'Passion' will inspire other religious films (Michael Medved)

USA Today ^ | March 14, 2004 | Michael Medved

[beaversmom]

Mel Gibson's unprecedented hit, The Passion of the Christ, already has changed Hollywood forever. Those industry insiders who deny the significance of the transformation are fooling only themselves.

A recent article in USA TODAY, headlined " 'The Passion' could be a hard act to follow," displayed a subhead baldly declaring, "Hollywood is unlikely to get religion."

[beaversmom]

Did a search for this and didn't see it posted yet. Sorry if I missed it somehow.

[cynicom]

MONEY will inspire more such films.

[cynicom]

MONEY will inspire more such films.

[Iron Matron]

" As a heavenly voice explained in Field of Dreams, another classic film about eternity and timeless values"

Your typical Hollyweird producer/director/actor, will NEVER be able to do a truly religious film in the christian style. They lack the faith, values and morals.

They can only come up with drivel such as "Field of Dreams"-type movies or how about "Powder" for a taste of what hollywerd calls religious pictures.

Sorry Hollyweirdos - Mel has you beat!

[Ff--150]

Another huge segment of the population is ready to support quality projects that touch on the most important issues of life and faith.

Matt Crouch and TBN are producing a story on Esther that may be up there with the Passion.

[beaversmom]

They lack the faith, values and morals.

That's what I was thinking as well. I'm so glad Gibson used European actors that were mostly unknown to American audiences. It would have spoiled it for me to have Ben Affleck or Tom Cruise in the movie. Speaking of Cruise, I wonder when he will be making his epic about Scientology?

[TomSmedley]

The movie has helped Hollywood discover not just a new formula, but also a new audience.

In a similar vein, The Simpsons retains a great deal of its freshness and staying power because it is willing to deal with issues of faith. Most of the people in Springfield are in church on Sunday morning, e.g. One of the producers explained that, since Hollywood had been avoiding religious themes for so many decades, those provided vast unexploited resources for creative material!

[tjwmason]

They miss the point if they think that just because a film is about religion it will make money.

'The Passion' was made by a deeply reliigous man, in a deeply religious manner (e.g., Mass was celebrated on set every day), this permeates into the film itself.

Taking a load of anti-Christian saecularists, and using them to try and make a film with a religious theme will fall flat on its face, and deservedly so.

Until Hollywood learns to take religion seriously, and gets more religious people in it, its idea of a religious film will always been 'The Last Temptation of Christ'.

[beaversmom]

I could have swore I saw a post a few weeks back that Opie was going to make a movie about the DaVinci Code. If that's the type of crap they want to put out, you are right--it will fall flat on its face.

[CR]

I would love to see Gibson follow up the success of "The Passion" by filming the "Left Behind" series.

[martin_fierro]

'Passion' will inspire other religious films

I can just see it now:

Corpus Christi: The Movie
Or: Queer Eye for the Christ Guy

[beaversmom]

I'm routing for the life of the Apostle Paul. No controversy there--ha, ha.

[Cicero]

I'm very sorry to hear that Walt Disney is planning to do the Narnia films. I can't think of a worse company to do it. They destroy everything that they touch. And that was even before Michael Eisner took over. They made a complete mess of Kipling's great Jungle Book. They wrecked A. A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh. They can be relied on to wreck the Narnia books.

[anniegetyourgun]

Esther....the one book that never even speaks the name of God. I guess they must figure that would make it more palatable to the masses.

[tiamat]

Apparently, "Left Behind" has been done, and i have not heard a kin word about it.

I'd like to see a remake of "The Ten Commandments".

[beaversmom]

That's funny! Don't give them any ideas.

[DentsRun]

The success of "The Passion" will no doubt cause Hollywood to try making religious-themed films. But I'm guessing they'll screw everything up by making politically correct religious-themed films. Real religion isn't politically correct. The movie makers don't, won't and never will get that. They'll turn out technicolor pap on the grounds that Christians are too stupid to know any better. Then when no one comes, they'll conclude the solution is to make religious films with drugs and sex. Then when they get boycotted and picketed in response, they'll conclude, "What did I tell you? You can't please that audience because that audience is nuts."

[Barnacle]

Ping

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[DentsRun]

I'm very sorry to hear that Walt Disney is planning to do the Narnia films. I can't think of a worse company to do it.

You're right. They'll make it into a plain old adventure story and miss all the deeper meaning. Then they're try to give it a backbone by inserting a subplot all about tolerance, diversity and affirmative action.

[DentsRun]

I'm very sorry to hear that Walt Disney is planning to do the Narnia films. I can't think of a worse company to do it.

You're right. They'll make it into a plain old adventure story and miss all the deeper meaning. Then they'll try to give it a backbone by inserting a subplot all about tolerance, diversity and affirmative action.