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BlogHere are the thoughts and news of the people in our community. Leave a comment as you wish. If you want to join the blogging ask Mark.
Monday, January 12, 2004From www.relevantmagazine.com: Mel Gibson has a short cameo in his new film, The Passion of The Christ. Near the end of the movie, Gibson's fist enters the frame clutching an eight-inch iron spike. His hand is only onscreen for a few moments, holding a nail beneath a flashing hammer as it's being driven through Jesus' palm. The momentary appearance is a subtle nuance that flies in the face of months of flaring controversy over the film's portrayal of Jewish leaders as responsible for Jesus' death. Gibson's symbolic cameo spreads the blame more evenly. It's a humble gesture that acknowledges all sinners as responsible parties in the death of Jesus Christ. You see, for more than 10 years, Gibson has been preparing himself to make the most challenging movie of his career. While he acted in films like What Women Want, The Patriot, We Were Soldiers, Signs and others, the Academy Award winning director of Braveheart has had one idea swirling around in his head, waiting for the right moment to coalesce. Now, Mel Gibson's labor of love is complete, and Passion is scheduled to hit theaters nationwide on Feb. 25, 2004. The story is a faithful recounting of the final 12 hours of the life of Jesus Christ, and various flashbacks give the journey its painful context. The controversial film has already stirred up loads of press-positive and negative-as critics cry anti-Semitism, and journalists, reporters and talk show hosts debate the pros and cons of another Jesus film. The film was shot on the dusty Cinecitta Studio backlot in Rome, Italy, where Gibson built a massive set-replica of ancient Jerusalem, complete with Roman architecture, hundreds of extras and recreations of a Praetorium, a Temple and even Pilate's Palace. The enormity of the set astounds, as buildings and houses stretch off into the distance with weathered cobblestone roads winding throughout. Gibson's Icon Productions produced the $25 million film, which was financed mostly by Gibson himself. The movie is a bold and incredibly courageous attempt to create as authentic a portrait of Christ's final hours as is possible. So what makes Gibson's retelling of Christ's life fresh and more authentic when compared to previous films about Jesus? "Other versions often suffer from bad hair or stilted acting," Gibson told RELEVANT. "I want to make the story real and not portray it as a fairytale." SINGLE GRACES In more ways than one, Passion is a movie like no other. The film was financed by the director (who happens to be one of the world's best loved actors), the dialogue is in ancient languages, the distribution model is unconventional, Satan is played by a woman, the story is painstakingly realistic, and-perhaps most unusual-Gibson brought a priest on set every morning, offering Latin Mass, communion and confession for those from the cast and crew who wanted to participate. CONTROVERSIAL CHRIST Yet despite the care Gibson and his crew took to be "squeaky clean," the film still found many critics. In March of 2003, various religious groups struck out at Gibson based on an early version of the script. The Anti-Defamation League, so far the most vocal of Gibson's foes, waged a campaign to change various aspects of the script and, subsequently, the film. The ADL claims that the movie wrongly portrays Jews in a way that is anti-Semitic, and others claim this film will simply inspire bouts of anti-Semitism. Ironically, much of the criticism is coming from people who haven't seen the film yet. Gibson's loudest critic is Abraham Foxman, the national director of the ADL. "We were troubled … that it portrayed the Jews, the Jewish community, in a manner that we have experienced historically," Foxman told CNN. "Seeing passion plays used to incite not only a passion of love in terms of Christianity, but at the same time, to instill and incite a hatred of the Jews because of deicide." Foxman later told The Washington Post, "I would like to see the movie, and if it turns out I was wrong, I'll be the first to say so." The fears of the critics are understandable, but they're not warranted, Lauer said. "When you see a continuing attack, you have to start wondering whether people are being reasonable or whether there's an agenda. I think that some groups exist to fight an enemy, and if they don't have an enemy, they don't have a reason to exist." Lately, some critics have even backtracked on their criticism, including the Jewish Anti-Defamation League and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, both of which have apologized for their previous stances. THE PASSION OF CHRIST If the matter is truly given the scrutiny it warrants, it becomes immediately obvious that the story is anything but offensive. In fact, all the main characters, including Jesus, His mother and the apostles, were Jewish, and as Gibson Himself said, the death of Jesus is not the fault of anyone-it is the fault of everyone. McEveety has a theory about why films about Jesus' life invariably spark controversy. At a recent talk he gave at a conference in downtown Hollywood, McEveety mentioned that the studios haven't wanted to touch the story of Christ for the last few years. "I think Jesus makes people nervous, and when people get nervous, they get afraid," he said. "We never wanted to go studio. We just decided a few months ago, let's distribute this ourselves," he went on. "We told our investors: 'Plan on losing your money-we're shooting it in Aramaic.' It's a gamble, but it could take off. It could be huge." In October, Icon struck a domestic distribution deal with indie distributor New Market Films. The two companies will co-distribute the film domestically. Icon seems to be busy working below the radar, according to Lauer, who declined to comment much further. "Hollywood believed that we couldn't get a distribution deal and that we weren't going to be shown in movie theaters," Lauer said. "But we were busily engaging the top three exhibitors nationwide." Whatever the outcome on Feb. 25, when the movie opens in theaters around the country, the film is a passionate, beautiful and excruciating tribute Jesus. One thing is absolutely certain: Whoever sees this film will walk away from the theater impacted by this story. RELEVANT asked Gibson what he wanted audiences to take away from the film. "I want people to have an experience, to feel and understand the reality of the story." Let us assure you, Gibson has achieved his goal." I am actually REALLY looking forward to this film. Looking at the trailer I am not sure what certificate it will be! Posted by: Mark | 8:15 pm |
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