Chanukah - by Mel (Suspected Antisemite Now Wants To Tell The Story Of Maccabees)

NY Daily News ^ | March 17, 2004 | DEREK ROSE

[presidio9]

He has portrayed the Crucifixion - now Mel Gibson has his sights set on the tale that led to Chanukah. "The Passion of the Christ" director told WABC's Sean Hannity yesterday that he's planning a movie based on a Jewish rebellion nearly 200 years before the birth of Christ.

"The story that's always fired my imagination ... is the Book of Maccabees," Gibson said in the radio interview.

"It's about Antiochus, the king who set up his religion in the Temple, and forced them all to deny the true God and worship at his feet and worship false gods.

"The Maccabees family stood up, and they made war, they stuck by their guns, and they came out winning," he continued. "It's like a Western."

The revolt is said to have begun when a king's officer tried to force a priest named Mattathias to make a pagan sacrifice.

Mattathias killed the man instead, and he and his followers fled to the hills to wage a successful guerrilla war that eventually liberated Jerusalem in 165 B.C.

That victory led to the holiday of Chanukah, when a tiny amount of oil lasted eight days as the Maccabees purified the Temple in Jerusalem.

A story about heroic Jews might insulate Gibson from charges of anti-Semitism leveled by the movie's critics. But some Jews might not take kindly to Gibson, a conservative Catholic, interpreting their history.

Anti-Defamation League Executive Director Abe Foxman told the Orlando Sentinel recently that if Gibson dramatizes the rebellion, "we'll lose."

"He'll write his own history," Foxman said. "I would prefer to leave the fate of Jewish history and Hollywood to Steven Spielberg. The Maccabees ... are our sacred history."

Gibson, though, said the success of "The Passion" has silenced some of his loudest critics, and he repeated his view that the movie does not blame Jews for Christ's death.

Gibson talked politics as well as religion during the Hannity interview.

One of a small number of Hollywood conservatives, Gibson said he thinks "a lot of what" President Bush "does is good," but he has been "having my doubts of late.

"It's all to do with these weapons [of mass destruction] that we can't seem to find, and why did we go over there [to Iraq]."

The conservative talk-show host, a Bush supporter, quickly changed the subject.

[johnb838]

Luther removed those problematic books from the Protestant canon.

Oh, so THAT'S where purgatory went, I'd been wondering. I hope Gibson DOESN'T make any more movies for a while, it would take away from what he's done with TPOTC.

[veronica]

Schindler's List was brilliant, as was Saving Private Ryan. There is room in Hollywood for both Spielberg and Mel Gibson.

[nutmeg]

read later bump

[presidio9]

Luther removed those problematic books from the Protestant canon

How are they problematic?

[Ann Archy]

As a cradle Catholic, I have never heard that "purgatory" came out of Maccabbees. Could you enlighten me, please?

I also had no idea that Protestants didn't believe in purgatory!! Geesh...I feel really stuid.

[KriegerGeist]

"The conservative talk-show host, a Bush supporter, quickly changed the subject."

I heard it and it sounded to me more like Sean got back on (or stayed on) subject by saying to Mel that he would have him on the program another day to discuss that.

Mel told Sean that he "was having doubts of late because of the whole WMD not being found thing..." and Sean told him they were probably shipped to Syria and that he would discuss it with him at a later date and back to the subject of the movie.

My personal impression was that Mel has been too busy to keep up with these things and that Sean was looking forward to enlighten him when they had more time.

I myself am wondering when they will smoke out this Syria business and smoke out Bash-her Ass-wad's involvement with the WMDs? Do you think they're saving it for closer to the election? They know that Ass-wad is dirty...why not expose him?

[ladyjane]

There is room in Hollywood for both Spielberg and Mel Gibson.

Apparently Abe doesn't think so.

[Ann Archy]

I love the idea of purgatory.

[Bonaparte]

"Jews might not take kindly to Gibson, a conservative Catholic, interpreting their history."

If Sandy Pearl, who is Jewish, can produce The Gospel of John, now coming to a theatre near you, then Mel Gibson can produce a film about the Maccabees.

[k2blader]

Thanks. I'll have to look into that someday.

[freedom9]

"The meek shall inherit the earth... But usually in plots 6' x 3' x 6' deep..."

"Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth."

(And the man, Moses, kicked ass.)

[cwb]

I agree...and I also actually believe that each artist has a right to his intripretation of events. Hollywood has always taken "dramatic license" and defended it as part of that art. Unfortunately, Gibson is being assaulted by many of the same people who so often defend the practice. Listening to Voight attack Gibson for his interpretation and historical inaccuracy was a joke, when people like Stone and Voight, himself, have often participated in inaccurate dipictions of events. The hypocrisy is just astounding.

[presidio9]

My personal impression was that Mel has been too busy to keep up with these things and that Sean was looking forward to enlighten him when they had more time.

""It's all to do with these weapons [of mass destruction] that we can't seem to find, and why did we go over there [to Iraq]."

I have listened to this interview twice, and I can't remember hearing the underlined part at the end either time.

[presidio9]

"Piss Christ" (Crucifix in beaker of the artist's urine)

BTW, the liberal art establishment LOVED "Piss Christ."

[Rutles4Ever]

Well.. not problematic to us Catholics...

[Annie03]

I didn't hear it either, I don't believe he said it at all. Another mis-representation from the press.

[I_be_tc]

If Mel does it, I will definintely rush to see it...Love his movies. If Spielberg tries, probably wait for the TV issue. No big hurry.

TC

[Paleo Conservative]

"He'll write his own history," Foxman said. "I would prefer to leave the fate of Jewish history and Hollywood to Steven Spielberg. The Maccabees ... are our sacred history."

Speilberg can make his own movie about it if he wants. Lots of interesting subjects have been covered by multiple movies and remakes of old movies. Look at Ben Hur. The Charleston Heston version from the late fifties was a remake of the one from the 1920s. I hadn't noticed too many Hollywood types Jewish, Christian, or anything else wanting to make biblical movies in recent decades.

[presidio9]

Well.. not problematic to us Catholics...

But perhaps "problematic" for an honest-to-goodness Antisemite like Luther? Maccabees does not have much relevance to the New Testiment other than to point out that God continued to look after the Jews.

[Bonaparte]

Thanks for your report on the Gibson interview. I didn't see it, so I didn't know that, far from avoiding the subject, Hannity gave a reply and invited further discussion. It sure looks like Rose is a liar, deliberately misleading his readers.