A Rugged Elegance Inspiration Network Exclusive by Jennifer King
Director, Mel Gibson, Producer, Steve McEveety and Actor, Jim Caviezel, who plays the role of Jesus in the upcoming film, The Passion are in fervent need of a worldwide community of support. Everyone involved in the production of the movie, which is set to be released this Wednesday, February 25th, are under fire. Gibson, McEveety and Caviezel and other members of the cast and crew have even received death threats.
Gibson, who was inspired to create the film after reading Anne Catherine Emmerich's book The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, funded, directed and co-wrote the movie. Faithful to the Bible story of the passion and death of Jesus, The Dolorous Passion fills in many details and is edifying and inspiring; plus, it is surprising and heart-rending.
Gibson purposively wanted his interpretation of The Passion to be shocking and extreme.
The Passion is a vivid depiction of the last 12 hours in the life of Jesus Christ before his crucifixion. The Holy Ghost was working through me on this film,' Gibson has said of his work on The Passion. 'I was just directing traffic.'
The Passion begins with the words: "You are my friends, and the greatest love a person can have for his friends is to give his life for them."
Mel Gibson said the graphic depiction of Christ's crucifixion in his upcoming film The Passion of the Christ was meant to make viewers realize the extent of Christ's sacrifice.
"I think it pushes one over the edge so that they see the enormity, the enormity of that sacrifice," he said during an interview with Diane Sawyer for ABC's "Primetime."
"It's very violent and if you don't like it, don't go, you know?" Gibson said in excerpts of the interview provided by ABC. "If you want to leave halfway through, go ahead."
The images are striking and from the perspective of a filmmaker, "gorgeous." It is no surprise. The cinematographer was Caleb Deshcanel who entered the arena on the visual wings of Black Stallion and went on to win three Academy Award Nominations. The "look" of the film promises to be extraordinary.
The Passion of The Christ cast includes:
James Caviezel (The Thin Red Line).... Jesus Christ
Maia Morgenstern .... Mary
Monica Bellucci .... Mary Magdalene
Francesco Cabras .... Gesmas
Rosalinda Celentano .... Satan
Claudia Gerini .... Pilatus Wife
Mel Gibson ... Director, Screenwriter, Producer
Rating: R - includes sequences of graphic violence
Running Time: 100 minutes
The Passion was filmed in Italy, in various locations from Rome to the heel of the Italian boot. James Caviezel, who is best known for his roles in the films Frequency and the 2002 remake of The Count of Monte Cristo, was required to learn three languages in order to play the lead role of Jesus. A Jesuit priest they called Father Bill helped teach Caviezel and the other actors Aramaic, Hebrew and Latin.
Caviezel said he felt a certain kinship with Gibson as he read of his quest for "the perfect Jesus."
Against unbelievable odds, The Passion of the Christ is now shaping up to be the hottest ticket in the history of Hollywood when it finally hits theaters on Ash Wednesday.
Gibson has limited initial screenings to small, select Christian groups and leaders, who have issued grand endorsements of the film, including one from the Pope who said, "It is as it was."
The film, however, has also generated charges of anti-Semitism. Jonathan Bernstein, San Francisco Regional Director of The Anti-Defamation League wrote in a letter to the San Francisco Chronicle last September, "The Passion is not merely an offensive movie, it is a dangerous movie that could inspire anti-Semitism and give new legitimacy to the false charge that 'the Jews killed Christ.'"
Film reviewers Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper, who call the film an "epic, great film," both agree that The Passion is not anti-Semitic. Ebert said in his film review, which aired tonight: "Christ is born as a Jew. His disciples are Jewish. A Jew helps him carry the cross. Others Jews call out in protest against his torture. And yes, some Jewish priests do call for his death. They are threatened by his assault on their establishment." Ebert goes on to say, very eloquently, "It's not that the Jews killed Christ. It's that mankind killed Christ. He died for our sins. You killed Christ. I killed Christ."
The Bible makes it exceedingly clear that Jesus' sacrifice was motivated by love for people of every faith as well as love for people of no faith.
Ebert concludes: "Christians believe that Christ died for our sins. It was necessary that he die. He prophesied that he would die. He desired to die. His death was the fulfillment of his purpose and we should be grateful to him, instead of critical of those who were the instruments of his will."
Drawing from the strength of the different roles Gibson has played over the years, right now he could use the courage of Braveheart, the fighting power he had in We Were Soldiers, the tenacity of Pocahontas' British adventurer, John Smith, the good that comes from a willingness to lay down one's life for a cause or a soulmate as Martin Riggs does in Lethal Weapon, and a bit of hope for redemption as Max got in Mad Max and The Road Warrior.
As for The Passion's controversy: See the film for yourself, then judge.
Five theaters in San Francisco and one in Emeryville will be showing The Passion beginning this Wednesday, February 25th. They are:
UA Galaxy 4
1285 Sutter Street
1pm, 1:45pm, 4pm, 4:45pm, 7pm, 7:45pm, 10pm, 10:30 pm
Loews Metreon Theatres & IMAX
101 Fourth Street
12:40pm, 4pm, 7:20pm, 10:40pm
CinéArts at Empire
85 West Portal Avenue
12:40pm, 3:35pm, 6:30pm, 9:25pm
Century 20 Daly City
1901 Junipero Serra Blvd., Daly City
10:15am, 1:10pm, 4:05pm, 7pm, 9:55pm
UA Emery Bay Stadium 10
6330 Christie Avenue, Emeryville
12:30pm, 3:45pm, 7pm, 10:15pm
We will offer our own formal review after we see it at The Galaxy on Wednesday afternoon.
To reserve tickets ahead of time, go to: Fandango.com
Advance tickets are selling fast. One enthusiastic soul purchased 6,000 Passion tickets and gave them away.
To see a trailer of the Mel Gibson's film, go to Icon Productions Web site at: ThePassionTheMovie.com
Related Articles:
New York Daily News - Entertainment, Love, Hate & Furor, 1/25/04
Contra Costa Times, Why are we so passionate about Mel Gibson's movie?, 1/30/04
MSNBC, Who Killed Jesus?,2/16/04
NewsMax, Interview with Basilian Father Thomas Rosica, head of Salt & Light Catholic Media Foundation and the first national Catholic television Network in Canada, 2/6/04
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