On July 21, the independent dramatic thriller “Magnum Opus” began principal photography in Los Angeles. Thought-provoking, voyeuristic and—by turns—explosive, the film’s plot explores highly charged political and national security issues, centering on the struggle between liberty and patriotism. Allusions to Edward Snowden and the suggestion of WikiLeaks-style activism give a realistic, “ripped-from-the-headlines” credence to the premise.
About “Magnum Opus”
Gradually uncovering the secrets concealed by Daniel Cliff, a principled Desert Storm vet turned reclusive artist, the script delves into multiple crises of conscience. Cliff’s artistic inspiration, Dante’s “Inferno,” reveals itself in a series of nine charged paintings. These artworks—some of them shocking—link the story thematically to the nine circles of Hell, but also give expression to the artist’s perspective on the people and situations around him.
Set primarily in Daniel Cliff’s loft—with flashbacks to Desert Storm—the action seethes with a sense of urgency. Gradually, the story conveys the unexpected interconnectedness of the main characters. In addition to the outwardly difficult Cliff and his gallerist, Sean Dabashi, the principal characters in “Magnum Opus” include: the inquisitive and aggressive female gallery curator, Monica Davenport; Private Sattler, a sadistic Desert Storm soldier whose actions cement Cliff’s commitment to expressing truth through art; and Robert Cochran, the former commanding officer whose conscience is divided between doing what is right and what is right. It’s this ambivalence cloaking contemporary issues of national intelligence, freedom and privacy that provides the thrust to the script’s narrative power.
About the Cast and Crew
“Magnum Opus” marks the debut of director Kevin Elliott and screenwriter Scott Stoddard and will be filmed by award-winning cinematographer Bobby Lam (“Best Cinematography – Narrative Feature” for “A Leading Man” at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival). Newcomer Amanda Upson and TV and film production veteran Marc Newland serve as producers. It stars Louise Griffiths as Monica Davenport (“Unknown Caller,” “The Revenant,” “Chastity Bites”), Adam J. Harrington as Daniel Cliff (“TURN: Washington’s Spies,” “CSI”), Clark Johnson as Robert Cochran (“The Wire,” “Alpha House”), Pej Vahdat as Sean Dabashi (“A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night,” “Bones,” “Flight 93: The Flight That Fought Back”). Norm Lewis will appear as Charlie Lutwidge (“Scandal,” 2012 Tony Award-nominated actor for his lead role in “Porgy and Bess”) and Dustin Ingram as Private Sattler (Martin Scorsese’s HBO series “Rock and Roll,” “Paranormal Activity 3”). In addition, the film features the signature “Oilgraph” paintings by artist Kevin Rolly and a score by composer Erik Aho, 2013 recipient of the ASCAP Foundation’s David Rose Award, whose film and TV credits include original music for “The Amazing Race” (ABC) and “The Bachelor” (CBS).