's division, and Deacon's close friend Sergeant Gordon Gunderson (Peter Asle Holden). The four stumble on RAF pilot Flight Sergeant Oberon Winley (Kirby Heyborne). Winley explains he has important intelligence photographs he has to get back to the Allies and the group decide to try and reach the Allied lines some 20 miles away. The group fights against German troops, a winter storm, and personal conflict to return Winley to Allied territory.[2]

Cast
  • Corbin Allred as Corporal Nathan "Deacon" Greer
  • Alexander Niver as Private Steven Gould
  • Kirby Heyborne as Flight Sergeant Oberon Winley
  • Larry Bagby as Private Shirley "Shirl" Kendrick
  • Peter Asle Holden as Staff Sergeant Gordon "Gundy" Gunderson
  • Ethan Vincent as Rudolph Gertz
  • Melinda Renee as Catherine Theary – Belgian woman
  • Ruby Chase O'Neil as Sophie Theary – Catherine's daughter
  • Lincoln Hoppe as German soldier

Production

Ryan Little's first project was short film The Last Good War, which won a Student Emmy. Little wanted to produce a World War II themed feature film.[3] In 2002, new director Ryan Little teamed up with film producer Adam Abel to create the film production company, Go Pictures.[4] After finding a private investor in California, Little and Abel sought to produce the film on a budget of $780,000.[4] The original title of the film was "Saints and War".[5] Before the film had a script, the filmmakers scouted filming locations, determining the film's plot based on available locations and props. They researched World War II events and interviewed World War II veterans to develop the story and characters.[4]

Little and Abel quickly cast Corbin Allred and Kirby Heyborne. However, because Heyborne has appeared in many other LDS Church related movie roles, they instructed Heyborne to grow a mustache, dye his hair, use a British accent, and smoke during the movie. Because Heyborne did not smoke, he smoked herbal cigarettes in the movie and practiced dragging daily for a few weeks before filming. Additionally, Heyborne did not have access to a dialect coach so he became familiar with British accents by watching other films. Heyborne was concerned that this would make him a target for film critics.[4] To save on costs, Little and Abel used World War II reenactors as actors who volunteered to travel to Utah and bring their World War II prop equipment at their own expense.[4]

The film was shot in early 2003 in 30 days in Utah, Wasatch, and Salt Lake counties in Utah. Camera angles were carefully positioned to avoid showing the Wasatch mountains on camera to create the illusion of being in the Ardennes.[4] They shot the film in January to use the available snow for their set, but they had to use potato flakes when there was not enough snow.[5] Moreover, tight filming budgets required actors to do their own film stunts. Snow and freezing temperatures were challenges to filming which was worsened by the period clothing costumes.[4]

Saints and Soldiers was originally rated "R" by the MPAA, solely for war violence and related images.[6] The director, writers, and producer wanted a rating of "PG-13". Some criticism has been leveled against the MPAA rating board with regard to their rating independent films more harshly than those of the large studios. (See also "LDS cinema and MPAA ratings".) The MPAA never communicated to the filmmakers any specific scenes that warranted the rating though Deseret News film critic Chris Hicks speculates that the reason may be due to two scenes, one in which Nazis execute prisoners of war and another that showed a closeup of a leg wound.[7] Producers edited the film to receive a "PG-13" rating for commercial distribution. The film was officially granted a PG-13 rating on March 30, 2004.[4][5]

Historical inaccuracies

Several members of the 101st Airborne Division are depicted as being present at the massacre. In reality, the 101st was held in strategic reserve by SHAEF[8] at this point in time to recover from combat in Operation Market-Garden.[9] The 101st did not reach the front until December 18 (the massacre was on the 17th), and was sent to Bastogne, far to the south of where Kampfgruppe Joachim Peiper operated.[10] Most of the victims were from the 285th Field Artillery Observation Battalion.[11][12] Furthermore, the events of the massacre are depicted as taking place in deep snow, while in fact it snowed heavily after the massacre.[12]

Release and reception

The first screening of the film was at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii to an audience of U.S. Naval officers and their wives.[5] The film opened at film festivals nationwide.[13] Saints and Soldiers represents the first LDS film produced after 2000 to be exhibited in film festivals before general release to gain publicity.[14][15] It was the highest-grossing film released by Excel Entertainment, an entertainment section which targets an LDS Church audience.[16][17] It grossed over $1 million.[18] Saints and Soldiers was released on video and DVD in May 2005.[19] The reaction to Saints and Soldiers was generally positive. The Washington Times called the film, "one of the sharpest and most compelling entries of the early 'Mormon cinema' era".[20] The New York Times wrote that the film's, "impressive cast of largely unknown actors...[and] meticulously researched film tells its story with quiet conviction."[21] However, Variety insisted that the script had "letdowns", including anachronisms in the dialogue and other story incongruities, yet they commended the production value considering the film's low budget.[22]

The Seattle Times added that "the film is intended as a propaganda piece for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but the messages are very subtle, and the movie does have a place in the new WWII genre," and is "appropriate for mainstream audiences."[23] Furthermore, scholar Travis T. Anderson, affirmed that films made by LDS filmmakers such as Saints and Soldiers and Napoleon Dynamite can still develop "widespread attention" or "critical acclaim". He continued by stating that neither appeals to an exclusively LDS audience nor alienates non-LDS audiences.[24] Moreover, scholar Terryl Givens argued that Saints and Soldiers can be interpreted specifically or universally. Givens claimed that the screenwriting created a film which is authentically Mormon yet reaches to a myriad of audiences.[25] Although ties to Mormonism in the film have been criticized by some, Gideon O. Burton called the film, "among the most-praised films of the Fifth Wave [of Mormon cinema] to date".[14]

Legacy

Saints and Soldiers won the 2004 Jury Award for Best Feature at the Stony Brook Film Festival. Furthermore, the film won the award for best picture at 13 other film festivals.[4] The film was nominated for Best First Feature at the 20th Film Independent's Spirit Awards in 2004, losing to Garden State.[26]

A second film, Saints and Soldiers: Airborne Creed, was released on August 17, 2012.[27] A third film, Saints and Soldiers: The Void, was released on August 15, 2014.[28]

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References
  1. "Boxofficemojo.com". Boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved 2012-03-21.
  2. Saints and Soldiers (2003) - IMDb, retrieved 2019-04-24
  3. Eash, Candy (February 2014). "Ryan Little". Mormon Artist. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  4. Clark, Cody (August 6, 2004). "Worldwide release of 'Saints and Soldiers' is culmination of uphill battle for local filmmakers". Daily Herald. Herald Communications. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  5. Toone, Trent (August 14, 2014). "Actors, filmmakers celebrate Saints and Soldiers franchise with round table discussion". Deseret News. Deseret News Publishing Company. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  6. Wadley, Carma (5 February 2004). "R rating stuns 'Saints' makers: They promise to pursue a PG-13 for WWII drama". Deseret News. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
  7. Hicks, Chris (2013). Has Hollywood Lost Its Mind?. Workman Publishing. ISBN 9781938301209.
  8. Cole, Hugh M. (1965). The Ardennes: Battle of the Bulge. Washington, D.C.: Center of Military History, United States Army. p. 305. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
  9. Carter, Ian. "The Story of Operation 'Market Garden' in Photos". Imperial War Museum. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
  10. Merriam, Robert E. (2017). Dark December: The Full Account of the Battle of the Bulge. Los Angeles, CA: Enhanced Media Publishing. pp. 104, 127. ISBN 9781387175321.
  11. Morelock, Jerry D. (2015). Generals of the Bulge: Leadership in the U.S. Army's Greatest Battle. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books. p. 356. ISBN 9780811711999.
  12. "Massacre at Malmedy: War Crimes Trial". Jewish Virtual Library. American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  13. Turan, Kenneth (October 15, 2004). "Faith is under fire in a well-made 'Saints'". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  14. Burton, Gideon O. (2007). "The Fifth Wave: Cultural and Commercial Viability (2000-Present)". BYU Studies Quarterly. 46 (2): 140–141. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  15. Wollheim, Peter (2006). "Latter-Day Screens: A History of Mormons and the Movies". Afterimage. 33 (6): 28. ProQuest 212086102.
  16. Healey, Jake (October 13, 2015). "9 religious-themed Netflix selections for Sunday". The Daily Universe. Brigham Young University. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  17. "Excel Entertainment Group: Corporate Bio". Ldsfilm.com. Retrieved 2012-03-21.
  18. Samuelsen, Eric (April 1, 2007). "Finding an Audience, Paying the Bills: Competing Business Models in Mormon Cinema". BYU Studies Quarterly. 46 (2): 225. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  19. "Saints and Soldiers". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  20. Terry, Josh (August 14, 2014). "New 'Saints and Soldiers' spotlights WWII tank battles, racial conflicts". The Washington Times. The Washington Times LLC. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  21. Stevens, Dana (October 15, 2004). "Asking Familiar Questions on the Battlefield". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  22. Eisner, Ken (November 24, 2003). "Saints and Soldiers". Variety. Variety Media, LLC. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  23. Fry, Ted (March 29, 2005). ""Saints and Soldiers" tells the story of Mormon hero in WWII". The Seattle Times. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  24. Anderson, Travis T. (2009). "Artistry and Aesthetics in Contemporary Mormon and Iranian Film". Brigham Young University Studies. 48 (2): 113, 124–125. JSTOR 43044698.
  25. Givens, Terryl L. (2007). ""There is Room for Both": Mormon Cinema and the Paradoxes of Mormon Culture". BYU Studies Quarterly. 46 (2): 15–16. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  26. "Film Independent's Spirit Awards". University of Delaware. University of Delaware. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  27. Clyde, John (August 17, 2012). "'Saints and Soldiers: Airborne Creed' falls short of original but still delivers". KSL. KSL Broadcasting. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  28. Terry, Josh (August 14, 2014). "New 'Saints and Soldiers' spotlights tank battles, racial conflicts in WWII". Deseret News. Deseret News Publishing Company. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
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