Gibson transcends electronic medium with a passion

The Australian ^ | March 4, 04 | Frank Devine

[churchillbuff]

Gibson transcends electronic medium with a passion

March 05, 2004 IT'S gratifying to learn that Mel Gibson has got $US146 million ($194 million) back in a week from his $US40 million personal financing of The Passion of the Christ. The opening burst is from North America only. The picture hasn't yet been released in most parts of the world.

One reason for my interest in the money-spinning side of Gibson's risky venture - when others are more high-mindedly concerned with its religious and cultural aspects - is simple mean-spiritedness. It's one in the eye for The New York Times.

After a year of breaking its back and its principles, first to prevent the movie getting a showing, and then to condemn it as encouraging anti-Semitism and being faithless to the scriptural record, the Times published a spiteful little story last week under the headline, "New movie may harm Gibson's career".

It quoted two Hollywood studio chiefs saying, in effect, that Mel would never eat lunch in this town again. They would, themselves, never do business with him.

Hollywood being Hollywood and shareholders being shareholders, it's hard to credit studio heads black-balling a maker of (conceivably) a billion- dollar movie. According to The Los Angeles Times, Gibson avoided the Oscar ceremonies this week, having been invited to attend as a presenter, because he was afraid of being booed.

If this was really the reason for his absence, Mel should probably have taken his chances. Hollywood being Hollywood, a take of $US125 million in the first week would have caused an awful lot of boos to catch in the throat. It may well be in my nature to linger over the coarsely materialistic aspects of Gibson's success against the odds, but there is no question that there are other, far more powerful benefits in Passion's securing a large audience.

Consider that the nine other movies in the present top 10 US box office winners are: 50 First Dates, Twisted (of the serial killer genre), Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, Miracle (about the victory of the 1980 American Olympic ice hockey team over the Russians), Eurotrip (teenage sex comedy), Welcome to Mooseport (political farce), Barbershop 2 and Broken Lizard's Club Dread (yet another slasher horror flick spoof).

Since I have seen none of them, it would be impetuous to dismiss them as gunk, though I don't believe the danger of error is high. However, every one of these pictures - with their plot synopses a pretty reliable guide - is the work of a collective of marketers, money changers, publicists, opinion pollsters and studio chiefs steeped in cynicism.

Gibson's picture, by contrast, is a work of personal inspiration. Its success at the box office may erode the hegemony of the depraved collective, especially as it provides far less leeway for rip-off imitation than other successful movies of originality and individuality.

Then there is the matter of accusations against The Passion of fostering anti-Semitism. Writing with transparent honesty (unlike some of his colleagues) in The New York Times, William Safire asserts that Gibson searches in the movie for someone to blame for Jesus's tortures, and settles on the Jews.

I am entirely unable to share this perception. The high priest Caiphas is depicted as villainous, a cruel, power-seeking political schemer.

But a considerable number of dissenters in the Jewish leadership are shown being brutally silenced by Caiphas's claque.

As others have pointed out, all the good people in the picture are Jews. In a telling scene, a Roman soldier uses "Jew!" as an insult against the noble Simon of Cyrene, who helps Jesus carry his cross and tries to protect him from the clubs and whips of the soldiers.

A large audience, I think, ensures a greater plurality against the evil foolishness of attributing Caiphas's wickedness to others. Finally, I need to turn to the personal to make the most important point about Gibson's movie.

It's always been my feeling that religious belief belongs to one's inner life, nurtured and strengthened during a lifetime of experience, observation and contemplation. Externalities just provide the scaffolding. On the other hand, religion has inspired all forms of art through all the generations, and religious art stirs the emotions.

Sometimes it brings tears, not for Jesus, because his suffering and death are awesome, but for the frail human beings in his company. For poor Judas. For Peter, bravely following Jesus to his place of trial, and then devoting the rest of his life to expiating his failure of nerve under direct threat. For the women who followed Jesus to Calvary.

Until now, the new mediums - moving pictures with sound, electronically transmitted - have for the most part resisted depiction of transcendent concepts.

Gibson may have drawn the first sketchy explorer's map. The Passion of the Christ is a true work of art, and enters the inner life.

[ChadGore]

Good post. Thanks !

[kstewskis]

Nice review. But my favorite part is this:

One reason for my interest in the money-spinning side of Gibson's risky venture - when others are more high-mindedly concerned with its religious and cultural aspects - is simple mean-spiritedness. It's one in the eye for The New York Times.

giggle!

[Just mythoughts]

Great find in the mass of babel printed to trash of all things a movie.

What is really going on is they are against Christ but don't have the backbone to say it.

[feedback doctor]

Cirrect ne if I'm wrong, but isn't the saying from the Cross - "Father forgive them, thay know not what they do" in the movie. Father Greedy, oops Greely, said on PMSNBC that it was not.

On another note here are the words to a 1970's song that one might think on to put things in perspective BEFORE seeing the movie. This was a song done by singer/songwriter, David Meece

We Are The Reason

As little children we would dream of Christmas morn
And all the gifts and toys we knew we'd find
But we never realized a baby born one blessed night
Gave us the greatest gift of our lives

And we were the reason that He gave His life
We were the reason that He suffered and died
To a world that was lost He gave all He could give
To show us the reason to live

As the years went by we learned more about gifts
And giving of ourselves and what that means
On a dark and cloudy day a man hung crying in the rain
Because of love, because of love

And we are the reason that He gave His life
We are the reason that He suffered and died
To a world that was lost He gave all He could give
To show us the reason to live

I finally found the reason for living
It's in giving every part of my heart to Him
In all that I do every word that I say
I'll be giving my all just for Him
For Him

And we are the reason that He gave His life
We are the reason that He suffered and died
To a world that was lost He gave all He could give
To show us the reason to live

He is my reason to live

[DentsRun]

After a year of breaking its back and its principles, first to prevent the movie getting a showing, and then to condemn it as encouraging anti-Semitism and being faithless to the scriptural record, the Times published a spiteful little story last week under the headline, "New movie may harm Gibson's career".

Boy, that's true. They didn't want this movie made so bad Times staffers were snarling at their monitors as they tapped out the latest hate piece. When Frank Rich wrote that vicious column about Gibson last year I'll bet he got dozens of congratulatory e-mails from fellow Timesmen. Even now they're probably sitting around in story conferences trying to figure out a new deprecatory angle, such as finding some university ethicist somewhere to say, "Given all the pain that Gibson has caused, he has a moral obligation to use the movie's profits to promote mutual tolerance."

[Eala]

SUPERB! I have been waiting for someone to say this (yeah, why didn't I write it myself?):

William Safire asserts that Gibson searches in the movie for someone to blame for Jesus's tortures, and settles on the Jews.

I am entirely unable to share this perception. The high priest Caiphas is depicted as villainous, a cruel, power-seeking political schemer.

But a considerable number of dissenters in the Jewish leadership [essentially defending Jesus] are shown being brutally silenced by Caiphas's claque.

As others have pointed out, all the good people in the picture are Jews. In a telling scene, a Roman soldier uses "Jew!" as an insult against the noble Simon of Cyrene, who helps Jesus carry his cross and tries to protect him from the clubs and whips of the soldiers.

I like this Aussie reviewer!

[Shanty Shaker]

Maybe when profits from movies that depict casual sex are used to promote abstinance?

[WVNan]

Yes, that line was in the movie. Actually, as they were nailing him to the cross, Jesus started to say it, "Forgive them........" and then later shortly before he died he said the whole line.

[McGavin999]

The really successful movies lately have been produced OUTSIDE of Hollywood. My Big Fat Greek Wedding, the Lord of the Rings triology, and now The Passion of the Christ.

Hollywood is old and worn out. There are no new ideas coming out of there, merely the reach for deeper depravity. They can only try to shock more because they've used up every other available avenue. Empty people can only produce empty movies.

[feedback doctor]

My Big Fat Greek Wedding,

Yeah, when is someone who has received acclaim such as Tom (my wife produced Greek Wedding) Hanks, going to come out and defend Mel. Please I'd like to see a list of all the so-called stars and "important people" in Hollywood who have defended Mel, or even his right to make a movie that he wants to.

1) Jay Leno (a pleasant surprise)

They all know now the movie is not anti-Semitic. Is supporting people who kill innocent children because they are Jews, anti-Semitic. Hollywood says no, but we all know it is. I bet the list of Hollywood movers who support this type of anti-Semitism (the type where people die!) is really long.

1) Jason Alex(I'm ashamed of my real Semitic name)ander.

Please add to either list

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Chocolat....man you got that right. Mainstream Hollywood is declining big time. The real movies are foreign or independent films.

[geopyg]

"As others have pointed out, all the good people in the picture are Jews. In a telling scene, a Roman soldier uses "Jew!" as an insult against the noble Simon of Cyrene, who helps Jesus carry his cross and tries to protect him from the clubs and whips of the soldiers."

I think it was O'Reilley who asked Gibson if he put Simon in to offset the "bad" Jews. Gibson said something like "well - it's in the gospels that way. And, all I had to work with was Jews and Romans."

Of all the other movies I was thinking I might like to take my young son to see Miracle. However, I fear I might risk turning him into an anti-russiatic. I hear that the USA guys hit and try to knock over the Russians A LOT, even to the point of being gratuitous.

[Nateman]

The really successful movies lately have been produced OUTSIDE of Hollywood.

You might want to reconsider that.