Does `The Passion' have Oscar legs?

Daily News via Miami Herald ^ | Mar 11, 04 | Jack Matthews

[churchillbuff]

Does `The Passion' have Oscar legs?

BY JACK MATHEWS

New York Daily News

(KRT) - If you think the debate over Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" will be over once the movie has taken in its last piece of silver at theaters, consider next year's Oscar race. Will it or won't it receive nominations? And if not, true believers will say, why in the hell not?

By one measure, "Passion" hardly seems like a movie at all. It's not entertainment; rather, it's a religious experience, and one that millions of people want to have. But technically it qualifies and will have to be deconstructed and evaluated by the various Academy branches.

Regardless of how one feels about Gibson's version of the Crucifixion, it's a first-rate physical production. It's brilliantly filmed by cinematographer Caleb Deschanel, a four-time Oscar nominee. And given the graphic flesh trauma borne by blood-drenched star James Caviezel, one would think a makeup nomination is in the bag.

But what of the movie itself, and Gibson as Best Director? Is "Passion" going to divide Academy voters along the blue state/red state fault line the way it seems to be dividing the general population? It only takes 20 percent of a branch's membership to get a nomination.

For me, "Passion" has one huge flaw that should keep it off both the picture and director ballots. Gibson, at cross-purposes with his esthetic and spiritual selves, fell back on his worst Hollywood instincts in the treatment of his story's villains.

The sadistic Roman soldiers who have such a fine time scourging Jesus are played like caricatures of the inbred hillbillies in "Deliverance." And Barabbas, the Jewish prisoner whose freedom the temple priests choose over Jesus' life, is played like the evil spawn of Quasimodo and Aileen Wuornos.

Gibson may be accurately dramatizing the scriptural dialogue in the Barabbas scene, but nowhere in the Bible does it say he was a B-movie homicidal maniac who seemed certain to kill the minute he was free. In fact, all biblical sources describe Barabbas as a political prisoner who killed during an insurrection.

That Gibson envisioned him as a foul-faced cartoon monster is both bad filmmaking and evidence for those who think he was feeding anti-Semitism even if he didn't intend to.

[stands2reason]

From a link of that link: Mel Gibson has, in fact, cast three hardcore pornography stars in major roles in this so-called “Christian” movie. Gibson’s choice of actresses is more evidence that this film is not about Jesus Christ, but a false Christ who is the consort of the Black Virgin, a Goddess figure whose decadent morals are symbolized by the Tarot card, Virgo:

“Rákóczi writes of this card: To the more licentious it represented the ‘virgin quality’ that is gained, not by pure living, but by plunging into the abyss of sexual indulgence; here we have the exultation of the prostitute as a saint and the saint treated as one who is ‘impure’. Hence, Gypsies often call this the Magdalene card... ” (Cult of the Black Virgin, p.138-9)

Mel Gibson has provided the idolatrous masses with modern screen goddesses who are merely updated versions of the ancient pantheons. Since the cast of “The Passion” constitutes a veritable Hall of Porn, links to some pornographic sites were necessary to document the licentiousness of these celebrities. Please note that any pornographic links are accompanied by an asterisk (*) and a firm caveat: Only mature women should view these websites and only for the purpose of verifying our report.

  Mel Gibson (Producer/Director)
Monica Bellucci (Mary Magdalene)
Maia Morgenstern (Mary, Mother of Jesus)
Claudia Gerini (Wife of Pontius Pilate)
Rosalinda Celentano (Satan)

Apparently those naughty women need to be warned those nekkid girl pictures aren't for fun...

[top of the world ma]

Only a civil discourse about the possibility/probability that the film would win an AA for best adapted screenplay. Nothing more---seriously. What in my conversation led you to think otherwise? Good grief!! You have a hair trigger over something that doesn't even exist in this short conversation. Relax.

[Texas2step]

It is not only Atheists and leftists who are objecting to the movie. Three of the leading actresses, including the one who played Mary, are hard core porn stars

I hope that you are not basing your opinion's on this author's slanted writing. She originally wrote this screed well before the movie was released, she had not seen it, and it's almost all total fabrications.

Looks like she's done some additional "homework" as this one has additional "details" that were not included in the original work, but I believe she still hasn't seen the movie, based on what I read.

Her original article went off the deep end on some kind of weird tie in to Braveheart as well, which evidently didn't mess with her agenda as well, as it's not covered in as much detail now.

Calling these 3 women "porn stars" is patently ridiculous. None of these women have "performed" in actual hardcore pornographic material. They've acted in movie which called for nudity, maybe, there's some nude pictures of them at various places on the Internet, but you can say the same thing about Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep, and any number of "movie stars".

IMO, this author has some kind of agenda. I don't know what it is, but after reading her first article in detail and skimming this one, I don't believe she's "on our side".

Think about it. Franklin Graham. James Dobson. My pastor. The Pope, for crying out loud. Or, this raving lunacy. Who would you believe? I think I'm going with Franklin, James, the Pope, and my pastor. :-)

[Burkeman1]

Remove please

[Texas2step]

I'm confused too. I read back through the thread and don't see what Burkeman 1 is going off about.

Ditto that. How weird.

[stands2reason]

What is wrong with you?

[Burkeman1]

Fine, convince me then.

[familyop]

"It also seems that the writer of that particular screed doesn't understand what "hardcore pornography" is."

"Sexual violence depiction causes audience collapse"
http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PO0303/S00182.htm

[Burkeman1]

I should be the last to be a censor. I apologize to all.

[top of the world ma]

OK. Convince you of what, pray tell!!

[Admin Moderator]

Knock it off!

[Texas2step]

Fine, convince me then.

You mind cluing the rest of us in what this is about? If it's something that was posted, I don't see it.

What offended you? The reference to "adopted screenplay"? While Mel stays pretty close to scripture, he still used a screenplay, and it was "adopted". Or is there something else going on that we don't know about?

[Burkeman1]

Hey- as long as the links you guys show stay within contemporary boundaries then it is cool. Don't post stuff to grusome acts.

[per loin]

Only thing I can figure is that you must have misread something here. I've seen your posts before and never seen you act this way. I do note that post #51 has been deleted. Was there something in that?

[Burkeman1]

Done. Sorry.

[stands2reason]

That film may be vile, brutal and sexually prurient, but it doesn't mean it's hardcore (XXX) porn or that that one film make her the "most vile pornography queen in filmdom."

[churchillbuff]

I see you're from Colorado. What's going to happen to that Senate seat?

[stands2reason]

Oh, that's okay! You're cool, dude. :-)

[top of the world ma]

As far as I'm concerned, apology accepted.

Observe my screen name. It's based on a 1948 James Cagney film entitled "White Heat." Recall the end where he's standing on top of a hugh gas tank and says "Look Ma, I'm on top of the world," and the thing explodes into a fireball. I'm into movies a little bit and thought I'd join in this thread.

Nothing less, nothing more...

[familyop]

I said nothing about you or the Jews, although we've seen others' mention of possible statements by Emmerich (if her secretary wrote truly). But you're probably tired of seeing all of that.

I am writing some of the more orthodox Protestant point of view. For another example, there's nothing in the Bible (even the Vulgata) about any chick-Satan holding a little Anti-Christ when our Savior was being beaten. ...only one example.

We Roundheads are a pain in the neck, at times, aren't we? But there are very few of us around now.