Elizabeth Smart is ready to show her story. When Smart was 14 years-old, she was abducted from her home by religious fanatic Brian Mitchell, who raped, abused and drugged by until she was rescued nine months later.
Now, the harrowing tale of Smart's kidnapping will air on Lifetime as I Am Elizabeth Smart debuts on Saturday, with Smart, 29, narrating the TV movie. News' Kristin Dos Santos sat down with Smart, along with Alana Boden who plays her, at the 2017 Summer TCA Press Tour, the American child safety activist spoke about why she was willing to relive the memories of her abduction for the movie. 'I have met so many survivors and I've worked with so many victims and I've heard so many other people's stories,' she said.
'I can't tell you how many times I've been approached after I've given a speech or something and somebody's come up to me and said, 'I've never told anyone this before but when I was 14 I was raped' or 'when I was 12 my dad sold me to pay the mortgage on the house.' I have had so many people come up to me and disclose their abuse that's happened to them and they've never told anyone.' Encouraging survivors and victims to speak out against their abusers couldn't come at a more relevant time, as the exposure of abuse in Hollywood continues to come out, with Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, Brett Ratner and others all being accused of abuse and assault. 'They shouldn't have to keep it a secret, they shouldn't have to hold it inside. Everyone deserves to be happy,' Smart said. 'No one deserves to be hurt in the way that I was hurt, the way that so many survivors and other victims are being hurt. No one has the right to do that to them.
So I want them to know that they're not alone.' To hear more from Elizabeth Smart about helping other victims and survivors of abuse by sharing her story, and her message to victims, watch our interview with her above.
I live in Utah, and was around for most of the events depicted in the film. I was even recruited for search parties. Having seen everything first hand and then seeing it on the small screen, I realized that this version took various liberties with the story, especially in terms of Elizabeth's reactions to her captors and her rescue (it was Elizabeth who asked a police officer, 'You think I'm that Elizabeth Smart girl everyone's looking for, don't you?' , not the other way around). Was it a good movie? I think it did a good job at capturing some of the emotions of the family (it almost entirely skips any depiction of the emotions of the entire state, who were all united in their concern for Elizabeth). I think that the movie was terribly unfair to the local police (who were handling the case as they had to, even if it wasn't to the satisfaction of the Smart family), and that it skewed enough events so that I can't accept anything from the movie as fact.
The movie also failed to address the traumas that Elizabeth must have suffered in captivity, but I agree with the producers that it would not have been right to do so. It's an okay movie, just don't base your opinions or perceptions of Elizabeth Smart's abduction, captivity, and return on what you saw in this movie. Having been raised by a mother that was exactly the same as Elizabeth Smart's kidnapper. I can tell you that this movie gave me a new set of nightmares to deal with. Which speaks volumes in regards to the acting and directing. I would imagine that Elizabeth Smart's life must also be full of nightmares.
And this will continue throughout the remainder of her life. As seems to be the norm in these abduction cases, the police continue to make life even worse for the victims of these crimes against families. In this case, even though the abduction is witnessed by Elizabeth's younger sister. The police still go after the parents. On the other side of the coin, it often is a parent that is the guilty party. Jon-Bonet Ramsey. But, with a witness, in this case.
A lot of time was wasted on trying to pin the crime on the parents. The person they tried to finally pin it on looked nothing like the real monster, as said by the only witness. Unfortunately, the police pretty much ignored that witness. Believe this. There are plenty of people, out there, that are exactly like the abductor of Elizabeth Smart. This was one really good movie to put it simply.
It is about the whole Elizabeth Smart story from when she was kidnapped to when she was rescued. The portrayal of the characters was really good. I liked how they showed Elizabeth with Brian David Mitchell and his wife Wanda with good detail yet still keeping it as a reasonable level. This was a really good movie and I am so glad I taped it.
I have had people borrow it from me and I have received nothing but good thoughts about it. A really well made movie.
During the scene where a bunch of people in orange vests are gearing up to search for Elizabeth, if you see some extra who's knocking around & making a total spectacle of himself, why that would be me. Aside from me completely ruining that scene, this was a decent movie.
It's somewhat toned-down, family friendly and safe, but that doesn't stop it from being engaging throughout. It doesn't really touch on the controversial gossip behind the story (such as Elizabeth's sexual abuse or the family's manipulation of the system), but instead it focuses on the core story of a family that refuses to give up its search for their missing daughter. Certain parts are dramatic and very well done. The insanity of the abductor is particularly chilling.
But the overall spirit of the film is one of optimism & strength which is always a good thing to be reminded of. Other films about a parent's relentless search for a missing child are 'Changeling' (2008) and 'Stolen' (2009), both of which I recommend. I wasn't in those, so don't worry about me ruining any of the scenes. This movie I have thought has been a great movie. It heartwarming yet touching.
The characters who portrayed in the movie did a way beyond excellent job. I could feel the pain and suffering of the family, and the intenseness Elizabeth must of felt from her captors.The girl who played Elizabeth did a superb job and so did the girl who portrayed Elizabeth's sister.
The couple who portrayed her parents did an awesome job. I like the man who portrayed Ed Smart. You could really feel his pain in the movie. Though I firmly believe the filmed was filmed too close after Elizabeth's return, I worry about how Elizabeth may feel now that this movie was shown. She has gone through as some of us may know, beyond torture then what was shown in the movie. Or maybe her seeing this movie is a healing process.
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We will never know what Elizabeth personally went through, but at least we know she is safe and warm with her family, with still a long struggle ahead. I did not know the story going into this, though I was aware that it was based upon something that really happened. If it truly had something to do with the creation of the Amber Alert, then I can see why they'd make a movie out of it.
This, in spite of how unusual the concept itself can seem, feels authentic from start to finish, with the one brief exception being when the line 'do what you feel in your heart' is spoken; nobody actually talks like that, in fact, outside of Hallmark and Disney, no one would ever utter anything.that. corny. Apart from that, the dialog is great. The plot is engaging and develops consistently throughout. Pacing is quite good, I was seldom bored. The acting is marvelous, even the children aren't half bad.
This is well-directed, and it's no wonder that the guy went on to do Lost and Prison Break. The script is well-written, and sequences may genuinely hold surprises for you here and there(I sure did not see them coming; among other things, the ending played out differently than I thought it would. There is disturbing content in this. I recommend this to any fan of films dealing with kidnapping. After the first half hour, I started checking my clock constantly to see if it was anywhere near the end of the show. Because right from the start, the show tugs at your heartstrings and never lets go.
You then either become very strained or snap. I could give a few examples, but they're very spoiler-ish. Just watch how the cops handle the investigation and how Ed Smart goes about searching for his daughter with that constant pained look. I watched this show only because I never followed the Elizabeth Smart case. In that aspect, the show was educational in showing how she was eventually reunited with her family.
It also made me think about survival tips during kidnappings for both the victim and support groups.1 Spoiler at the end. I think that this was a really touching movie! I can't believe all the comments that people thought it was so fake. I really enjoyed watching it, and I can't understand why everyone thought it was fake. Some of it may have been twisted, because the Smart family may not have wanted every bit of the story on television for all the world to see, which is perfectly understandable.
But I think it is reasonable to believe that she was forced to be a religious slave for 9 months out of fear. It's been several years since I watched this movie, and I only stumbled upon the IMDB entry after recently becoming a fan of Amber Marshall from watching 'Heartland.' I live in Utah and very closely followed this story including going on one of the searches. I am also a very active Mormon aka member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Obviously since I haven't seen the movie since it aired I remember little of it, but one thing I do remember from the movie is that the actress who played Elizabeth's mom Lois is wearing a sleeveless dress.
Had the producers done even the slightest research on the Mormon church and the Mormon faith they would have known that a practicing adult Mormon woman because of the special clothing which we wear under our regular clothes always wears at least a cap sleeve. I also remember hearing a report that someone had to ask that prop coffee cups be moved from a breakfast table on the set. Many are aware that coffee is against what Mormons call the 'Word of Wisdom' their health code. Those two items are such basic parts of Mormon culture that it shows an extreme lack of research or attention to detail on the part of the producers.
I don't recall now the accuracy of other parts of the story - and others have commented on those things, but I was very disappointed in the lack of attention to basic things about Mormon culture. Awful casting lost me from the get-go! You can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig.and you can put pigtails on an adult, but she's still an adult.
All the impact of a small, waif-like child in the clutches of two big, evil grown-ups was forfeited by casting a 20-year- old as fourteen-year-old Elizabeth. Spoiler Alert. Impact was again sabotaged in the ending. In real life, the traumatized Elizabeth denied her identity to the police for the better part of an hour. In this movie, 'Are you Elizabeth Smart?' Emmanuel and his wife Wanda Barzee are religious zealot drifters. Emmanuel cleans up and encounters Lois Smart while street preaching.
She's out with her kids and she recommends him to her husband Ed. He starts working for the Salt Lake City family as a handyman and fixates on daughter Elizabeth Smart. He soon disappears and 8 months later, he returns to kidnap 14-year-old Elizabeth. It's the start of a terrifying ordeal for the entire Smart family. This is a solid ripped-from-the-headlines movie. The adults are good solid actors.
Dylan Baker and Lindsay Frost are especially good playing the most intense parts. Their complicated relationship with the police has nice tension. Tom Everett is good and the girl who plays Elizabeth is good enough. The production is Canadian TV like many of this type of movies.
This is not going to win any awards. It lays out the case well. It's a compelling story told well enough by a good cast.
I stumbled onto this movie accidentally in a motel while searching for something else. Because some things were familiar, I might have seen it years ago but forgot (though I obviously didn't review it here). On the other hand, some of it wasn't familiar at all.
I don't want to criticize the performances of the actors playing Elizabeth's parents. Their depiction of what the parents were going through could have been accurate. But something just seemed off about the father. What stood out the most for me is the way the family celebrated holidays. They no longer seemed to be grieving, but remembered the happy times and hoped for Elizabeth to return. Surely their faith played a role, and these were wonderful scenes. I found it curious the police sketch artist was not called in sooner.
But Detective Mitt Romney (seriously, if someone wants to just cast this actor in the role based on appearance, he's perfect) didn't seem all that interested in trying to solve the case. The cops tried too hard, according to this movie, to blame the parents or a man who seemed innocent. Weren't the poor parents going through enough? Tom Everett as the kidnapper was a very convincing wacko. As much as the Smarts showed what faith in God should be, Emmanuel showed what it shouldn't. And Emmanuel's female companion just stood there and took the abuse from him. Elizabeth was too scared of what might happen to her family, but she did try to get away.
I saw this on Lifetime, and while this is not a monumental achievement, that's where it belongs. 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart (a solid and appealing performance by Amber Marshall) gets abducted at knife point by crazed religious fanatic Emmanuel (a genuinely creepy and unnerving portrayal by Tom Everett). Elizabeth spends nine months with Emmanuel and his loyal, but equally unbalanced wife Wanda (well played by Hollis McLaren) before she's eventually reunited with her family.
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Director Bobby Roth, working from a gripping script by Nancey Silvers, relates the absorbing story at a steady pace, grounds the story in a believable everyday reality, wisely avoids lurid sensationalism, and astutely nails both the Smart family's anguish and the resultant media frenzy over the case. Moreover, the Smart family's struggle to maintain hope throughout the whole punishing ordeal gives the movie extra depth and poignancy.
The fine acting from the capable cast rates as another significant asset, with especially stand-out work from Dylan Baker and Lindsay Frost as Elizabeth's concerned parents. Worth a watch. This program was outstanding. The plot line was original and the setting felt realistic.
I thought the way they portrayed the main character (Liz) was really unique, and I love the twist with her double life (Augustine!). I'd put this one (story wise!) between Ransom and The 10 Commandments. Stylistically, I'd say it's high-caliber CBS, almost in the same league as Martha, Inc. My only complaint is that I wish the characters could have traveled to some more exotic locations, i.e. The movie's antagonist (played by Tom Everett) is your classic villain- Think Lex Luthor or Cruella De Vil- He's lovably evil.
Here's to a sequel! Terrific film dealing with the kidnapping of a 14 year old daughter. The guy that plays her father, Dylan Baker, is a dead ringer for John Faso, the Republican who lost to Eliot Spitzer in 2006. He even sounds like him.
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Ironically, Faso's wife and one of the daughters of the victim shared the same name. The story is phenomenal because it tells you that the parents themselves, completely innocent of wrong-doing, are immediate suspects. It was certainly demeaning, degrading and humiliating to be put through such torture at such a time. If that isn't the worst, the wrong man is eventually accused and suffers a brain aneurysm before he can give more details to the police.
It just goes to show you how you have to watch out for some religious fanatics. When young Elizabeth Smart was kidnapped in 2002, I felt so bad for her family. I prayed every night for the day she would come home to them. When I found out she returned home safely, I cried instantly. I was eleven when she was kidnapped and was twelve when she came home. I'm now fourteen, going on fifteen in five days, and I still remember this movie. The actors are incredible.
Everyone in this movie was absolutely amazing! Amber Marshall, who played Elizabeth in this incredible film, was absolutely amazing! She made people understand what Elizabeth went through when she was kidnapped!
I can't wait to see this movie again! I LOVE THIS MOVIE!!!!!! I thought this was an excellent movie. I like all the people in it, actors and actresses for that matter.
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I have the two books about Elizabeth Smart, 'Bringing Elizabeth Home: A Journey Of Faith and Hope', and 'Held Captive: The Kidnapping and Rescue Of Elizabeth Smart'. I have kept up with this case and looked at every single piece of information I could possibly find. Brian David Mitchelle and Wanda Barzee should face trial as soon as possible and should both receive the death penalty. All this bullshit about them being incompetent and unfit for trial is simply ridiculous. They are both perfectly competent and they knew right from wrong when they took her.
They are in my opinion just more fabricating criminals. However, Iam just happy Elizabeth got home in one piece and well on her way to recovery and back to normal. Kudos to everyone! Two Thumbs Way Up! In June 2002, 14 year old Elizabeth Smart was kidnapped at knifepoint from her home in Salt Lake City by the deranged Brian David Mitchell and taken as his wife/concubine/sex slave. Mitchell – who called himself Emmanuel – was a religious nut whose wife Wanda Barzee was totally under his control.
When all the leads to Elizabeth's probable abductor dried up, she was written off as dead by the police, or as good as. She was found 9 months later a mere 16 miles away. This TV film was released less than a year after she was found; Mitchell would not stand trial for more than 7 years due to issues relating to his competency; it was only then that the full shocking truth came out. Leaving that aside, 'The Elizabeth Smart Story' was made not only as an historical document but for a wider audience, so the multiple rapes Elizabeth suffered would probably have been omitted anyway. Rather, the film focuses on her family and partly on the deranged Mitchell.
The film-makers have probably taken a few liberties with the story, but what is not shown because of the chronology is what a truly remarkable young woman Elizabeth has become, indeed there seems to be a pattern with such cases that the more shocking the suffering of the victims the more they rise above it, while those who suffer trivial or even questionable sexual assaults continue to make the most noise like the empty vessels most of them are. The office uk season 3 torrent download.
Elizabeth Smart: Autobiography is, as the name implies, Elizabeth Smart's story told in her own words. Smart was abducted as a young teen, held captive by a deranged couple, brainwashed, and repeatedly raped for almost a year before she was able to escape. The film also explores the pain and suffering experienced by her family as they faced the initial shock and terror of a missing child, their ordeal with the police, and the highs and lows they experienced trying to find Elizabeth. I'm not sure 'entertaining' is the right word to use, but Elizabeth Smart: Autobiography is certainly a compelling piece of television. Elizabeth Smart's story is one of courage, bravery, and an unending faith. It's the story of a girl who did whatever she had to deal with her situation and survive. Elizabeth Smart iis amazingly calm as she recounts her ordeal.
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The specifics she details are heartbreaking. I'm amazed at Smart's poise as the horrors she faced unfold. What an amazing woman.
The only reason I haven't rated this a 10/10 was that I wanted more from Smart and less from the family. While their ordeal was no doubt gut-wrenching, their story isn't as 'interesting' as Elizabeth's. Less family and more Elizabeth Smart would have made this thing even better. Still, it's a minor quibble with what is overall a wonderful documentary. After watching this, I was interested to learn more about Elizabeth Smart's story. I'm shocked to read numerous posts on the internet that doubt her and the truth behind her ordeal. Most question why she didn't try to escape and why it took her so long to admit she was Elizabeth Smart when questioned by the police.
I think she does an excellent job of addressing this in the film. If you've never been in her situation, don't judge. You have no idea what she was going through. Her fear was real and her reluctance to do or say something is completely understandable. These doubters infuriate me.
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