"Sometimes we don't get it right. Sometimes we publish the facts as we have them, then we learn to our horror that they have changed," he said.

"I hope that those who follow us, who have the right to benefit from our work, will have felt that we got it right. I'm sure they will come along and correct something that we knew was correct, because that's the nature of history — more tidbits come forward."

Groberg said as he made his film about Joseph Smith, he sought out top historians, consultants and advisers. One was "a respected person within the LDS Church," who told him, "when you tell the story, you'll get rocks thrown (at you) by both sides," referring to fellow Latter-day Saints and those outside the church.

The prediction proved true. "I had people within the LDS Church who thought it was terrible and people outside the LDS Church telling me things they thought were not right." After it was broadcast, PBS received a number of letters about the film "saying some not-very-nice things."

Groberg read about 20 such letters, most of them from Utah and Idaho. He said many "can leave the church but they can't leave it alone. To me, there was nothing valid in their arguments. It was just sour grapes. I took it as the cost of doing business on that story."

Reaction to his latest film will certainly come, including from among historians in the audience, yet "we think when it's done, we'll come up with a product that will stand the test of time, and that's because of you."

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E-mail: carrie@desnews.com