Hollywood Under Siege

In the late 1980s, the major conservative Christian groups suffered a series of public setbacks. InHollywood Under Siege: Martin Scorsese, the Religious Right, and the Culture Wars,Thomas R. Lindlof asserts that the Christian right realigned itself and tried to solidify its self-appointed role as moral regulator of the entertainment industry in response to Martin Scorsese'sThe Last Temptation of Christ. The film, which was banned from release at some theaters and publicly protested at many others, became a tipping point for the American culture wars. At stake was the freedom of artistic expression from government and religious intervention. The Last Temptation of Christdid not simply alienate audiences of the Christian right but incited them. Lindlof chronicles the many setbacks the filmmakers experienced, from production problems to the uproar following the film's release and the launch of a crisis control plan at the studio. Lindlof conducted interviews with major players behind the movieincluding Martin Scorsese, Paul Schrader, Willem Dafoe, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and Michael Ovitzand explores the film's effect on the American cultural and political landscape. Combined film study, studio history, and cultural analysis,Hollywood Under Siegeclosely examines the film that jeopardized and reenergized Martin Scorsese's career and served as flash point for the ongoing ideological conflicts between Hollywood and the religious right.

Thomas R. Lindlof is professor in the School of Journalism and Telecommunications at the University of Kentucky.