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 ...
Not necessarily. I happen to find that a major draw. Very intriguing.
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