Under the Banner of Heaven | |
---|---|
Genre | |
Created by | Dustin Lance Black |
Based on | Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer |
Starring | |
Composers | |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of episodes | 7 |
Production | |
Executive producers |
|
Producers |
|
Production location | Calgary |
Cinematography |
|
Editors |
|
Running time | 63–88 minutes |
Production companies |
|
Original release | |
Network | FX on Hulu |
Release | April 28 – June 2, 2022 |
Under the Banner of Heaven is an American true crime drama television miniseries created by Dustin Lance Black, based on the 2003 non-fiction book by Jon Krakauer. It premiered on April 28, 2022, on FX on Hulu. [1] [2] Andrew Garfield and Gil Birmingham star as two detectives investigating a brutal murder and its connections to Mormonism. The series, while reigniting controversy in the Mormon faith, [3] received acclaim, particularly for Garfield's and Wyatt Russell's performances.
The faith of police detective Jeb Pyre is shaken when investigating the murder of a Latter-day Saint mother and her baby daughter that seems to involve the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).
Lafferty family tree | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "When God Was Love" | David Mackenzie | Dustin Lance Black | April 28, 2022 | |
In 1984, in the fictional city of East Rockwell, Utah, LDS Detective Jeb Pyre and Paiute Detective Bill Taba investigate the brutal murder of Brenda Wright Lafferty, an LDS woman, and her baby daughter, Erica. Brenda's husband, Allen Lafferty, is arrested but claims men with beards committed the murders. He says he's no longer part of the LDS Church, which upsets the devout Pyre. Flashbacks show Brenda was the vivacious daughter of an Idaho bishop, and she met Allen while attending Brigham Young University. The Lafferty family is a highly respected and conservative LDS family. Allen recalls that when his parents (Ammon and Doreen) were assigned a two-year-long mission, Ammon chose middle sons Dan and Robin to oversee the family and run his chiropractic business; he purposely snubbed his eldest son, Ron. Another set of flashbacks portrays Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, having a religious revelation and proposing to Emma Hale. In the present, police arrest a bearded Robin Lafferty at a motel. | |||||
2 | "Rightful Place" | David Mackenzie | Dustin Lance Black | April 28, 2022 | |
Pyre questions Robin and Allen in separate rooms at the police station. Detective Taba investigates reports of gunfire, and is lured deep into the woods by a mysterious girl. Flashbacks to 1830s Kirtland, Ohio reveal the tense relations [ broken anchor ] between the Church of Latter-Day Saints and other residents, resulting in the Mormons being forced to leave. Robin explains to Pyre that the family business ran into financial difficulties and they couldn't afford to pay federal taxes. As a result, Dan and Robin filed lawsuits and became tax protesters. Allen knew his brothers didn't like Brenda, as they considered her too independent for a woman. He feared for Brenda's safety, recalling how Ammon once killed the family dog to punish the boys for not doing chores. Taba finds a cabin in the woods and is confronted with a gun. | |||||
3 | "Surrender" | Courtney Hunt | Story by : Emer Gillespie & Dustin Lance Black Teleplay by : Dustin Lance Black | May 5, 2022 | |
Pyre and backup arrive to help Taba. They arrest Sam Lafferty and he speaks of a list consisting of sinners that need to be cleansed by blood atonement. The list includes several prominent LDS families, and police quickly search for them. Sam's daughter reveals to Pyre that tensions between the brothers and Ammon reached the point of violence when Ammon didn't approve of Dan's extreme views. Pyre consults his bishop about violent teachings in the LDS Church's past, and is told to not question it. Brenda tries to convince Dan to end his anti-tax stance but he refuses. She then asks Allen to distance himself from his brothers, to which he agrees only if she puts off her career to have children. Allen says he now realizes he was putting Brenda in a cage. Robin discovers Brenda and his niece were murdered and tearfully insists he had nothing to do with it. | |||||
4 | "Church and State" | Courtney Hunt | Gina Welch | May 12, 2022 | |
Pyre, Taba, and Officer Morris investigate Bishop Low's empty house, which has been vandalized. Pyre discovers a letter that Dianna (Ron's wife) wrote, with Brenda's help, to LDS President Spencer W. Kimball, as she was concerned about the Lafferty brothers' extreme behavior. Bank employee LaConte Bascom reports that Ron was denied a loan to save his construction business because the church didn't approve of his brothers' libertarian anti-tax activism. Dan had visited a Fundamentalist LDS community and studied The Peace Maker , a document by Joseph Smith that preaches polygamy as a man's holy right. He also convinced Ron to support his radical beliefs. Pyre connects the Lafferty family to Bishop Low's house invasion. Officer Morris locates Bishop Low, who was on a fishing trip. | |||||
5 | "One Mighty and Strong" | Dustin Lance Black | Brandon Boyce | May 19, 2022 | |
Sam mentions a group called the School of the Prophets. Pyre and Taba learn from Bishop Low that Dan and Ron were excommunicated: Dan for wanting to take his two underage step-daughters as plural wives, and Ron for his controversial politics and for beating Dianna. The detectives question Bernard Brady, who was in the School of the Prophets with the Lafferty brothers and a man called Prophet Onias. Brady and Allen guide Pyre and Taba to the Lafferty farm, where they discover three women from a Canadian community alone, having been abandoned by Ron and Dan. Pyre discovers Ron's list of people who they believe must face blood atonement. Brady reveals that Ammon died because Ron refused to provide him with medical care, citing Ammon's own beliefs and abuse toward the brothers in the past. Flashbacks to the 19th-century recount Emma Smith's rejection of polygamy, Joseph Smith's killing, and Brigham Young's rise to lead the LDS Church. | |||||
6 | "Revelation" | Isabel Sandoval | Gina Welch | May 26, 2022 | |
Ron sought out a fundamentalist Mormon group that practiced polygamy. Their mother reveals to Pyre that there were two men named Chip and Ricky with her sons the night of Brenda's murder. The School of the Prophets encouraged a return to old and racist practices [ broken anchor ]. Onias tells Ron he is their "One" chosen by God to receive God's revelations, which Ron believes. Brenda and Allen's marriage was on the rocks due to Allen's devotion to his extremist brothers. After he struck her, Brenda had asked the Church to grant her a divorce, but she was instead charged with saving the Lafferty clan from their ways. When she attempted to do so, she was threatened by Dan and Matilda with blood atonement. Bishop Low and Brenda help Dianna and her children flee town for their safety, but Pyre worries Ron may have found and killed Dianna. Pyre breaks down as he confronts his now-wavering faith, reading the book Allen directed him to, Mormonism: Shadow or Reality? . Taba encounters Onias in the wilderness. | |||||
7 | "Blood Atonement" | Thomas Schlamme | Brandon Boyce & Dustin Lance Black | June 2, 2022 | |
Onias tells Taba that the power of being the "One" corrupted Ron. Flashbacks address the Mountain Meadows Massacre of 1857 and conflicting accounts of what occurred. Pyre is asked to twist the law to save the LDS Church from bad publicity, but he refuses. Pyre's loss of faith causes a rift in his marriage. Allen tells Pyre that he and Brenda reconciled before her death. Jacob gives Dan's journal to the police, which Pyre uses to identify leads. Pyre and Taba go to Wyoming to interview Chip and Ricky, who recall Dan slashed Brenda and Erica's throats while Ron helped. Taba confronts Pyre about blindly believing the LDS Church's version of history. In Miami, Florida, Dianna's children are taken to a safe house. Dianna returns to the Lafferty home, finds Matilda, and they flee Utah. Pyre and Taba locate Ron and Dan in the Circus Circus Casino in Reno, Nevada. The brothers are arrested just as Ron attempts to murder Dan in a bid to become the true "One." Pyre returns home and reconciles with his wife, no longer a believing man but seeing his family as his faith like Allen before him. |
Initially intended to be adapted as a film beginning in 2011, [7] [8] it was announced in June 2021 that it would now be developed as a miniseries, with Dustin Lance Black retained as screenwriter and David Mackenzie serving as director. Andrew Garfield and Daisy Edgar-Jones were cast to star. [9] The cast was rounded out in August, with Sam Worthington, Wyatt Russell, Denise Gough, Rory Culkin, and Gil Birmingham among the new additions. [10]
[A] criticism was the overuse of the word "brother". Everyone calls [each other] "brother" and "sister" in the show. And while that does happen in Utah — especially in the 80s, especially in small towns — I agree that it's sort of overused to our ears. But again we're trying to communicate that this is an insular community where everybody's a member of this organization, to someone who has no outside interaction with Mormonism.
Lindsay Hansen Park,The Jimmy Rex Show [11]
Lindsay Hansen Park (of the Sunstone Education Foundation) and Troy Williams (of Equality Utah) worked as cultural and historical consultants. [12] Lindsay says that when the show's creator employed her, he said her job was to "keep us honest." [13]
Filming in Calgary began in August 2021 and was completed in December 2021. [14] [15] [16]
The series premiered on April 28, 2022, on FX on Hulu. [2] It is also set to premiere on Disney+ (Star) in international markets and Star+ In Latin America soon after. The series made its linear television premiere on the FX channel on March 7, 2023.
In November 2023, Disney Entertainment reached a deal with ITV to distribute Under the Banner of Heaven on ITVX in the United Kingdom, where it was released on February 26, 2024. [17] [18]
According to the streaming aggregator Reelgood, Under the Banner of Heaven was the 7th most streamed program across all platforms, during the week of May 4, 2022, [19] the 8th most streamed program during the week of May 11, 2022, [20] the 5th most streamed television series during the week of May 14, 2022, [21] and the 9th during the week of May 21, 2022. [22]
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an 86% approval rating with an average rating of 7.40/10, based on 49 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "While Under the Banner of Heaven gets bogged down by an overabundance of backstory, its procedural through-line is enriched by thoughtfully grappling with personal faith." [23] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 71 out of 100 based on 25 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [24]
Patrick Q. Mason, in a review of the show, pointed out that it is the most recent entry in a long history of American media portrayals of Mormons as inherently violent. [25] McKay Coppins, a Mormon journalist, stated in an article in The Atlantic that the series demonizes Mormons and misrepresents the faith. He said that "no one involved in the show felt compelled to check the customary boxes Hollywood creators have been trained to check in this era of inclusiveness and representation. Black did not hire any practicing Mormons to write or consult on the show." [3] Lindsay Hansen Park later replied, "I guess Deseret News had printed something where they said they had asked FX if there were faithful members involved and they said no. I don't even know why they printed that, that must be misinformation, because we did tell them yes, that there were, cause there were! We had bishops, we had Relief Society Presidents, we had a good number of faithful people that we consulted. [...] I've named a few of the people who I think are okay with me naming them on my Facebook, some scholars who helped. But there are — for this reason — people that don't want their name to be involved." [26]
Randy Johnson, the American Fork chief of police in charge of the 1984 murder investigation said, "I find the book to be substantially more accurate than the miniseries. ... I cannot recognize any actual person that I knew or came to know, accurately depicted in the series. The series does not reflect the actual investigation that I oversaw. Nor does it reflect the attitudes, behaviors and conduct of me or any of my officers. It is clearly a work of fiction as indicated by the disclaimer.” [27] Sharon Wright Weeks, Brenda's sister, likewise said that, "I do not recognize her [Brenda] at all in any of the show." [28]
Jon Krakauer is an American writer and mountaineer. He is the author of bestselling non-fiction books—Into the Wild; Into Thin Air; Under the Banner of Heaven; and Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman—as well as numerous magazine articles. He was a member of an ill-fated expedition to summit Mount Everest in 1996, one of the deadliest disasters in the history of climbing Everest.
Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith is a nonfiction book by author Jon Krakauer, first published in July 2003. He investigated and juxtaposed two histories: the origin and evolution of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a modern double murder committed in the name of God by brothers Ron and Dan Lafferty, who subscribed to a fundamentalist version of Mormonism.
Andrew Russell Garfield is an English and American actor. He has received various accolades, including a Tony Award, a BAFTA TV Award and a Golden Globe, in addition to nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award, a Laurence Olivier Award and two Academy Awards. Time included Garfield on its list of 100 most influential people in the world in 2022.
FX Networks, LLC is a company consisting of a network of cable channels plus a production company and a subsidiary of the Disney Entertainment business division of The Walt Disney Company. Originally a part of 21st Century Fox, the company was acquired by The Walt Disney Company on March 20, 2019. Consequently, FX Networks was integrated into the newly renamed Walt Disney Television unit.
Dustin Lance Black is an American screenwriter, director, producer, and LGBT rights activist. He is known for writing the film Milk, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 2009. He has also subsequently written the screenplays for the film J. Edgar and the 2022 crime miniseries Under the Banner of Heaven.
Mormonism: Shadow or Reality? is a 1963 book by Jerald and Sandra Tanner that is critical of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Wyatt Hawn Russell is an American actor and former ice hockey player. He portrayed Corporal Lewis Ford in Julius Avery's 2018 horror film Overlord, Dud in AMC's Lodge 49 and John Walker / U.S. Agent in the Marvel Cinematic Universe Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021).
Utah v. Lafferty was a 1984 murder case in the U.S. state of Utah. It gained substantial publicity due to the accused persons' statement that the murders were the result of a divine revelation.
Shōgun is an American historical drama television miniseries created by Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks. It is based on the 1975 novel by James Clavell, which was previously adapted into a 1980 miniseries.
Daisy Jessica Edgar-Jones is a British actress. She began her career with the television series Cold Feet (2016–2020) and War of the Worlds (2019–2021). She gained recognition for her starring role in the miniseries Normal People (2020), which earned her nominations for a British Academy Television Award and a Golden Globe Award.
FX Productions, LLC (FXP) is an American television and in-house production company owned by FX Networks, a division of the Disney Entertainment unit of The Walt Disney Company. The studio currently produces series for FX, FXX and FX on Hulu. In the past, FXP also produced series for Amazon Prime Video, Epix, Fox and TBS, but have since returned sole focus on the FX channels.
The eleventh season of the American horror anthology television series American Horror Story, subtitled NYC, takes place in 1980s New York City, and focuses on a string of killings involving gay men and the emergence of a new virus. The ensemble cast includes Russell Tovey, Joe Mantello, Charlie Carver, Billie Lourd, Leslie Grossman, Sandra Bernhard, Isaac Cole Powell, Zachary Quinto, Denis O'Hare and Patti LuPone, with all returning from previous seasons, except newcomers Tovey, Mantello and Carver.
Andrew Burnap is an American actor. Known for his performances on stage, he began his professional stage career in the Public Theatre's revivals of King Lear in 2014 and Troilus and Cressida in 2016. He gained prominence for his role as Toby Darling in the Matthew Lopez play The Inheritance, which premiered on the West End and transferred to Broadway, and earned him the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play. In 2023, he portrayed King Arthur in the Broadway revival of the Lerner and Loewe musical Camelot.
Justified: City Primeval is an American neo-Western crime drama television miniseries developed by showrunners Dave Andron and Michael Dinner. The series continues the story from Justified taking inspiration from the Elmore Leonard novel City Primeval: High Noon in Detroit and short story "Fire in the Hole". Timothy Olyphant returns to star as Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens, with Paul Calderón also reprising his role as Detective Raymond Cruz from the 1998 crime comedy film Out of Sight, a film adaptation of Leonard's 1996 novel of the same name. A world premiere was held on June 1, 2023, at the 12th ATX Television Festival, and the series premiered on FX on July 18, 2023, with back-to-back episodes. It received generally positive reviews from critics.
The Bear is an American comedy-drama television series created by Christopher Storer for FX on Hulu. Jeremy Allen White stars as Carmy Berzatto, an award-winning chef who returns to his hometown of Chicago to manage the chaotic kitchen at his deceased brother's sandwich shop. The supporting cast includes Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ayo Edebiri, Lionel Boyce, Liza Colón-Zayas, Abby Elliott and Matty Matheson.
The Patient is an American psychological thriller television limited series created and written by Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg, who also serve as showrunners and are executive producers along with Chris Long, Caroline Moore, Victor Hsu, and Steve Carell. It premiered on August 30, 2022, on FX on Hulu and concluded on October 25 of that same year, consisting of ten episodes. The series stars Carell, Domhnall Gleeson, and Linda Emond.
Welcome to Wrexham is an American sports documentary television series that premiered on August 24, 2022, on FX. The series documents the events of Welsh association football club Wrexham A.F.C., as told by the club's owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. The series received critical acclaim, winning two Critics' Choice Television Awards and five Primetime Emmy Awards. The second season premiered on September 12, 2023. In November 2023, the series was renewed for a third season, which is set to premiere on May 2, 2024.
A Murder at the End of the World is an American psychological thriller drama television miniseries created by Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij for FX on Hulu. It stars Emma Corrin as an amateur detective who attempts to solve a murder at an isolated Arctic retreat in Iceland. The supporting cast includes Brit Marling, Clive Owen and Harris Dickinson.
Feud: Capote vs. The Swans is the second season of the American anthology television series Feud created by Ryan Murphy, Jaffe Cohen, and Michael Zam for FX. Directed by Gus Van Sant, Max Winkler, and Jennifer Lynch, it is written by Jon Robin Baitz. The eight-episode season is based on the book Capote's Women: A True Story of Love, Betrayal, and a Swan Song for an Era written by Laurence Leamer. Its first two episodes premiered on January 31, 2024, with episodes available on Hulu the day after broadcast on FX.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)