New documentary asks, 'Is this Joseph Smith?'

SALT LAKE CITY — A new independent documentary focusing on the image of Latter-day Saint church leader Joseph Smith Jr. opens in Utah theatres Friday.

The opening scene of "Brother Joseph Again" shows producers Joseph Brickey and Patrick Bishop looking at many images of the Prophet Joseph Smith. One says to the other, "I'm just not convinced right now that it is Joseph Smith."

Then the screen changes to black with gold lettering, stating, "What does Joseph Smith really look like?

Both men have studied the life of Joseph Smith Jr. for decades and have been intrigued in recent years by one image.

"It was really the face that drew me in. I saw immediately that it had an unusual alignment with the death mask, in terms of facial proportions," Joseph Brickey, producer and forensic artist, said. "That began my study, and it just became more and more compelling the more I studied."

He is talking about a locket and daguerreotype or photo owned by Daniel Larsen, Joseph Smith's great-great-grandson. He lives in Kansas and finally opened the locket 28 years after inheriting it from his mother in 1992.

"I saw that image, and after about five minutes, it was very emotional for me, but then I knew who it was," Larsen said.

I asked the producers, both members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, about the cooperation they received from members of the Community of Christ Church in making the documentary. Patrick Bishop, producer, independent historian and scholar, explained that, through other research, he had built a relationship with several archivists, and that they were once again extremely helpful for this project.

"They've opened their doors, they've given us access to all things related to Joseph Smith's image and likeness, and it's just been an amazing experience for us," he said.

That process took four years. The film follows the process of recreating Joseph's image by using the death mask and a recreated skull. From there, Brickey built up to finally molding new busts.

The premiere was shown to a select audience at Jordan Commons in Sandy.

"It was really interesting to see how that might change my perspective on who he was as a prophet and a man," Logan Montierth said. "So, I loved it. It was great."

"I was really impressed with all the work he did, and I think he proved it," Monica Montierth said.

Church leaders issued this statement earlier this year:

"The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has accepted, by donation, a locket containing a daguerreotype reported to be from the 1840s. Some believe it may be an image of Joseph Smith. As we have acknowledged, since the discovery of the locket in 2020, we cannot draw a conclusion about who is pictured in the daguerreotype. This donation adds to an extensive collection of artifacts from that time period that invite people to study and prayerfully ponder the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the extraordinary life and ministry of the Prophet Joseph Smith."

The film invites audiences to decide: Is it Joseph Smith?

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