Posted on 07/18/2003 11:12:44 AM PDT by ex-Texan
Loud Applause for Mel Gibson's New Film "The Passion" is Awakening Deaf Ears in Hollywood
A Resounding Bravo for Mel !
Mel Gibson has stirred up both resounding praise and strident criticism for his new film "The Passion." Strangely, the criticism comes mostly from critics who have not even seen the movie but were basing their attacks on an old draft version of the script. Criticism of that type is a very weird first for Hollywood. It reflects a shocking closed-minded attitude from a "creative community" that generally proclaims its right to produce controversial films with "real life impact."
Mel's critics appear to led by the Anti-Defamation League who are concerned about the possibility of the film inspiring attacks on the Jewish community. With all due respect to the ADL, I must strongly disagree.
Mel Gibson is an excellent director and does not have an antisemitic bone in his body. He is a devout Roman Catholic. His work on "The Passion" appears to have been inspired by regular daily prayer and his own study of the Bible. There is no doubt that Jesus was Jewish; that is a historical fact. Many Catholic Priests even include brief readings from the Hebrew Torah in their sermons because they read and speak Hebrew. Rabbis are invited regularly to speak at Mass or other Christian services across America. The primary cause of violence against Jewish people today comes from Muslim fundamentalists and not the Christian community.
But there are new signs that the film is awakening deaf ears and exciting the public generally.
Harry Knowles runs the AintItCool.com film web site. He features insider reports on films and the film industry and draws millions of visitors each month. On July 11th he posted this brief report the "The Passion:"
Once every now and again a really special project comes along borne out of a passion for the material. We've seen Peter Jackson's passion really come through with his LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy thus far, and well... I've got a feeling that Mel Gibson has that same sort of drive in the making of THE PASSION. While I'm not a deeply religious person, I can not help, but acknowledge the ingrained power to the story of Christ's final hours. Simply, as one film called it, it's the greatest story ever told, or at least one of them.
The story of Christ in those final hours is one of pain and torment and astonishing spirit. From the images in this trailer that was sent to me, I can't help but believe in Mel's vision for the film. Shot in the original language of the time and allegedly being shone sans subtitles, I really feel this is not only powerful filmmaking, but a bold artistic step forward for Mel. I also feel that it has the chance to really become a bit of a phenomenon in theaters that play it, and can't believe it hasn't been picked up by a studio yet. I mean, the story behind the making of this film in its original "dead" languages and the opportunity to have Mel Gibson on every talk show in the world talking about the decisions and reasons he had for making the film this way... Well, I think it has a wider audience than anyone is currently expecting. Here's the trailer that was sent to me... See what you think, though 10 to 1, it will crash my server, so be quick!
By all accounts it was impossible to get through on that link for several days. I know because I attempted to hit it myself. Ten times over a period of two days. Finally I located an alternative link and viewed the trailer for myself. The best word to describe the preview is "AWESOME!"
Movie fans all over the world are showing genuine interest in "The Passion." They are beginning to have an impact on Hollywood. There are rumors that Gibson will soon announce he has found a major distributor for his film.
< -- Snip -- >
Many people will be horribly surprised or even shocked by the scourging that Jesus suffered. He was flogged with whips by Roman soldiers. Those whips contained tiny iron barbs that were designed to inflict wounds on human flesh. That is historical truth and it is not pretty.
Agnostics and Muslims being converted to Christianity? Perhaps the true graphic representation of Christ's suffering is really too powerful for movie viewers today?
I believe that people today thirst for the truth. Let them see the truth with their own eyes. "The truth will set you free."
(Excerpt) Read more at newspundit.net ...
It wasn't simply the fact that they hadn't seen the movie:
Strangely, the criticism comes mostly from critics who have not even seen the movie but were basing their attacks on an old draft version of the script.
Its fair to infer from the context that the people whom he is criticizing hadn't seen even the trailer, "but were basing their attacks on an old draft version of the script." In contrast, this reviewer said he'd seen the trailer and that based on what he saw, it looked impressive.
He never said that the movie was a great movie. He was pointing out that some pundits seem to be condemning it based on nothing more than outdated information. Seems like a pretty fair criticism to me.
but if you keep spewing the bitter hatred
That's a rather strong statement to make with no basis.
For one, you can't just say "I think you spew hatred, but in the unlikely event I am wrong, sorry." In plain English, that's BS. Second, it's a problem easily solved. Look over this short thread. Show me the bitter hatred. I think you know what the result of your search will be.
Plainly, it was a quip on a slow work day.
For filmmakers to do justice to the biblical accounts of the passion, they must complement their artistic vision with sound scholarship, which includes knowledge of how the passion accounts have been used historically to disparage and attack Jews and Judaism.
What is this supposed to mean? That the film has to include a disclaimer?
Absent such scholarly and theological understanding, productions such as "The Passion" could likely falsify history and fuel the animus of those who hate Jews.
Pretty presumptuous, don't you think? It sounds like an a priori assumption that Mel is going to be either too dumb or too bigoted to present a film with any "scholarly or theological understanding," and is "likely" to "falsify history." Close to venomous, in fact.
Specific recommendations to remedy the numerous anti-Semitic elements in the script have been conveyed to Mr. Gibson's ICON Productions.
Which are....?
Mr. Gibson has said that his film is not anti-Semitic. We hope that is the case.
Yeah, me too. Only way to find out is to see the finished product and the reaction to it. This is 21st Century America, remember? Not 12th Century Europe.
ADL stands ready to advise ICON Productions constructively regarding The Passion to ensure that the final production is devoid of anti-Semitic slander.
"Advise" or censor? That's the question this article left in my mind....
Thoughtful Christians do not and never have used the crucifixion as an excuse to engage in Jew-bashing. But Jewish men and women were involved in every aspect of the arrest and crucufixion. This attempt to edit Jewish conspirators and actors out of the event--or even to suppress history itself--is beyond silly. Jesus Christ himself was a Jew, as was Joseph of Arimathea (who in an act of tender kindness asked for Jesus' body and placed it in his own tomb), and all the disciples.
It has been said, quite accurately, that at its birth Christianity was merely a Jewish heresy--but Jewish nonetheless to its very roots. The arrest and crucifixion of Jesus Christ is first and foremost a Jewish story with a strong supporting cast of pagan Romans.
Jewish critics of Christianity are safe in this country. They really ought to try to come to terms with the Jewishness of the Passion account instead of denying it, suppressing it, and attacking it.
Release date is Ash Wednesday, 2004.
Why?
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