Independent director, Richard Dutcher, worked on ELIZA AND I while he was a student at Brigham Young University. He has taken actress and writer, Elizabeth Hansen's one women show about the life of the beloved Latter-day Saint pioneer poet and leader of the Relief Society, Eliza R. Snow and made it into a fascinating film experience. He has not tried to change the fact that it was designed for the stage, but using the camera, he brings us in closer to the character, adding a few cinematic flashbacks to the story.
This is a production that I have wanted to see for sometime, and so I am pleased to see that it has been put out on DVD with two other BYU made films, that are also excellent. The three included films are: FOURTH WITNESS: THE MARY WHITMER STORY; the Dutcher production of ELIZA AND I; and WOMAN, THE PIONEER. The DVD is distributed by Covenant Communications, Inc. under lincense from BYU. It may be found at store featuring LDS material, such as Deseret Book Company and Seagull Books. Richard Dutcher is considered to be the "father" of Mormon Cinema. His first two feature-length films, GOD'S ARMY and BRIGHAM CITY have proven his special talents for using film to tell powerful stories.
ELIZA AND I is a welcome addition to the DVD market. This along with the other two films, make for an 105 minutes of inspiring viewing by some very talented young filmmakers.
