Richard Dutcher

Richard Dutcher is an American independent filmmaker who produces, writes, directs, edits, and frequently stars in his films. Well known among members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints for his early Mormon-themed productions, Dutcher has been called “The Father of Mormon Cinema.” Although he left the LDS church over theological differences in 2007, his films continue to explore universal spiritual and religious ideas. Dutcher launched his own film distribution company, Main Street Movie Company, in 2005 and now often takes his movies from concept to full distribution independently.

Biography

Richard Dutcher lived in his car during high school and was so financially strapped while attending college that he frequently had to choose between eating and going to the movies. Because of his love of film, he normally went to the movies [cite web | title= "Richard Dutcher: Mormon Movie Maker" |date = 2002-10-28 | url=http://www.deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,280007247,00.html | accessdate = 2008-02-27] . Dutcher graduated from Brigham Young University in 1988 with a degree in film. Dutcher has been married to his wife, Gwen, since 1988. They have seven children.

Films

His first feature film was "Girl Crazy" (1997), which he sold to HBO and Cinemax.

Dutcher's next film was the 2000 indie smash "God's Army", which grossed over ten times its $250,000 production budget. Dutcher produced, wrote, directed and starred in this film about Mormon missionaries, focusing on a Mormon elder determined to finish his two-year mission even though he is dying of brain cancer. Despite its minuscule cost, the film showed respectable production quality and adept acting. The film debuted with a world premiere in Sandy, Utah and was taken on tour around North America for limited engagements. The commercial success of God's Army is widely credited for launching the LDS Cinema movement.

Dutcher followed this film in 2001 with "Brigham City" about the search for a serial murderer in a small Utah town which has never had a murder before. The movie explores how residents of a close-knit religious community, who are mostly LDS, react to and deal with the situation.

Dutcher's next film, "States of Grace", was released November 4, 2005. This film follows a set of missionaries in Los Angeles caught in the middle of gang warfare. Wade Major of "Boxoffice Magazine" wrote of the director, "Dutcher has joined the ranks of the very best independent filmmakers in the world."

Dutcher's newest film, "Falling", tells the story of a Hollywood videographer, Eric Boyle, who stumbles across a gang murder and sells the footage to a Los Angeles news station for a small fortune. Boyle's life falls apart when the exposed gang members come after anyone with a connection to the incriminating footage.

Parting letter

On April 13 2007, the "Provo Daily Herald", published an open letter from Dutcher on its editorial page entitled, "Richard Dutcher: 'parting words' on Mormon movies" where he announced, "I am no longer a practicing member of the church." cite web | title= "Richard Dutcher: 'Parting words' on Mormon movies " |date = 2007-04-12 | url=http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/217694/ | accessdate = 2007-05-09] His letter provoked some strong criticism from some LDS church members, most notably Kieth Merrill, a Mormon filmmaker. [ [ title= "Kieth Merrill: Dutcher comments showed arrogance" | http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/218036/] ] The main point of Merrill and many others is that Mr. Dutcher is arrogant to criticize "Mormon" films when his own films have grossed less and less. The view is that the decline in gross revenue is an indication of the public's reaction to their quality.

Film plans

Dutcher at one point was planning to direct "Prophet: The Story of Joseph Smith", a film about the life of the early LDS prophet. While Dutcher did not specifically comment on his plans for his movie on Joseph Smith in his 'Parting words' letter, Dutcher did state that he will no longer be making Mormon films.

Dutcher's film "Falling," was released Jan. 18 at a single Salt Lake City Theater, and later shopped to art-house theaters, where he did not expect to make back the film's money. He has also completed an action/horror film called "Evil Angel" starring Ving Rhames ("", "Pulp Fiction"), slated for release in 2008. Dutcher's 'Parting words' letter suggests that these movies will be spiritually-based but not Mormon related. He hopes to join the ranks of other filmmakers such as Ingmar Bergman, Robert Bresson, Andrei Tarkovsky, Carl Theodor Dreyer, and Yasujiro Ozu.

References

External links

*imdb name|id=0244756|name=Richard Dutcher
* [http://www.ldsfilm.com/directors/Dutcher.html Dutcher filmography and biography]
* [http://www.richarddutcher.com/ Official Richard Dutcher Homepage]