Docudrama highlights faith of Emma Smith

Her life, her choices and her motives may have been second-guessed more than those of any other woman in the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Now filmmakers have sought to portray what they say is Emma Smith's legacy of faith and perseverance in a new film made primarily for her descendants but opening this weekend to the public in area theaters.

"Emma Smith: My Story," which producers Mike Kennedy and Paul Savage dubbed a "docudrama," premiered Wednesday at Jordan Commons for project insiders and descendants of LDS Church founder Joseph Smith and his wife, Emma. Many of them have only learned of their famous heritage in recent years after being contacted by members of the Joseph Smith Jr. and Emma Hale Smith Historical Society, which originated the yearlong film project.

Producers said the film seeks to portray Emma Smith's joys and sorrows as the wife of a man who declared that he talked with God and restored true Christianity, resulting not only in the birth of a new faith but also, ultimately, in his martyrdom. Events in early LDS history are seen through her eyes — an approach filmmakers say will have wide appeal, particularly to women who have admired Emma Smith but know little about her.

They hope it also will draw men, who may be used to seeing films that view events in LDS history from a male perspective. It chronicles Emma's life from childhood (she was born in 1804) to the death of her husband in 1844.

"Our intent was to tell her story the same way Emma would," said Kennedy, the Smiths' third great-grandson. "I've already read the blogs where people were speculating we wouldn't touch polygamy," a practice that Joseph Smith said God commanded him to initiate, and to which Emma Smith ultimately agreed, he said.

"Our purpose was to understand her nature and personality, rather than to interpret how she dealt with (plural marriage). She never really discussed it. She didn't like talking about it."

Kennedy said the film employs one of his own assumptions about Emma Smith in a scene that depicts a dialogue between her and her daughter, Julia, asking why she didn't discuss polygamy and her concerns about other wives. He said he made the assumption that if Emma talked with anyone about the topic, it would be her daughter, not her sons or outsiders.

When her daughter asks about Emma's silence, "Well what good would that do?" is her reply. Kennedy said in the context of the time, he believes the depiction is accurate. "These were not things that you talked about. People were proper. I think she responded in one of two ways: She either didn't talk about it, or she said, 'It's none of your business.'