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Gibson movie irks and awes before hitting the screens

DPA, Los Angeles
Tuesday, Feb 24, 2004, Page 16

Fuelled by widespread controversy and a nationwide network of churches, the new Mel Gibson movie The Passion of the Christ will open in an expanded release next Wednesday in the US, the movie's distributor said.

Now, instead of opening in 2,000 cinemas across the US, the controversial movie will open in 2,800 cinemas. In some multiplexes the movie will be shown on several screens simultaneously, according to Bob Barney, of the movie's distributor Newmarket Films.

The movie opens on Ash Wednesday, which is marked by Christians the world over as the start of the Lenten period leading up to Easter, which commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus.

Millions of believers are eagerly awaiting what Gibson promises is the most literal and searing depiction of the Christian gospels ever committed to film. Churches have bought out entire cinemas for the screening, urging congregants to attend and invite non-believers to witness the cinematic revelation.

Gibson, who belongs to a fundamentalist Catholic sect that rejects most of the reforms made by the church in the last 50 years, had profoundly religious motives in making the movie.

In pre-release interviews Gibson said he was "guided by the Holy Spirit" in making the movie about the last 12 hours of Christ's life, and that his aim was to allow viewers to see and feel the sacrifices and suffering that Christ endured for all humans, according to the gospels.

That is an exciting prospect for millions of America's religious Christians. Based on the expanded release schedule and some US$10 million in advanced ticket sales, box-office trackers expect The Passion of the Christ to make upwards of US$40 million over its first five days -- a box office take that would elevate the Aramaic- and Latin-language movie (with English subtitles) to instant blockbuster status.

Some among the believers will no doubt attribute the boffo box office to miraculous powers. After all, ever since actor James Cavaziel, who plays Jesus, was struck by lightning during the crucifixion scene, there have been numerous leaks from the set about strange occurrences that seem to indicate that God himself is taking a personal interest in this latest piece of film-making.

But if he is watching, God might be appalled at what he sees. Firstly, there is the whole controversy of the film's alleged anti- Semitic overtones. These are based on scenes which seem to finger the Jewish residents of Jerusalem as the force behind the crucifixion, while portraying the Roman ruler as a simple pawn in the hands of the cunning, manipulative and vindictive Jews.

Gibson has stridently denied the movie is anti-Semitic, saying that it is based on his accurate reading of the scriptures. This argument ignores the fact that the scriptures themselves are seen by some as causing anti-Semitism. They were written long after Christ died by men who sought favor with the ruling Roman Empire by blaming the Jews for deicide.

The story of the crucifixion as told by the gospels has been seen by some historians as one of the root causes behind centuries of Christian anti-Semitism from the atrocities of the First Crusade through the Holocaust.

It was only in 1965 at the Second Vatican Council that the Catholic Church condemned the notion that Jews were "cursed by God."

The council said: "True, the Jewish authorities and those who followed their lead pressed for the death of Christ; still what happened in His Passion cannot be charged against all the Jews, without distinction, then alive, nor against the Jews of today."

Recognizing that Jews often had been portrayed as vile murderers in passion plays, the council also warned that Christ's last hours should be depicted only with great care for nuance and accuracy.

The problem is that Gibson's fundamentalist doctrine rejects all the decisions of that council. However, under pressure from the Jewish community, Gibson agreed to edit out a scene in which Jewish mobs say "His blood be on us and our children" and "Kill him, kill him."

But his attempt to deflect criticism from Jewish groups suffered a setback when his 85-year-old father repeated his belief that the Holocaust was exaggerated.

Gibson has also been accused of crossing the bounds of good taste in his graphic description of Christ's final hours.

"It's essentially the destruction of this man's body," says critic Mike Goodrich. "The flogging scene is absurd. It goes on for 20 minutes or something."

"It's a terribly violent picture," agrees Variety editor Peter Bart. "I'm devoid of any sensibility, but I found it very violent."
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