Saints and Soldiers

During the Battle of the Bulge in 1944, the Germans opened 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 he has to get back to the Allies and the group decide to try and reach the Allied lines, located some away. The group fights against German troops, a winter storm, and personal conflict to return Winley to Allied territory. ==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==

Development Ryan Little's first project was the short film The Last Good War, which won a Student Emmy. Little wanted to produce a World War II themed feature film. In 2002, Little teamed up with producer Adam Abel to create the production company, Go Films. 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. Filming was done in January to use the available snow, but production had to use potato flakes when there was not enough snow. at this point in time to recover from combat in Operation Market-Garden. 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. Most of the victims were from the 285th Field Artillery Observation Battalion. ==Distribution==

Rating Saints and Soldiers was originally rated "R" by the MPAA, solely for war violence and related images. The director, writers, and producer wanted a "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".) While the MPAA never communicated any specific scenes that warranted the rating, Deseret News film critic Chris Hicks speculates that the reason may be due to two scenes, one in which depicts Nazis executing prisoners of war and another that shows a closeup of a leg wound. Producers made edits to receive the PG-13 for commercial distribution, and was officially granted such on March 30, 2004. Saints and Soldiers represents the first LDS film produced after 2000 to be exhibited in film festivals before general release to gain publicity. It was the highest-grossing film released by Excel Entertainment, an entertainment section which targets an LDS audience. It grossed over $1 million. Critical reception 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". 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". 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. Roger Ebert of The Chicago Sun-Times gave Saints and Soldiers 3 stars out of a possible 4, writing it “isn’t a great film, but what it does, it does well". He complimented the straightforward storytelling and creative use of its limited budget which were reminiscent of war films from earlier decades: "[the film] could have been made in 1948. That is not a bad thing." Ted Fry in 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". 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. Moreover, scholar Terryl Givens argued that Saints and Soldiers can be interpreted specifically or universally. Givens claimed that the screenwriting created a film that is authentically Mormon yet reaches to a myriad of audiences. 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". Home media Saints and Soldiers was released on video and DVD in May 2005. ==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. Sequel A standalone sequel titled Saints and Soldiers: Airborne Creed, was released on August 17, 2012. ==References==