Movies have the power to make us laugh or cry, to anger or inspire us, to move us, or just to provide escape. And, sometimes, they have a power beyond simple entertainment; they can influence new ways of thinking, feeling and pursuing our lives.
Movies are also one of the primary arenas in which the so-called “culture war” is fought, where the battle for the hearts and minds of the public, and the conflict between values considered traditional or conservative, and those considered progressive or liberal is played out–reaching people in a profound, instinctive way. Conservatives, while finding success at the ballot box, in talk radio, the blogosphere, and in cable news, have been less successful at the box office, and therefore, are playing catch-up in the culture war.
It is with this in mind that we have launched Crusader Pictures. Crusade means the vigorous advancement of a cause, and the cause at the heart of Crusader Pictures is to produce entertainment which stands up for individual liberty in a manner that will appeal to a wide audience.
It’s been 13 years since my producing partner Becky Best and I met over lunch at The Wednesday Morning Club in Los Angeles, a forum for right-thinking entertainment executives that was meant, in the words of David Horowitz, “to give conservatives an opportunity to share ideas, push their agenda, swap political tales and lament their endangered-species status in Hollywood.”
Attending the luncheons felt like a subversive act, and while the ranks of Hollywood Conservatives (or those who didn’t completely march in lockstep with liberal orthodoxy) may have been relatively small then, still, the message one took away was “I am not alone.” It also stirred one to ask, “How can I help break the liberal grip on Hollywood content?”
It was at this time that we came across a series of tongue-in-cheek articles on political correctness by author Judith Weizner that originally appeared in Heterodoxy Magazine, a journal published by The David Horowitz Freedom Center. While we recognized the articles had great potential to be translated into film, we knew the time wasn’t right.
Fast-forward to 2010, and the political and media landscape is vastly different. The Conservative blogosphere flourishes; the Tea Party movement is gaining power, women are emerging as a dominant and vital force in Conservative politics, and Conservatives are making inroads in the late-night comedy-news arena, a la Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld, which, in the words of Andrew Breitbart, “has solidified itself as television’s most reliably absurdist, unpredictable and laugh-provoking news hour.”
Observing the political landscape, we knew the perfect storm had been created for box office success for a comedy about the excesses of political correctness. So Crusader has slated as its first film project, An Incorrect Man, an original satire by screenwriter Baxter Taylor, inspired by Judith Weizner’s articles.
An Incorrect Man uses humor to give people a vision of life in a world overrun by political correctness–one man’s journey through an Orwellian nightmare in which he can’t say or do anything without offending someone.
When we first came across Judith’s visionary articles, we appreciated the satirical take on political correctness, but now observe with chagrin that they are becoming more fact than fiction, as evidenced by a recent news item in which health inspectors for Multnomah County, Oregon shut down 7-year-old Julie Murphy’s lemonade stand for selling lemonade without a business license (later the county’s top elected official, county Chairman Jeff Cogen, “apologized for the sour treatment Julie got.”)
When a 7-year-old can’t engage in the iconic tradition of setting up a corner lemonade stand, it’s time to restore sanity and common sense values back into our culture.
It is this reality that motivates us. So with a passion for film, coupled with a desire to make a difference, we stake a claim in the culture war of ideas. We choose to produce entertainment that will be a positive force in our culture, presenting compelling messages about family, patriotism and tradition.
An Incorrect Man is being financed entirely through private citizens who share our ideals. Production is scheduled to begin in April 2011 with an October 2011 release, strategically timed to kick off the 2012 election.
Find out more about Crusader Pictures, including Judith Weizner’s articles and the progress of An Incorrect Man, at CrusaderPictures.com,and on Twitter and Facebook
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