{"id":6876,"date":"2015-11-23T09:25:39","date_gmt":"2015-11-23T14:25:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/?p=6876"},"modified":"2015-11-23T09:25:39","modified_gmt":"2015-11-23T14:25:39","slug":"ngcs-saints-and-strangers-tells-gritty-true-story-of-first-thanksgiving","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/2015\/11\/ngcs-saints-and-strangers-tells-gritty-true-story-of-first-thanksgiving.html","title":{"rendered":"NGC&#8217;S &#8220;SAINTS AND STRANGERS&#8221; TELLS GRITTY TRUE STORY OF FIRST THANKSGIVING"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Here\u2019s today\u2019s dispatch from the crossroads of faith, media and culture.<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Saints &amp; Strangers Trailer | National Geographic\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/TdP8y916SHs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1448281731584_3813\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1448281731584_3812\"><strong>National Geographic Channel\u2019s two-night movie event<\/strong> <b id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1448281731584_3924\"><em>Saints &amp; Strangers<\/em> concludes tonight (11\/23 @ 9:00 PM ET).<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1448281731584_3821\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1448281731584_3820\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1448281731584_3822\"><em>Saints &amp; Strangers<\/em> is produced by Sony Pictures Television with Little Engine Productions.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1448281731584_3859\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1448281731584_3858\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1448281731584_3857\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/span><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1448281731584_3871\"><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1448281731584_3825\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1448281731584_3824\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1448281731584_3826\"><strong>From the film&#8217;s press release:<\/strong> Of those who made the journey on the Mayflower, there<b> <\/b>were those we know as \u201csaints,\u201d religious separatists who abandoned their prior lives for a single cause \u2014 religious freedom. The others, the \u201cstrangers,\u201d were motivated by real-world material objectives and adventure as opposed to spiritual ideas. This clash of values between these groups created complex inner struggles as they sought to establish new individual identities and a new colony in America, compounded by a complicated relationship with, and between, the local Native American tribes. It\u2019s a story of survival, perseverance, dedication and commitment \u2014 themes that reverberate throughout American society today.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1448281731584_3827\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1448281731584_3829\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1448281731584_3828\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1448281731584_3830\">\u201cGrowing up, we learn about the Mayflower and the colonization of America, but we never learn the whole story. The real story is an incredible survival story. <b><em>Saints &amp; Stranger<\/em>s<\/b> is the opportunity to tell the world about our country,\u201d said<strong> Executive Producer Gina Matthews.<\/strong> \u201cThe Native Americans are determined to maintain their way of life just as much as the Pilgrims are determined to start theirs anew. This is one of those stories where once both groups start down a path, history is changed forever,\u201d added <strong>Executive Producer Grant Scharbo<\/strong>.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1448281731584_3831\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1448281731584_3834\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1448281731584_3833\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1448281731584_3832\">The cast tasked with telling this story for the ages includes <b>Vincent Kartheiser<\/b> (<em>Mad Men<\/em><i>) <\/i>as \u201csaints\u201d leader William Bradford, the colony\u2019s moral compass; <b>Anna Camp<\/b> (<em>Pitch Perfect<\/em>) as his wife Dorothy Bradford, still haunted by their decision to leave their three-year-old son behind for the journey to the New World; <b>Ron Livingston<\/b> (<em>Band of Brothers<\/em>) as John Carver, the initial leader of the Pilgrims and the first governor of the Plymouth Colony; <b>Barry Sloane<\/b> as Edward Winslow, who would serve as a diplomat to the nearby Pokanoket tribe and their leader, Massasoit; and <b>Michael Jibson <\/b>as Myles Standish, the colony\u2019s military advisor.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1448281731584_3835\"><i>\u00a0<\/i><\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1448281731584_3837\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1448281731584_3836\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1448281731584_3838\">The \u201cstrangers\u201d are led by<b> Ray Stevenson <\/b>(<em>Black Sails)<\/em> as Stephen Hopkins, who, despite his checkered past, is the only Mayflower passenger who had previously been to the New World; <b>N<\/b><b>atascha McElhone <\/b>(<em>Californication<\/em>) as his wife, Elizabeth Hopkins, who gives birth to their second child aboard the Mayflower<i> <\/i>and is one of only four women to survive to the first Thanksgiving; and <b>Br\u00edan F. O\u2019Byrne <\/b>(<em>Aquarius<\/em>) as John Billington, an antagonistic patriarch of a family known for troublemaking.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1448281731584_3839\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1448281731584_3842\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1448281731584_3841\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1448281731584_3840\">The Pilgrims were far from the first settlers in the area, and conflicts and shifting alliances between the region\u2019s Native American tribes \u2014 both with the settlers and among each other \u2014 played a vital role in the survival of the colony. <b>Raoul Trujillo<\/b> (<em>Apocalypto)<\/em> plays Massasoit, the sachem \u2014 or leader \u2014 of the Pokanoket tribe, whose population has been decimated by disease, leaving him uncertain of how to deal with the arrival of the new settlers. Joining him are <b>Tatanka Means<\/b> (<em>Banshee<\/em>) as Hobbamock, one of Massasoit\u2019s men and a \u201cpniese\u201d \u2014 an elite warrior thought to be unkillable in battle \u2014 and <b>Kalani Queypo <\/b>(<em>The New World<\/em>) as Squanto, a former captive and slave of English explorers, who has crossed the Atlantic four times and acts as a translator and negotiator between Massasoit and the governors of the Plymouth Colony. Also playing key roles are <b>Bianca Mannie<\/b> and <b>Nahum Hughes<\/b> as Kaya and Wematin, the wife and son of Hobbamock; <b>Michael Greyeyes<\/b> (<em>Klondike<\/em>) as Canonicus of the Narragansett; <b>Del Zamora<\/b> (<em>Longmire<\/em>) as Aspinet of the Nauset; and <b>Tamer Burjaq<\/b> (<em>Homeland<\/em>) as Wituwamat of the Massachusett.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1448281731584_3843\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1448281731584_3845\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1448281731584_3844\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1448281731584_3919\">The movie also features main title theme music scored by Oscar-, Golden Glo be-, and Grammy award-winning composer <b id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1448281731584_3925\">Hans Zimmer<\/b>. Bleeding Fingers Music \u2014 a partnership between Zimmer and Extreme Music \u2014 scored the film.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1448281731584_3846\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1448281731584_3849\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1448281731584_3848\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1448281731584_3847\">Unfolding over two nights, <b><em>Saints &amp; Strangers<\/em> <\/b>begins at sea, with passengers sick and weary from a seemingly endless voyage. The first night explores hardships faced by the passengers aboard the Mayflower and as they begin to build their settlement at Plymouth. With half of their population dead after the first winter, the settlers are concerned about their vulnerability to attacks by the area Native American tribes, who themselves are divided on how to deal with the English. One leader, Massasoit of the Pokanoket tribe, chooses diplomacy first, putting him at odds with some of his peers. With the aid of an English-speaking emissary, the Pokanoket make peace with the Pilgrims, putting them in a position of great power among the other tribes. \u201cI do not long for home. I am home,\u201d says William Bradford in the movie, perfectly reflecting the will of these first settlers to survive despite seemingly insurmountable odds.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1448281731584_3872\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1448281731584_3852\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1448281731584_3851\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1448281731584_3850\">On the second night, alliances are put to the test when a betrayal by the settlers leads to a broken agreement with the Pokanoket. Finding themselves again exposed, a new threat emerges for the Pilgrims as rumors spread that the natives are planning to attack the English. But after the Pilgrims help nurse an ailing Massasoit back to health, he warns them of the danger. The Pilgrims preemptively strike first and are victorious, and the Plymouth Colony\u2019s renewed alliance with the Pokanoket would go on to last for more than 50<b> <\/b>years.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1448281731584_3864\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1448281731584_3855\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1448281731584_3854\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1448281731584_3853\">A true story of survival, sacrifice, alliances and betrayals, <em><b>Saints &amp; Strangers <\/b>s<\/em>hines a light on the desperate and often reckless decisions that went into the founding of one of the first American settlements and the reverberations of those decisions, which would last for centuries to come.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_1_1448281731584_3856\"><\/div>\n<div><em>Encourage one another and build each other up \u2013 <\/em><strong>1 Thessalonians 5:11<\/strong><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here\u2019s today\u2019s dispatch from the crossroads of faith, media and culture. National Geographic Channel\u2019s two-night movie event Saints &amp; Strangers concludes tonight (11\/23 @ 9:00 PM ET). Saints &amp; Strangers is produced by Sony Pictures Television with Little Engine Productions. From the film&#8217;s press release: Of those who made the journey on the Mayflower, there&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":225,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,1085,15,24,31],"tags":[35,8870,8880,8872,8866,8883,8874,8873,8875,6419,8878,8876,8882,8879,8867,4683,8877,8868,8869,7721,8881,8871],"class_list":["post-6876","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-christianity","category-forgiveness","category-history","category-movies","category-television","tag-1-thessalonians-511","tag-anna-camp-pitch-perfect","tag-bianca-mannie","tag-bleeding-fingers-music","tag-brian-f-obyrne-aquarius","tag-del-zamora-longmire","tag-e-xecutive-producer-gina-matthews","tag-executive-producer-grant-scharbo","tag-first-thanksgiving","tag-hans-zimmer","tag-kalani-queypo-the-new-world","tag-little-engine-productions","tag-michael-greyeyes-klondike","tag-nahum-hughes","tag-natascha-mcelhone-californication","tag-national-geographic-channel","tag-ngcs-saints-and-strangers","tag-ray-stevenson-black-sails","tag-ron-livingston-band-of-brothers","tag-sony-pictures-television","tag-tamer-burjaq-homeland","tag-vincent-kartheiser-mad-men"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>NGC&#039;S &quot;SAINTS AND STRANGERS&quot; TELLS GRITTY TRUE STORY OF FIRST THANKSGIVING<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/2015\/11\/ngcs-saints-and-strangers-tells-gritty-true-story-of-first-thanksgiving.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"NGC&#039;S &quot;SAINTS AND STRANGERS&quot; TELLS GRITTY TRUE STORY OF FIRST THANKSGIVING\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Here\u2019s today\u2019s dispatch from the crossroads of faith, media and culture. National Geographic Channel\u2019s two-night movie event Saints &amp; Strangers concludes tonight (11\/23 @ 9:00 PM ET). Saints &amp; Strangers is produced by Sony Pictures Television with Little Engine Productions. From the film&#8217;s press release: Of those who made the journey on the Mayflower, there&hellip;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/2015\/11\/ngcs-saints-and-strangers-tells-gritty-true-story-of-first-thanksgiving.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Faith, Media &amp; Culture\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-11-23T14:25:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"John W. 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From the film&#8217;s press release: Of those who made the journey on the Mayflower, there&hellip;","og_url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/2015\/11\/ngcs-saints-and-strangers-tells-gritty-true-story-of-first-thanksgiving.html","og_site_name":"Faith, Media &amp; Culture","article_published_time":"2015-11-23T14:25:39+00:00","author":"John W. Kennedy","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/2015\/11\/ngcs-saints-and-strangers-tells-gritty-true-story-of-first-thanksgiving.html","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/2015\/11\/ngcs-saints-and-strangers-tells-gritty-true-story-of-first-thanksgiving.html","name":"NGC'S \"SAINTS AND STRANGERS\" TELLS GRITTY TRUE STORY OF FIRST THANKSGIVING","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/#website"},"datePublished":"2015-11-23T14:25:39+00:00","dateModified":"2015-11-23T14:25:39+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/#\/schema\/person\/e5d5ef9caeb6b01bcbf08ca6de6591c2"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/2015\/11\/ngcs-saints-and-strangers-tells-gritty-true-story-of-first-thanksgiving.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/2015\/11\/ngcs-saints-and-strangers-tells-gritty-true-story-of-first-thanksgiving.html"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/2015\/11\/ngcs-saints-and-strangers-tells-gritty-true-story-of-first-thanksgiving.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"NGC&#8217;S &#8220;SAINTS AND STRANGERS&#8221; TELLS GRITTY TRUE STORY OF FIRST THANKSGIVING"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/","name":"Faith, Media &amp; Culture","description":"Beliefnet Voices - John W. Kennedy","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/#\/schema\/person\/e5d5ef9caeb6b01bcbf08ca6de6591c2","name":"John W. Kennedy","description":"John W. Kennedy is the founder and Dir. of Development of The Creative Universe Entertainment\u2122, a media consultation and development company focusing on the creation, development and support of high-quality mainstream entertainment that upholds positive timeless values, including trust in God. Current projects include \"Bryant Park\" (an uplifting romantic-comedy) and \"Photo Finish\" (an award-winning sci-fi TV pilot). He has written over 100 children's novels based on episodes of the Cartoon Network series \"Ben 10\", \"Ben 10: Alien Force\", \"Ben 10: Ultimate Alien\", \"Ben 10: Omniverse\" and \"Generator Rex\" among others. He also writes Beliefnet\u2019s \"Faith, Media &amp; Culture\" blog. Previously, he has produced successful news and talk programming for CNN, Fox News, Pax TV and SiriusXM. Specialties: Script Writing, Movie\/TV Novelizations &amp; Adaptations, TV Content Creation and Development, Creative Consultation, Producing and Booking News and Talk shows. He can be reached for writing, producing and consulting services at 516-640-1182.","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/author\/jkennedy"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6876","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/225"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6876"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6876\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6877,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6876\/revisions\/6877"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6876"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6876"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6876"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}