The Profit
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Profit | |
|---|---|
 The Profit movie poster |
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| Directed by | Peter N. Alexander |
| Produced by | Bob Minton Patricia Greenway |
| Written by | Peter N. Alexander |
| Starring | Eric Rath Christine Eads Jeff Hughes |
| Music by | Yuri Gorbachow |
| Cinematography | Mark Woods |
| Editing by | Cole Russing |
| Distributed by | Human Rights Cinema Society |
| Release date(s) | made in 2001, release blocked by court order, 2002 |
| Running time | 128 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | USD$2,000,000[1] |
| Official website | |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
This article forms part of a series on Scientology |
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Concepts
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The Profit is a feature film written and directed by Peter N. Alexander in 2001. Little seen, it is notable primarily because worldwide distribution of the film is prohibited by an American court order, the result of a lawsuit by the Church of Scientology.
The Profit is one of only two films currently banned in the United States. The other film is Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story, for copyright infringement.
The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in France, in 2001[2].
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[edit] Taglines
| “ | If you want to make some real money... you gotta start your own religion." | ” |
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—Movie poster.[3] |
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| “ | A dark journey into an evil mind where the only good is... The Profit. | ” |
| “ | They are very near... They are very Powerful... They will steal your soul | ” |
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—Movie poster.[5] |
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[edit] Plot
The film's promotional website describes it as "a work of fiction that attempts to explain how a con man can use mind control to effectively form/lead a group of deluded adherents."[6] The film's director stated that the script was based upon a fictional character he had created, however with "many parallels to reality."[1]
Eric Rath plays a cult leader named L. Conrad Powers (taken by some observers to be a parody of L. Ron Hubbard), whose organization is called the "Church of Scientific Spiritualism." The film often takes the form of parody. One of the church followers in the film creates a device that can read thoughts, called a "Mind Meter."[1] Scientology utilizes a similar looking deviced called an e-meter, which they claim can analyze what they believe is called the reactive mind.
While Alexander was a member of the Church of Scientology for about twenty years, the filmmakers assert that "Any correlation between this story and Scientology is purely coincidental." [6]
[edit] Production
Filming took place over the course of eight-weeks during the summer of 2000, with locations near Fort De Soto Park, Ybor City and Tampa Bay, Florida[2][1]. Cameo appearances by Scientology critics include Bob Minton, Stacy Brooks, Jesse Prince and Ken Dandar[1].
According to the director, the film's cast and crew faced harassment from Scientologists throughout production. Representatives from the Foundation for Religious Tolerance of Florida came to the shooting sites of the film, and handed out fliers which demeaned the film's financial backers. They also followed crew members home, in order to "press them for information about the content of the film."[1]
The founder of the Foundation for Religious Tolerance of Florida, Scientologist Mary DeMoss of Clearwater, Florida, characterized the movie as a "hate propaganda film," denied that anyone from her foundation followed crewmembers home, and stated that the fliers were passed out in order to let crewmembers know "who was behind this."[1]
[edit] Scientology takes legal action
Notwithstanding the fictional elements of the film, the Church of Scientology took legal action against the film makers after a handful of test screenings in Florida. The Church claimed that the film was intended to influence the jury pool in the wrongful death case of a Scientologist, Lisa McPherson, who died while in the care of the Church of Scientology in Clearwater, Florida.
Prior to the legal actions taken by the Church of Scientology, spokesman Ben Shaw agreed with the film's director that "the movie is fiction and has nothing to do with Scientology."[1]
In response to the lawsuit, Pinellas County, Florida, Judge Robert Beach issued a court order in April 2002 banning The Profit from worldwide distribution for an indefinite period. As of 2006, the ban still stands; the film has yet to be released to the public.
The producers of the film had a court hearing on March 5, 2007 to ask that the injunction on the film's distribution be lifted[7]. However as of February 28, 2007 that hearing was pushed back to March 27, 2007[8], due to a resolution of legal matters between Bob Minton and the Church of Scientology - and subsequent attempt by Minton to block the film's distribution.
[edit] Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Eric Rath | L. Conrad Powers |
| Jerry Ascione | Shill |
| Christine Eads | Helen |
| Jeff Hughes | Zach Carson |
| Ryan Paul James | Smart Alec |
| Sandy Nelson | Wife |
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Man's film a veiled look at Scientology, St. Petersburg Times, Robert Farley, Tampa Bay, Florida, August 2, 2001.
- ^ a b "Alexander explains inspiration for controversial cult movie 'Profit' ", University Wire - The Oracle, Danielle Sipple, Tampa, Florida, September 4, 2001.
- ^ Movie poster., The Cranky Critic, retrieved 3/06/07.
- ^ Internet Movie Database, The Profit (2001), Tagline, retrieved 2/23/07.
- ^ Movie poster., Official website, retrieved 3/06/07.
- ^ a b Official Website, Frequently Asked Questions section.
- ^ Dear PROFIT fans,, Producers, The Profit, Official Web site., retrieved 2/23/07.
We are thankful to all of you who have emailed us and expressed your interest and concern. As each year has passed, many of you have contacted us in hopes of finding out that the release/distribution status of our film had changed. Now, finally, we have a court hearing on March 5, 2007 to ask that the injunction be lifted. We are optimistic that justice will be done and we will finally be able to give our film the roll-out it deserves. - ^ Latest News on the Legal Front, Delay, post from film's producers, and attorney Luke Lirot, February 28, 2007, The Profit, retrieved 3/1/2007.
Hello PROFIT Fans, We have just been notified by our attorney, Luke Lirot, that the much anticipated hearing to lift the Injunction against the film on March 5th has been RESCHEDULED to March 27th.
[edit] External links
- Official sites
- Press/Media
- Film on cult flirts with reality, St. Petersburg Times, Tampa Bay, Florida, August 2, 2001.
- Scientology critic sues over movie, St. Petersburg Times, 2002-11-09, William R. Levesque
- Scientologists Attack "The Profit", televised documentation of dead agenting during the film's production.
- Media Coverage, from the film's website, coverage on ABC News, France 3, WMNF.
- Other
- The Profit, Moviefone
- The Profit: The Movie Scientology Won't Let You See, Dave Touretzky, Ph.D.
- Review
[edit] See Also
- List of Scientology references in popular culture
- The Bridge (film)
- The Friend of Mankind
- Trapped in the Closet (South Park)
- Banned films
