Deseret

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William L A particularly curious entry on the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, Deseret is an 80-minute experimental documentary composed entirely of the monotone reading of New York Times articles on the development of Utah, particularly focusing on the history of Mormonism. That history is seldom explored in detail (likely because Mormonism is still a very prevalent religious institution), but is fascinating - a seemingly sporadically generated offshoot of Christianity with a very much alive prophet that essentially established their own pseudo-sovereign state that maintained itself through particularly violent means. The development of the relationship between the Latter-Day Saints and the US government over the first century of its existence is full of blood, betrayal, and religious fervor, which makes Deseret a strange choice to convey the story; the content is interesting, but told in such a dry manner and accompanied by visuals that are essentially irrelevant to the content being discussed. It feels as if reading this as a short book would honestly be more entertaining. (1.5/5) Rated 1.5/5 Stars •  Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 08/02/21 Full Review s r It was also expressly negative in its choice of excerpts. 1001 movies to see before you die. I think this was included on the list because it was a different film as individual shots of Utah and pictures were shown while reading the NYT articles or quotes of people about Utah. This was unique, but nothing special unless you'd like to hear the NYT' editorial history of Utah set to still shots of the state. Those read were expressly negative. Rated 0.5/5 Stars •  Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Kind of dry, but if you're into history, especially that of Utah, then you'll be into it probably. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/16/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Deseret

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