Heart Of The Beholder
Directed by Ken Tipton

Based on the true story of a family who stood up to a group of religious extremists over the banning of Martin Scorsese’s; The Last Temptation of Christ!

“An Excellent Thriller”-Film Threat

“Heart Of The Beholder Is To Religious Extremists What Death Wish Was To Mugger”-Film Threat

Mike and Diane Howard were a typical young couple with dreams of
raising a family and starting a business of their own. They opened the
first videocassette rental store in St. Louis in 1981. With hard work,
their company grew into a multi-million dollar chain of video stores.
It was then that the Howards were visited with increasing frequency
by a group calling themselves “The Citizens For Decency”, who
insisted they remove movies from their stores that they felt were
“obscene”, films such as Taxi Driver, Agnes of God and Blazing
Saddles. When Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ
was released on video, the Howards’ were the only video stores in
St. Louis unafraid to offer the film for rent. The CFD declared war and
the Howards received death threats against their daughter. A corrupt
prosecuting attorney was in the pocket of the CFD by fear of being
exposed for sexual indiscretions. Alleging they had ties to organized
crime, the Howards were shunned as social outcasts. Ultimately, they
won their case in court, but the negative publicity and legal fees bank-
rupted their business and destroyed their family. Shortly thereafter, a
chance encounter with a woman reveals the truth about the CFD and
the attorney and the Howards get their ultimate payback.

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