The Grandfathers DVD

The Grandfathers, a motion-graphics film about a young man’s struggle with his complicated heritage, 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.



Steve Saint consulted with Hanon and Green 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 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. Hanon 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.” This inspirational film has been awarded The Dove Foundation seal of approval.

My review:
This DVD is a narrated documentary, totally different from End of the Spear, but still interesting in its own way. It is narrated mainly by Steve Saint and his son Jesse, son and grandson of Nate Saint.

I don't usually get into this kind of DVD, but I did enjoy it. They tell of how they went and lived among the very people who killed their father/grandfather. Jesse even calls the men grandfather who were the very same men who killed his own grandfather.

There is a lot of footage from when the Steve Saint family was living among the natives, which adds a lot to the DVD.

If you're wanting a movie experience, watch End of the Spear, but if you are wanting to know more about the natives who killed the missionaries, and how the Saint family lived among them, then watch this DVD. It is very imformative, educating, and shows how God can change the worst.

Watch the trailer here: http://thegrandfathers.com/

Thanks to B&B Media for the review copy.