Highly Recommended Mystic Voices: The Story of the Pequot War
News & Reviews
© Mystic Voices, LLC
(Revised 30 January 2008)
RECENT REVIEWS:
"This docu-drama tells events from divergent perspectives …two very different peoples with two very different belief systems both vying for existence on the same piece of land. Balanced … a compelling piece of dramatization. Told sympathetically through the voices of Native-American descendants [but] does not disintegrate into Euro-bashing … There is a shift in perspective – an English narrator takes over the account – and the film then works from the colonists’ point of view. Pequot sympathy is developed, but the English perspective of the situation is not neglected. … Resonates today in the Age of Terrorism … The “mystic voices” trapped in the burning enclave of Missituck sound eerily similar to the 9-1-1 tapes recorded in smoky New York City on September 11th, 2001. The parallels are subtle but present, and they are likely to spark discussion if this film is used in a classroom setting." – Film & History: An Interdisplinary Joural of Film & Television Studies, Published by the Historians Film Committee, an Affiliated Society of the American Historical Association. Read full Review.
"This beautifully produced documentary provides a superb telling of the often tumultuous relationship between the European settlers and the Pequots of Connecticut... Visually beautiful and balanced, paintings, photographs, and reenactors tell the tale. The musical score by Charles David Denler is superb. The treatment of the subject matter, one that still enflames emotions, is well balanced and even handed. It is refreshing that, in addition to the politics of the English and Dutch, inter-tribal relations are discussed. – Mike Brown, Bowie High School, MD, School Library Journal. Read full Review.
"Mystic Voices succeeds in changing the direction of discussion of early American colonization. . . " "The audio and visual quality is excellent as is the artwork, maps and dramatizations. Highly recommended for any library in the Northeast as well as libraries collecting in Native American Studies."
Rating: Highly Recommended
– Michael A. LaMagna, Educational Media Reviews Online. Read full Review..
[Four Stars] Editor's Choice. "A must for libraries in New England, this is highly recommended elsewhere." –Video Librarian
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We
are pleased to announce that Mystic Voices is the recipient of two EMMY ®
Awards presented by The National Academy of
Television Arts & Sciences for Outstanding
Achievement, Documentary Program, and Outstanding
Achievement, Program Writing.* The film also was
nominated in two other categories: Music Composition for
Charles David Denler's compositions and Videography/Cinematography,
Gary Maynard and Charles Clemmons, Cinematographers. The
ceremony was presented by The National Academy of
Television Arts and Sciences, Boston/New England Chapter.
Schedules for regional public television stations' broadcast of the film via American Public Television are now becoming available for your area. Please click on Broadcast Schedule for updates as they become available. |
| With two
screenings at the 2004 Rhode Island International
Film Festival August 10-15 in Providence, Rhode
Island, the film received enthusiastic reviews from the
audiences and the news media. The second screening was
due to what festival representatives called "an
overwhelming number of calls including ticket
reservations" and other questions. Samples from news
media reviews include: "Tired of summer blockbusters? . . . A new look at history unfolds in Mystic Voices -- eye-opening . . ." "A new look at history unfolds in Mystic Voices: The Story of the Pequot War, an eye-opening documentary about New England Native Americans and how they fared when the Pilgrims and other European immigrants arrived to claim and tame the wilderness. " - PATRICIA LACOUTURE, East Bay Newspapers |
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"... Few
stones unturned ... a solid documentary..."
Though the "extensive historical documentation is both a plus and a drawback" due to the film leaving "few stones unturned" the "Fascinating Mystic Voices often repeat themselves. . . With its mix of historical records, vintage paintings, location work and the voices of Native American and university historians, Mystic Voices: The Story of the Pequot War is a solid documentary ..." - The Providence Journal The Film Fest New Haven Connecticut Filmmakers Festival was the site of an enthusiastically well-received screening of the film in February 2004. |
| "The
near sellout audience … was stimulated ... The
engrossed audience didn't seem to want to end the
discussion." "The near sellout audience … was stimulated." The film presents a "balanced" view of the War, and in the discussion that followed the screening, "The engrossed audience didn't seem to want to end the discussion. The overwhelming sentiment in the audience, apparently mostly educators, was that the documentary is … objective" and presents "an important piece of history." - The Pequot Times, the internal newspaper for the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation |
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"The
audience was universally enthusiastic, commenting on the
depth of previously unknown history and the absence of
simplistic portraits of good and bad. The audience seemed
in agreement that this film should be viewed widely. . .
" "The live-audience response to MYSTIC VOICES is impressive. At the FFNH screening last February, a packed audience (including standees) remained completely focused. . . The Q&A was very lively and could easily have continued way beyond the allotted time. The audience was universally enthusiastic, commenting on the depth of previously unknown history and the absence of simplistic portraits of good and bad. The audience seemed in agreement that this film should be viewed widely. . . " Nina Adams, Artistic Director, Film Fest New Haven |
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| *Use of the trademarks and service marks of the National Television Academy (“NTA”), including the mark EMMY®, requires the prior express written permission of the National Television Academy. |