Thanks, Michael, for speaking up. I agree on every point, but have restrained myself from writing any sort of criticism on "Testaments." Filmmakers (Spike Lee excepted) generally try to avoid bashing each other's work in public. We get enough abuse from the critics.

But I do think we should start speaking up on films coming out of the church's audiovisual department. Some of the smaller films are exceptional, and most of the church membership never see or know anything about them. But the larger films have serious problems.

My opinion on the theater in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building is that whatever movie is playing on that screen should be the most powerful film on the face of the earth, something that would knock the audience out of their seats with the pure, unrestrained power of Christ. That should be our goal. Cinema is such a potent tool, and we're still playing around with it and making toy movies.

I left the theater after seeing "Testaments" with the firm conviction that none of my non-member friends or family would ever see this movie. It embarrassed me by reducing The Book of Mormon to the level of "Xena - Princess Warrior."

It is inconceivable to me that a talented filmmaker, working in partnership with the Holy Spirit, would produce something as ineffective as "Testaments."

Nonmembers leaving that theater have no hint of the grandeur, beauty, and power of The Book of Mormon. No hint of Abinadi, Alma, Jacob, and the rest. They leave thinking the Book of Mormon is some limp L. Ron Hubbard concoction of romance, nasty villains, and cute little monkeys.

I, too, was moved when the father character is healed and sees Christ, but I give all the credit for that moment to the actor, Rick Macy. The director neutered the scene by quickly cutting to a phony shot of the Catholic Jesus with a big light behind his head. Shameful.

I'd better stop writing right now, before I really cut loose.

One last comment: Maybe it's time we start selecting our church filmmakers with the same care that we choose our temple architects. If our filmmakers don't have the talent, let's turn it over to the non-members.

Richard Dutcher