''Ephraim's Rescue'' is a religious historical drama film by

T. C. Christensen Thomas C. Christensen (born 1953) is an American cinematographer, film director, and writer best known for his work on films related to the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), including '' Joseph Smith: The ...

, released in 2013 by

Excel Entertainment Group Deseret Book () is an American publishing company headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, that also operates a chain of bookstores throughout the western United States. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Deseret Management Corporation (DMC), the ...

. It is based on the true stories of Mormon pioneers

Ephraim Hanks Ephraim Knowlton Hanks (21 March 1826 – 9 June 1896) was a prominent member of the 19th-Century Latter Day Saint movement, a Mormon pioneer and a well known leader in the early settlement of Utah. Hanks was born in Madison, Lake County, Ohio, th ...

and Thomas Dobson and their experiences in the handcart brigades. The film was released in select theaters across the United States in the spring of 2013.

Plot

The film focuses on the lives of Ephraim Hanks and Thomas Dobson, telling their stories in parallel. Hanks, a rebellious young man, joins the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

after a violent confrontation with his father. Three years later, he returns home to find that his father has died and his brother Sidney has joined

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

. Believing Sidney to be in trouble, his mother sends Ephraim to go and save him, but Ephraim ends up converting also and is baptized by Sidney. At the same time, eight year old Thomas Dobson is baptized in his hometown of

Preston, Lancashire Preston () is a city on the north bank of the River Ribble in Lancashire, England. The city is the administrative centre of the county of Lancashire and the wider City of Preston local government district. Preston and its surrounding distri ...

and suffers for his faith. In 1856, a man announces that the Dobsons are departing for Zion (Utah) with the handcart brigade. Thomas, now an adult, has no desire to travel to an uncivilized area miles away from home, but his mother convinces him it is God's will. Ephraim Hanks joins the

Mormon Battalion The Mormon Battalion was the only religious unit in United States military history in federal service, recruited solely from one religious body and having a religious title as the unit designation. The volunteers served from July 1846 to July ...

and becomes a prominent member of the church. When he hears the handcart people are in trouble, he agrees to go and help, where his story intersects with that of Dobson.

Cast

* Darin Southam as Ephraim Hanks * Richard Benedict as old Ephraim * James Gaisford as Thomas Dobson * Koleman Stinger as young Thomas * Katherine Nelson as Alice Dobson * Travis Eberhard as Albert

Production

Written and directed by T. C. Christensen, and produced by Ron Tanner and Christensen, ''Ephraim's Rescue'' debuted on May 31, 2013, in select theaters in

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

, and then across the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. The film was subsequently released on DVD and

Blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of sto ...

for distribution by

through

Deseret Book Deseret Book () is an American publishing company headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, that also operates a chain of bookstores throughout the western United States. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Deseret Management Corporation (DMC), the ...

and affiliated retailers.

Reviews

Ephraim's Rescue received mixed to positive reviews. Sean Means of the Salt Lake Tribune felt that it was similar to

17 Miracles ''17 Miracles'' is a 2011 historical adventure film directed by T. C. Christensen. It was released in 2011 by Excel Entertainment Group. Based on the experiences of members of the Willie Handcart Company of Mormon pioneers following their late-sea ...

but "the results this time are less dramatic and more like an illustrated Sunday school lesson."

Notes

External links

* {{IMDb title, 2509298 2013 films 2010s adventure films 2010s biographical films American biographical films Mormon cinema Films set in the 1850s Films set in the United States Films directed by T. C. Christensen 2010s English-language films 2010s American films