The Interpreter Foundation and Redbrick Filmworks continues to release a new episode of their not-for-profit series of mini-documentaries titled Becoming Brigham each Monday.
Over the past few weeks, they have released the following episodes:
Episode 15: “Did Brigham Young and Emma Smith ever get along?”
How did Emma’s deeply personal, spousal view of Joseph differ from Brigham Young’s reverent, disciple-like view of the Prophet? In what ways did both Emma and Brigham remain deeply loyal to Joseph Smith, even though they expressed that loyalty very differently? Camrey interviews historian Dr. Casey Griffiths about the complex and often misunderstood relationship between Brigham Young and Emma Smith. He highlights trauma, grief, and clashing priorities as central causes of the tension. Emma was a widowed mother trying to protect and provide for her children in Nauvoo, while Brigham felt responsible for leading thousands of Saints safely west. Griffiths emphasizes that there are no clear villains in the story. Both Emma and Brigham were acting from sincere, faithful places amid immense loss and pressure.
Episode 16: “Who was more loyal—Emma Smith or Brigham Young?”
How did Emma’s deeply personal, spousal view of Joseph differ from Brigham Young’s reverent, disciple-like view of the Prophet? In what ways did both Emma and Brigham remain deeply loyal to Joseph Smith, even though they expressed that loyalty very differently?
The hosts reflect on the contrasting ways Emma Smith and Brigham Young related to Joseph Smith and how those differences contributed to tension after his death. Camrey and Johnny discuss how Emma knew Joseph intimately as his young wife — seeing both his prophetic calling and his human weaknesses — while Brigham knew him primarily as a disciple knows a prophet, showing deep reverence and unwavering loyalty to every revelation Joseph taught. And yet, despite their differences, both Emma and Brigham died calling upon the name of Joseph, each cherishing the Restoration in their own way.
Episode 17: “Was Zion’s Camp Formative or a Failure?”
Was Zion’s Camp a failure—or one of the most important experiences in Brigham Young’s life? When does a peaceful people have the right to fight back? The hosts examine the tension between the Latter-day Saint commitment to peace and the violent realities of early American history. The discussion turns to Zion’s Camp, the 1834 expedition to Missouri that Brigham Young went through as a formative spiritual experience under the guidance of Joseph Smith. Though often viewed as a military failure, the discussion turns to how Joseph Smith deliberately chose a peaceful resolution over armed conflict after receiving a revelation that the camp should return home rather than fight.
Watch all the episodes on the Becoming Brigham YouTube channel. If you want to be notified when new episodes are published, just click Subscribe on the Becoming Brigham YouTube channel.
The episodes are hosted by Camrey Bagley Fox (who portrayed Emma Smith in the Interpreter Foundation’s films Witnesses and Six Days in August), John Wilson (who played Brigham Young in Six Days in August), and Daniel C. Peterson (president of the Interpreter Foundation and retired BYU professor of Islamic studies and Arabic). Each episode features footage shot on location in New York, Ohio, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, and Utah, as well as extensive interviews with Latter-day Saint historians who are experts on the subjects being discussed. The series is rooted in scholarship. The list of contributors includes historians trusted by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Why this docuseries? Many people are aware of Brigham Young as a pivotal figure in American religious and frontier history, but Brigham is also often misunderstood, seen as a larger-than-life caricature rather than as a man. Who actually was Brigham as a man, a father, a husband, and a prophet? The video web series Becoming Brigham debunks fictions and provides surprising new insights into the real Brigham Young. Learn more in the article “Becoming Brigham: The Video Series Premieres.”