Passion furore surprises Gibson


Hollywood actor and director Mel Gibson has hit back at critics of his controversial film, The Passion of The Christ, complaining some threw mud without having even seen the movie.

The film, starring Jim Caviezel, Maia Morgenstern and Monica Bellucci, is Gibson's interpretation of the final 12 hours in the life of Jesus Christ and is based on Gospel narratives.

Gibson, a Catholic, has fielded sharp criticism over his interpretation in the lead-up to the film's release on February 25, Ash Wednesday.

Some Jewish leaders have expressed concern that the movie could spark anti-Semitism.

However, other religious groups support the movie, saying it follows closely the literal interpretation of the Gospel.

Gibson, in an interview with Readers Digest magazine, said he was surprised by the reaction to the film.

"It kind of put me back on my heels a little bit. I expected some level of turbulence because whenever one delves into religion and politics - people's deeply held beliefs - you're going to stir things up."

Most surprising for Gibson was the amount of attention the film received prior to its release.

"It was a surprise, to have shots being fired over the bow while I was still filming, and then to have various loud voices in the press - people who hadn't seen the work - really slinging mud."

Following concerns from lobby groups, Gibson cut a controversial scene about Jews from the film.

The scene had been a focus of allegations that the graphically violent movie would fuel anti-Jewish bigotry by portraying Jews as the instigators of Christ's death.

Jewish leaders had warned that the passage from Matthew 27:25 was the historic source for the allegations of deicide and Jewish collective guilt in the death of Jesus.

Also sparking concern, Gibson's father, Hutton, said in an interview with The New York Times, he doubted the scale of the Holocaust during the Second World War.

"My dad taught me my faith, and I believe what he taught me," Gibson said.

"I'll slug it out until my heart is black and blue if anyone ever tries to hurt him."

While defending his father, Gibson said there was no doubt millions died during the Holocaust.

"I have friends and parents of friends who have numbers on their arms," he said.

"Yes, of course. Atrocities happened. War is horrible. The Second World War killed tens of millions of people. Some of them were Jews in concentration camps. Many people lost their lives."

Another criticism has been that it is too graphic and violent.

The film depicts the final moments of Jesus' life, including his crucifixion, in detail.

To that, Gibson said it had to be.

"That's the reality of it," he said.

"From many accounts I've read, I think it was actually more violent than what you're going to see in this film."

The film contains dialogue only in Latin, Hebrew and Aramaic, the common speech of ancient Palestine, something Gibson believes will create a more realistic feel.

"It gave me an extra impetus to have the visual aspect of the film be very strong, so that it wasn't as dependent on the spoken word," he said.

"And I find that the film has a tremendous amount of clarity because of that."

The Australian edition of Readers Digest will be released next Wednesday, coinciding with the international release of the film on the same day.


Gibson defends cross vision


AFP - Mel Gibson said critics who found his controversial film The Passion of the Christ anti-Semitic were missing the point, and defended his violent depiction of the crucifixion, saying he had deliberately set out to make a movie that would shock.

Decrying anti-Semitism as an "un-Christian" sin that went against the tenets of his faith, Gibson told ABC's Diane Sawyer in a Primetime interview that he had never intended the film to trigger a "blame game" over responsibility for Christ's death.

"It's about faith, hope, love and forgiveness. That's what this film is about. It's about Christ's sacrifice," he said, in excerpts of the interview released ahead of its broadcast on Monday evening.

The Passion, which gets its US release on February 25, purports to be a faithful and graphic account of Christ's last 12 hours on earth.

Jewish leaders who have attended advance screenings have voiced concerns that its portrayal of the Jews' role in Christ's execution could stir up anti-Semitic sentiment.

Gibson, who belongs to an ultra-conservative Catholic group that does not recognise the reforms of Vatican II, poured $US25 million of his own money into making the film, which he directed.

In comments to be broadcast alongside the interview, Abraham Foxman, national director of the Jewish Anti-Defamation League, argued that while Gibson may not be anti-Semitic, he was being slightly naive about the film's potential impact.

"This is his vision, his faith; he's a true believer, and I respect that," Foxman said. "But there are times that there are unintended consequences. I believe that this movie has the potential to fuel anti-Semitism, to reinforce it."

Asked by Sawyer who he considered culpable for Christ's death, Gibson said mankind as a whole was responsible.

Jesus Christ "was beaten for our iniquities," Gibson said. "He was wounded for our transgressions and by his wounds we are healed. That's the point of the film. It's not about pointing fingers."

The star of the Lethal Weapon series and Braveheart acknowledged that the depiction of Christ's punishment and eventual crucifixion was "very violent" but insisted that the movie's R-rating was enough to warn cinemagoers in advance.

"I wanted it to be shocking," he said. "And I also wanted it to be extreme.

"I wanted it to push the viewer over the edge so that they see the enormity - the enormity of that sacrifice - to see that someone could endure that and still come back with love and forgiveness, even through extreme pain and suffering and ridicule."

Gibson traced the genesis of The Passion back to his own spiritual crisis 13 years ago when he became suicidal and came close to throwing himself out of a window.

"I was looking down thinking, 'Man, this is just easier this way'," he said. "You have to be mad, you have to be insane, to despair in that way. But that is the height of spiritual bankruptcy. There's nothing left."

Those feelings led him to reexamine Christianity, and ultimately to create The Passion - "my vision, with God's help" of the final hours in the life of Jesus.

"This is my version of what happened, according to the Gospels and what I wanted to show," he said.

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Half of a set :halo: