Travolta battles off the critics

Battlefield Earth John Travolta. US.

by James Burleigh

Conspiracy theorists in the United States are having a field day over claims that the latest blockbuster starring Scientology devotee John Travolta carries subliminal messages designed to lure viewers into the cult.

[picture of Travolta as Terl with caption, "John Travolta, in dire need of a manicure and a shave, as 'big-leggy' leader of the alien Psychlos"]

Travolta, 46, plays the leader of 9ft-tall aliens the Psychlos in the film Battlefield Earth, adapted from the 1982 novel by the founder of The Church of Scientology, L Ron Hubbard.

Several anti-cult websites such as Cultwatch and Factnet claim the film was secretly financed by Scientologists and attempts to recruit people into the church.

However, Lora Drazen, a spokeswoman for production company Franchise Pictures, said no money made from the film would go to the cult.

"We have licensed the book as one would license any property, but there is no financial connection with the church," she said.

Travolta is said to be taking a fraction of his usual £12 million fee and is also co-producing the £50 million film set for release in Britain this summer.

Travolta, who joined the cult in 1975, said: "I'm doing it because it's a great piece of science fiction. This is not about Hubbard. I'm very interested in Scientology but that's personal. This is different." The actor was recently at his wife Kelly Preston's side when she gave birth to their second child. Following the sect's dictates, the birth was conducted without painkillers and in total silence.

Scientology, founded in 1954, has met with controversy in recent years after being seen to court wealthy celebrities. Other famous names with alleged links to the church include Tom Cruise and his wife Nicole Kidman, Sharon Stone and Ricky Martin.

The sect, however, declares itself to be a non-denominational religious organisation that helps practitioners reach a state of mental and spiritual clarity.