Following the success of "The Shawshank Redemption" and "The Green Mile" Frank Darabont takes us back to old Hollywood, a time when movie magic was created under the dark cloud of government investigations. During this confusing time, unreasonable fears of new and sometimes unseen enemies at home dogged the dream factories of the Hollywood studios. Those fears gave rise to a search for unwanted political activity and eventually to a community of blacklisted artists deemed unfit to work in the industry where it was believed powerful images could sway the minds of the moviegoers. Whispers became accusations, the accused became victims and the victims themselves were sometimes forced to betray their friends and co-workers.

The blacklist and that era have long fascinated screenwriter Michael Sloane. "The perception now is that those individuals brought before the committee who did not name names were the heroes of that era," Sloane says. "And those that did name names were the villains. At the time, it was just the opposite."

Sloane's script developed into a story about a small town movie theater and the effects of the Hollywood blacklist. After finishing the script for "The Majestic," Sloane dropped it off one night on the porch of his long-time friend and colleague, Frank Darabont.

"Michael and I have known each other for many years, and we swap reads," the filmmaker says. "In other words, it's important to have trusted critics, people who will read your work and give you honest feedback. Michael's been a trusted critic of mine for years, and I his. So, he handed me this script. And, my reaction was, 'Gosh, I'd really like to make this movie.' I really loved the story that much."

Sloane believes his story looks at a dark period for artists' freedom. "We've only begun to scratch the surface of how close to fascism we came during that time. This was nothing short of the criminalisation of thought. If I had been working then, I don't know if I would have had the depth of courage to have stood up against the government. It was my fear of not knowing what I would have done that fuelled the writing of the film."

Sloane also thinks his story deals with the power of the cinema and says, "On many levels this film encapsulates, in a very simple way, a very strong belief of mine - how remarkably special this art form is."

Concurring with Sloane, director Darabont adds, "The love of films creeps into all of my work. In 'Shawshank,' there was the Rita Hayworth film, 'Gilda,' playing in the prison. In 'The Green Mile,' the motive for the old Tom Hanks character telling his story was seeing 'Top Hat' on television, which triggers his memory. There's always that love of film that creeps into it, none more so than this film, where we've got a few really good ones that we're saluting."

Darabont continues, "I always avoid the, 'what am I trying to say with this film' thing. It's art, you figure it out. You take what you will from it. However, being an immigrant and a naturalised citizen, Michael's story is something I believe in strongly. It deals with basic principles and ideals that are constantly being corrupted by people in power."

Jim Carrey describes the story for "The Majestic" as having "a lot of complexities to it. It's a story about what it takes to be a man. What it takes to stand up to be your authentic self in the world and how many people can be affected by one person making the right choice."

Carrey then adds, "I believe that the characters of Peter and Luke are different facets of one character, and how, by trying to protect ourselves, we become something we're not. What a weight off of our shoulders it would be to start over from scratch, to be a new, unaffected person."

Darabont chose Carrey for the role because "he has that easygoing integrity, that homespun honesty that Jimmy Stewart had, and he really vibed with the sensibilities of the script."

Carrey appreciated Darabont's "purity and vision. Frank was incredibly supportive and was a very positive influence. He's a person who really cares about the movie, the writing and the performances."