At the end of July, The Washington Times
published a story about a group of Hollywood conservatives and
centrists who had organized themselves into a sort of "secret society"
known as The Friends of Abe. According to The Times, The Friends of Abe are "a loose-knit network of entertainers who share common beliefs like supporting U.S. troops and traditional American values."
The article noted that the group
"functioned like a support group, organizing informal gatherings where
actors, producers, screenwriters, key grips and other industry types
can share common values or discuss concerns like anti-Americanism in
Hollywood movies or the perception of industry bias . . ."
A recent meeting of the group at an
estate of a California billionaire reportedly drew upwards of 600
people. Members of the group are ferociously secretive for fear that
their association with conservative and/or pro-American causes would
affect their prospects of being hired for work in liberal Hollywood.
This is intriguing. It is well
known that Hollywood tilts far to the left. But there is no reason
conservatives should accept the status quo. Unlike universities, there
is no tenure system that necessarily insulates Hollywood from the
fluctuations of the free market. Moreover, the universities controlled
by liberal academics also happen to be the most reputable institutions
of higher education in the world. While major studios have name cache,
I don't think that they are entrenched on the top in the same way
Harvard and Yale are in academia.
If films with conservative themes
are not getting made because of political bias, it is time wealthy conservative and centrist investors team up with members of the Friends of Abe to make
marketable movies. The fact of the matter is that there is a gaping
hole in the market.
Over the last several years there
have been numerous anti-war films produced, nearly all of which have
been box office bombs. Even Lions for Lambs, which featured big
name stars like Tom Cruise and Robert Redford, was a miserable failure.
The only anti-war flick to perform well was Michael Moore's faux
"documentary" Fahrenheit 9/11.
There is little question that a
well-written movie about America's war against Islamic terrorism, which
illustrates the heroism of our troops and the greatness of American
values, would be huge hit at the box office. The American public would
eat it up. So if liberal Hollywood refuses to make such a film, it is
time for conservative Hollywood to seize the opportunity.
The Weekly Standard's Stephen F. Hayes has an article in the latest edition of the magazine about a new film, An American Carol,
by influential Hollywood Producer David Zucker that lampoons the left's
foreign policy positions. Zucker, who previously produced such iconic
films as Airplane! and Naked Gun, is a new convert to the conservative cause.
Because of his high standing in
Hollywood, he was able to get this right-of-center satire made. The
cast includes some of the most well-known conservatives in the
industry, including Kelsey Grammer, Dennis Hopper, and Jon Voight.
If Hayes's piece is any indication,
the film has the potential to be very funny, but just as much potential
to be a total dud. I hope that it is the former and kills at the box
office, but this slapstick-style political satire is not the type of
movie on which conservatives should be banking their success.
A new game plan is in order. It is
time to create a conservative production company or at least a
production company open to conservative themes. Such a production
company could make great epics that Hollywood has so far failed to
make.
First, conservative investors
should fund the production of a pro-American, pro-troops War on Terror
flick. There are plenty of great angles from which such a movie could
be made. Many books have been written about harrowing tales of American
heroism in Iraq and Afghanistan by the U.S military. A great screenplay
could be adapted from one of these books or from any number of stories
that surely exist.
The other glaring hole in the cinematic glossary is a Schindler's List
of Communism. We have great epic movies detailing the horrors of
Hitler's Holocaust, as we should. But we do not have, to the best of my
knowledge, a classic film about the horrors of communism. There are
enumerable angles a film of this type could take. Done right, such a
film could break the bank.
It's time for wealthy conservative
investors to help remake Hollywood. This is not charity. There is every
reason to believe that such films could be blockbusters in the same way
The Passion of the Christ was. By making these films, and making
money from them, there is the potential to shake up Hollywood by
creating a new conservative power center.
Much in the same way that Fox News
shook up TV news, a new conservative production company could change
Tinsel Town for the better.