Joseph Smith American Prophet DVD

Dramatic reenactments, scholarly commentary, and gripping narration take the viewer on a journey through the Prophet Joseph’s life in this documentary originally aired on PBS television in October 2017.

Millions of people around the world know of him. Yet this American frontier prophet of the early 1800s found little honor and eventual martyrdom at the hands of an angry mob in his own country. Who was this Joseph Smith, and what was it about his remarkable life story that inspired such impassioned rancor or unflinching loyalty and even reverence?

(110 min)
• Early Appeal of Mormonism
• The Making Of (Behind the Scenes)
• Defining a Prophet
• Emma
• Artists' Images of Joseph
• The Joseph Smith Papers
• The Martyrdom
• Mormons and Masonry
• Plural Marriage
• Joseph the Seer

Lee Groberg

Lee Groberg has produced and directed a number of documentary films over the past twenty-five years, including American Gunmaker, Treasure House, Trail of Hope, American Prophet, Sacred Stone, America’s Choir, Sweetwater Rescue, Fires of Faith, and First Freedom, all produced for public television. Narrators for his films have included Gregory Peck, Hal Holbrook, Fess Parker, Walter Cronkite, Geoffrey Palmer, Brian Stokes Mitchell, and Ed Ames.

First Freedom is one of the more rewarding film projects he has worked on. This companion book reflects many of the images from the film and includes comments from the academic scholars featured in the film.

Regarding his work on the film, Lee remarked, “It has been my pleasure to work on a story that has spiritual implications in all of our lives. These founding fathers did not share a single faith, but I feel that they were directed by a divine force that helped them establish a country where all could worship in freedom—or even feel free to not worship at all. That is the beauty of our guaranteed right of religious liberty.

“I thank my wife, Jeanine, for her unflagging support and devotion as together, we tackle these very meaningful film and book projects.”

Joseph Smith American Prophet from Joseph Smith American Prophet on Vimeo.