Posted on 06/27/2003 1:46:48 PM PDT by DPB101
Actor Used Personal Fortune To Finance Filming
COLORADO SPRINGS -- Actor Mel Gibson won rave reviews from religious leaders here this week after asking them to make sure his upcoming film, "The Passion," accurately depicts the Gospel.
The star of the "Lethal Weapon" series said his Christian faith inspired the movie, which depicts the final 12 hours in the life of Jesus Christ (pictured, left). Gibson is still looking for a distributor.
The script, which Mel Gibson co-wrote, is based on the diaries of St. Anne Catherine Emmerich (1774-1824) that are collected in the book "The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ", on Mary of Agreda's "The City of God" and on the New Testament Gospels by Luke, John, Matthew and Mark.
"I'm not a preacher, and I'm not a pastor," Gibson said Thursday. "But I really feel my career was leading me to make this. The Holy Ghost was working through me on this film, and I was just directing traffic. I hope the film has the power to evangelize."
Gibson visited New Life Church and Focus on the Family. Among those who watched clips of the film was Ted Haggard, New Life's pastor and president of the National Evangelical Association.
"It conveys, more accurately than any other film, who Jesus was," Haggard said.
"I was very impressed," added Don Hodel, president of Focus on the Family. "The movie is historically and theologically accurate."
Gibson financed the $25 million film, co-wrote the script and directed and produced the movie, which stars James Caviezel as Christ. The film was shot in the Aramaic language of the time, but subtitles were in place during Thursday's showing.
Gibson said he attended Mass every morning during filming because "we had to be squeaky clean just working on this."
"It was a strange mixture of the most difficult thing I've ever done, along with this incredible ease," Gibson said. "Everyone who worked on this movie was changed. There were agnostics and Muslims on set converting to Christianity."
12 hours is one long-ass film. I hope they have intermissions!
Uh-oh.
It didn't say the MOVIE was 12 hrs --- it is depicting the final 12 hours of Christ's life.
So that Kiefer Sutherland "24" thing isn't really 24 Hours? And what about 60 Minutes? I hear it's only like 35 with commercials.
I was joking :)
Note to Mel: Don't try Kazaa.
How much impact do they have among Protestants? Does their endorsement mean fears of a Catholic bias in the movie are probably unfounded?
Thanks! I'm on neither side really but I hoped there would not be a Catholic/Protestant dispute over this film. The more people become either, the better. Secular humanists are the major threat--not fellow believers.
Actually, given the content and purpose of the movie, I think using Kazaa, IFilm, your nearest Newsgroup server, or any other means available, whether it leads to "box office" or not, would be appropriate. I don't think Mel did this one for the money. I'm sure he'd like to use normal channels and see it be a success, but the reason wouldn't be the money itself (except to allow him to make another one like it).
Going the normal route and being successful with this film might entice the normal Hollywierd types to try making films with pro Christian themes. Many of them aren't driven by being pro or anti Christian, even though they may use lots of anti-Christian themes. They do what they do because they think it will bring people into the theaters and make money for them.
But that's all minor compared to what telling this story to a new generation and to a very weary and hurting world means. If he has to stand on a street corner giving out DVDs that he payed to get pressed, I think he'll do it. I'd kick in to help pay for that.
Focus on the Family has a lot of influence on people in general. But in general terms, the last 12 hours of Jesus' life is something Catholics and Evangelicals are going to be able to agree on, I can't imagine what a Catholic versus Protestant spin on the historic Crucifixion would be.
Protestants quibble over "how" important Mary is, theologically, but there is no disagreement that she is his mother, that she was there, that she would grieve, that no doubt God had his hand on her, and so forth. Protestants disagree on the proper bureaucratic structure of the Church, and the authority of the pope, and so forth, (although many have a great deal of respect for the current pope) but there is no disagreement on the meaning of the Crucifixion, and its significance for mankind. On that, Catholic and non-Catholic Christians are in perfect harmony.
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