The Grandfathers - This DVD Will Bless You

The Grandfathers
(EMG)
Rated PG-13/Runtime: 48 minutes
Click on title to purchase

The Grandfathers showcases both the burden and benefit of the Saint family’s legacy. Jesse Saint, Steve’s oldest son and Nate’s grandson, was not raised among the tribe like his father. He struggles to find his place under the weight of the memory of a famous grandfather he never knew and a heroic father he does not fully understand. This will all change after Jesse travels to the jungles of Ecuador with his family and gradually forms a special bond with Mincaye, one of the tribesmen who took part in his grandfather’s murder. Only then will he confront his family’s past and come to terms with his own destiny. And there he will find his place in this story.

The Grandfathers chronicles the personal quest for greater connectedness and significance. It is also a moving tribute to ordinary people living extraordinary lives in extreme situations. Jim Hanon, the film’s director, states, “Forgiveness is an awe-inspiring virtue that seems to have been passed on by the Saint family and is shared by many among the Waodani tribe—both demonstrate a profound capacity for forgiveness and healthy self-healing.”

Steve Saint consulted with Jim Hanon and Mart Green, EGM’s producer, to help bring the story of his father, Nate, to screen through the feature film End of the Spear and the companion documentary film Beyond the Gates of Splendor. These films trace events leading up to and including the deaths of these men. More than that, they show the impact these events played on the lives of both their survivors and their killers. When the widows and their children went to live among the Waodani—a tribe regarded as the most violent on earth—they became an integral part of an incredible redemptive journey.

The Grandfathers completes a trilogy produced by EthnoGraphic Media (EGM) that includes End of the Spear and Beyond the Gates of Splendor. These first two films, also from award-winning director Jim Hanon and producer Mart Green, tell the unforgettable and inspiring story of the killing of five missionaries by a stone-age tribe deep in the Amazon jungle. The impact of this tragic event lives on today in families of these slain men as well as among those responsible for their deaths.


This inspirational film has been awarded The Dove Foundation seal of approval, receiving its highest honor. In the review, the Dove Foundation praised The Grandfathers, calling it “amazing and soul-touching.” Read the full review here.

EGM is an educational nonprofit organization exploring the critical issues of our time through film and new media. It is a community of visionary writers, artists, and filmmakers that seeks to capture true stories of compelling virtue that speak to the human condition. Visit www.EGMfilms.org.





MY THOUGHTS:
Although I generally review books, I was pleased to have the opportunity to review this DVD. Since I was a child I have heard the story of the brutal murder of the five missionaries, among them Jim Elliott and Nate Saint, at the hands of the Auca tribe in Ecuador, and we have the first two movies in this trilogy. Additionally, my sister just this week is packing up her things after almost 25 years of serving as a missionary in Ecuador, although she has not been in such a remote area as the one where the Saints have lived and ministered.

This is an absolute tribute to God's grace, redemption, and restoration. I loved the comment Jesse Saint made about Mincaye, who is one of the ones who killed Jesse's grandfather, Nate, back in 1956. "Even though it was the same man, the same hands, it was a different heart." What a powerful testimony to transforming power of God's grace. As I watched this, especially as I saw the response to the first showing of the Jesus film in their native language, I was so convicted of how blithely and flippantly we treat the cross, our salvation, and the Bible.

And though I have heard it before, I was once again captivated by the account of what those who killed the five missionaries witnessed following the massacre: the air filled with music and singing and light spilling out of heaven.

My only "dislike" of the DVD is, I'm sure, simply a reminder that I am no longer of the young and hip generation! I didn't care for the combination of the graphics with the live action camera. It gave the movie a rather disjointed feeling to me. But I'm glad I persevered and watched it and I urge you not to let that keep you from being blessed by the story as the third and fourth generations of Saints continue to reap blessings from the seeds sown and watered by the blood of those who answered God's call to go into all the world, whatever the cost.



Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this DVD free from The B&B Media Group as part of their Blogger Review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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