"Saints and Soldiers," opening Aug. 6 in select theaters, uses World War II as the setting for a movie about belief and faith of universal appeal.

Ryan Little, the film's director and cinematographer, first delved into the World War II setting as a BYU film student when he made a short film, "The Last Good War." The film follows an American and a German soldier trapped in a house together during winter. It won an Emmy Award in 1999.

Little also knew some friends who worked on "Saving Private Ryan" and "Band of Brothers," which increased their interest in World War II films. Little decided they should do a feature film on World War II. The major question was how to create a $700,000 version of the "big ones."

Little said he wanted to create a different kind of story with characters the viewer knows on a more personable basis. The filmmakers did not want to lose focus on the individual stories of the men who fought.

Little spoke with Dennis Wright and Robert Freeman, professors of church history and doctrine and co-directors for the "Saints at War" archives, to find a story for the backdrop of the film.

The "Saints at War" archives collect experiences and stories of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints during wartime duty.

The beginning of the film states it is based on actual events. The Malmedy Massacre, the killing of captured American soldiers after a few tried to escape, opens the film. Little said the story is a blend of a dozen true stories mixed into that historical event.

Freeman said the film is well directed and made but goes in a different direction than the Saints at War project.

"It is a composite work, in that it combines bits and pieces

from various servicemen's stories," Freeman said.

"Saints and Soldiers" also takes a different direction religiously than other films by Mormon filmmakers.

"I wanted to make sure the film was about faith, but for any religion," Little said. "It was carefully designed so it would appeal for wider audiences."

The church is not mentioned anywhere in the film; neither is The Book of Mormon. Little said faith in the film is more about how people perceive it. The faith aspect is on a general level. The heart of the film is in the main character's values.

To illustrate this point, Little told of an experience at a film festival in Indiana where a Baptist thanked him for making the main character a Baptist. Little said the film could appeal to anyone regardless of religious beliefs.

Freeman views the film in the same way.

"I think the LDS connection is

quite subtle, which is probably a compliment to the intentions of the

directors," Freeman said.

Sam Schwendiman, music major from Rochester, N.Y., said he enjoyed the film more than he thought he would.

"I appreciated it more than other LDS films because the religion is not pushed on you," Schwendiman said.

When the filmmakers initially presented the film to the Motion Picture Association of America for a rating, an "R" rating was returned.

That rating frustrated the filmmakers. They had taken the time to look at other war movies to find the "PG-13" level. Little said comparing the film to the movie "Pearl Harbor" made him think that his film was in the safe zone.

To appeal the MPAA on the rating, Little used different shots in a few scenes instead of cutting out entire scenes. The film received a "PG-13."

Over the last year, the film has been screened at 18 film festivals. In 13 of the festivals it won awards such as Jury Choice for Best Picture and Audience Choice for Best Picture.



Copyright Brigham Young University 5 Aug 2004