The force behind the glory: A look into the upcoming film 'The Work and the Glory'

By Stephanie H. Olsen

November 3, 2004 | Scott Swofford is the man behind some of the most influential films of the past 20 years. including Emmy-winning IMAX films and The Butter Cream Gang. Swofford has also been employed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to produce films such as Legacy and The Testaments.

But the two films Swofford feels are truly "his" are a Feature Films For Families movie called Rigoletto, and his current project, The Work and the Glory.

In the spring of 2003, while working on a Disney IMAX film about Mars, a friend Russ Holt approached Swofford with the idea of producing The Work and The Glory.

After some reflection, Swofford came on board.

The next step was to hold a lunch meeting with Gerald Lund, the author of the book series of the same name. Upon hearing their proposal, Lund wanted to move forward, but because of his current calling as a general authority for the LDS church, permission had to be granted to pursue a project of this nature.

"A little while later, the church informed us that they 'found no objections.' That is about the best compliment the church could give us," said Swofford.

Larry H. Miller, owner of the Utah Jazz, had approached Lund on previous occasions to turn the nine-volume, history-based series into a film. Miller even offered his financial support for such a project at that time, so he became the group's primary contact.

"Larry is not a person who needs or likes partners, so he funded the whole project. He often asks me if his money is going to become charity. I tell him it is up to the LDS people. If they come and like it, there will be more films," said Swofford.

Once the $7.4 million was supplied, the challenge began to cast the film.

Talent was used from all over the country. Several of the main characters have appeared on popular televisions shows. For example, Melissa Steed, played by Brighton Hertford, was on the set of General Hospital for eight years.

Another challenge faced when casting the film was finding the perfect Nathan, Joshua or Lydia. Each reader has created these characters in their minds, and with more than 300 million copies sold the producers were worried about falling short of people's expectations. The pre-screenings helped put their fears to rest.

"We have had a lot of positive feed back. After people watch the film they tell us, 'That is exactly how I pictured Nathan' or, 'That is exactly how I pictured Benjamin.' We worked very hard to stay as close to the characters Elder Lund created in the novels," Swofford said.

The actual filming took place in woods of Tennessee. Swofford claims, "It has the quality of a Hollywood film, yet the characters change and grow within the film. The filming itself was incredible; it is the best work of T.C. Christens I have ever seen. His filming is remarkable, making some of the scenes almost like a Dutch painting."

Tennessee was chosen for the set due to the similar landscape to that of upstate New York, and because the weather was warmer.

However, with the lush green comes the almost daily rain, making it difficult to film at times. Wading through mud became a way of life, and those on the set were at the mercy of Mother Nature. Despite the weather the film was completed in a little over a month, and the tired crew is waiting for the film to hit the big screen in theaters across Utah on Thanksgiving weekend. The goal of the production team was to create a film that would be enjoyed by anyone who likes a love story or is up for a frontier adventure.

"This film is about tolerance, faith and family. It is a true love story," said Swofford.

Audience attendance will determine if a sequel will be made.

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