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On Mel Gibson's "The Passion":
-- Mel Gibson : une violence au service de la foi. - (II) Suite de l'article.
"The Passion" has a long way to go before reaching the top of the all-time box-office chart. "Titanic," released in 1997, made more than $600 million domestically; the original "Star Wars," at $461 million, is a distant second. But Gibson's film has set a few all-time records already: -- It's the highest-grossing independently financed film, surpassing "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" (which earned $241 million). -- In its first week, it easily passed "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" to become the highest-grossing foreign-language film released in North America. -- This week, "The Passion" should become the highest-grossing R-rated film in history (passing "The Matrix Reloaded," with $281 million). -- And it's easily the highest-grossing religious-themed theatrical release, though that's not much of a competition. In the '50s, biblical epics like "The Ten Commandments" and "The Robe" were extremely popular, but box-office charts are traditionally not adjusted for inflation. Recent religious-themed movies, such as "Left Behind" and "The Omega Code," performed modestly at the box office. "
  C'est le producteur Tarek Ben Ammar qui distribuera le film de Mel Gibson. "La Passion du Christ " sortira en France au mois d'avril. Le Monde (02.03.04): "Aprs avoir mnag le suspense pendant toute la journe du lundi 1er mars, le distributeur franais de The Passion of the Christ s'est dvoil lors du journal de 20 heures sur TF1. Rpondant aux questions de Patrick Poivre d'Arvor, le producteur Tarek Ben Ammar a annonc que le film de Mel Gibson sortirait en France "au mois d'avril, c'est--dire pendant la priode de Pques".
Le producteur d'origine tunisienne a dclar : "J'ai cru que c'tait de mon devoir, en tant que musulman qui croit en Jsus, et parce que je respecte et j'ai t lev dans les trois religions, de faire voir ce film aux Franais, de leur donner la possibilit de juger par eux-mmes." M. Ben Ammar a rfut les accusations d'antismitisme, affirmant : "C'est un film sur l'amour et sur le pardon, puisque Jsus pardonne mme ceux qui l'ont fait souffrir".
Passion 'could earn Gibson 160m'. BBC (Thursday, 4 March, 2004): "Director Mel Gibson could personally earn more than $300m (160m) from The Passion of the Christ, according to respected US financial experts Forbes.
After five days in the US the film has taken $125.2m (67m) - and could go on to make $650m (347m) worldwide, Forbes said, citing industry experts. The magazine's website said Gibson's company Icon had spent $30m (16m) on production and $15m (8m) on marketing."
The Passion of the Liberal. Op/Ed - Ann Coulter - Yahoo! (Wed Mar 3): "In the dozens and dozens of panic-stricken articles The New York Times has run on Mel Gibson's movie "The Passion of the Christ," the unavoidable conclusion is that liberals haven't the vaguest idea what Christianity is. The Times may have loopy ideas about a lot of things, but at least when they write about gay bathhouses and abortion clinics, you get the sense they know what they're talking about.
But Christianity just doesn't ring a bell. The religion that has transformed Western civilization for two millennia is a blank slate for liberals. Their closest reference point is "conservative Christians," meaning people you're not supposed to hire. And these are the people who carp about George Bush's alleged lack of "intellectual curiosity."
Prejuicios bien alimentados. Por Ignacio Archaga, Aceprensa (3 de Marzo, 2004): "Sera mejor no haber filmado El pianista ni La lista de Schindler para evitar el riesgo de alimentar los prejuicios antigermanos y de perpetuar el estereotipo de la culpabilidad alemana por los crmenes nazis? Si hemos de aplicar los mismos criterios con que algunos juzgan La Pasin de Cristo, de Mel Gibson, s. Cuando la pelcula era todava un proyecto, empez ya la campaa para desacreditarla como antisemita. El temor era que la representacin naturalista de la pasin de Cristo pudiera sealar como culpable colectivo al pueblo judo y generar antisemitismo. (No s por qu nadie se preocupa de si puede provocar sentimientos antirromanos)."
Zeal of approval. 'Passion' not worth all the controversy. By Nick Nunziata, CNN Headline News (Tuesday, March 2, 2004): "So much has been said about Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" that it seems a waste of text to further the discussion. It seems that the film is but an afterthought to the hype and implied controversy.
You can't turn on a television, open a newspaper or search the woods for Sasquatch without hearing some mention of the recently released religious blockbuster. Since I'm a glutton, I'll add my two cents to the already overflowing piggy bank of opinions on the subject and hope you'll still respect me in the morning. Oh, and disregard the Sasquatch comment. We all know he lives in suburban Minneapolis."
Cardinal of New York: "Go to see The Passion". CNA (Tuesday, March 2, 2004): Cardinal of New York: "Go to see The Passion"
The Archbishop of New York, Cardinal Edward Egan, has urged parishioners to see Mel Gibson's blockbuster "The Passion of the Christ."
"It's good that we see that movie because that movie tells us about the greatest prayer, the greatest sacrifice that was ever made," said the Cardinal, during a ceremony of introduction of a group that will be accepted into the Catholic Church on Easter. "The victim was Jesus Christ, the priest was Jesus Christ, he offered himself," the Cardinal said. "The film represented the sacrifice of Christ. It is here today in this beloved cathedral, the reality of this sacrifice," he added.
The Archbishop of New York said he hoped the congregation would walk out of St. Patrick's Cathedral with the same indelible impression of Christ's sacrifice as audiences experienced viewing "The Passion." "It is my hope that you leave here this morning and feel like you will never be the same," he said.
Further commenting on the film, the Cardinal said that over the last few months, one would think that the only film that had ever been made was The Passion by Mel Gibson. Culture can tell us that there is no sin and there is no temptation, but life shouts back that there is. But we know there is sin, we know there is temptation," he concluded.
God's Second Act. Mel Gibson brings him back to Tinsel Town. By Brendan Miniter, The Wall Street Journal,
(Tuesday, March 2, 2004): "Mel Gibson says his new movie, "The Passion of the Christ," is a story about love. For months critics have said otherwise--that it's gratuitously violent with anti-Semitic undertones, or that it risks sparking violence against Jews.
Now millions of Americans are judging for themselves. What they are figuring out is that the controversy surrounding this film says more about those who would have kept it off the silver screen than about the film itself. This is a powerful, important film that lays down a cultural marker at a time when the nation is facing its own struggle of overcoming evil without compromising its moral character. It's the right movie at the right time for America."
Holy Hypocrisies
Opinion: The media take their moral outrage out of mothballs to attack Mel Gibson's Jesus movie. By Richard Corliss, Time (Friday, Feb. 27, 2004): "Liberalsand being a member of the media, I of course count myself among themcan be a pretty funny bunch. When we are sympathetic to a controversial work of pop culture, we invoke the artist's right to create in an climate of total freedom, whatever feelings of outrage the work may stoke among the ignorati. (That is: other people.) When we disapprove, we talk about his responsibility to the sensitivities and sensibilities of good people. (That is: us.) So, in the aesthetico-religious sphere, we defend Martin Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ, which portrays Jesus as a human who slowly learns he's divine, and Kevin Smith's Dogma, a raw comedy about an abortion-clinic worker who is a lineal descendant of Jesus. Anyway, I defended these films in TIME, and I took at face value the testimony of Scorsese, who once contemplated entering the priesthood, and Smith, who describes himself as a devout Catholic, that their films were acts of faith.
The latest film of faith, by the movie industry's other Church-going Catholic, Mel Gibson, has received a frostier, more fulminating response. Critics of the filmand I don't mean film critics haven't been content with saying they hate the film. Actually, it would be hard for them to do that, since most of them hadn't seen it when they spouted off. (Liberals used to deride those religious conservatives who organized protests of films they hadn't yet seen.) Instead, they wrap their bludgeons in Scripture, or historical citations, or obscure pronouncements from a religious hierarchy, or dark threats of the harm a movie can do. Some of them seem to have have a cell-phone connection to the Throne of Heaven."
Mel Gibson's 'Passion'. What makes this film different? By Jack Miles, Beliefnet : " As a cinematic matter, the boldest innovation in Mel Gibsons The Passion of the Christ," is its use of language and subtitles to create, in a religious film, the illusion of documentary. Dialogue in a number of recent English-language feature films has fostered this kind of illusion by shifting into a second language plus subtitles for a few minutes at a time. Dances With Wolves, for example, shifted at several points into the Amerindian language Lakota. But no film that I know of unfolds in its entirety in subtitles beneath a language other than that of its primary audience.
Aramaic and Latin, the two languages in which the dialogue of The Passion is spoken, are not just foreign but dead. Aramaic survives only in a few remote corners of the Middle East. Latin is no longer spoken anywhere. The documentary illusion created by subtitles under ancient languages thus simulates a voyage not so much to a distant land as to a distant era. To the extent that any work of art derived from a classic must make it new by making it strange, this is a brilliant stroke. Yet the brilliance has a deeply regrettable secondary effect.
Before speaking of that effect, I should mention that I speak and understand Aramaic, Latin, and Hebrew, and so belong to the over-educated sliver of the audience for The Passion that can hear both original languages with a measure of comprehension (...)."
'Passion' poised to continue climbing. By David Germain, AP movie writer, Seattle Post Intelligencer (Monday, March 1, 2004): "After opening with an astonishing $125.2 million over five days, Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" is positioned to get even bigger as the Christian season of Lent leads up to Easter on April 11.
The box-office total announced Monday by distributor Newmarket Films pushed "The Passion" past "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" ($124.1 million) for biggest debut ever by a film opening on a Wednesday - Ash Wednesday, in this case."
From Boxoffice Comparative Mojo: THE PASSION VS. LORD OF THE RINGS VS. STAR WARS .
 'Passion' hauls in $117.5M in five days. Gibson movie has seventh-best three-day opening ever. By By David Germain AP Movie Writer, Baltimore Sun (February 29, 2004): "Mel Gibson's gamble on "The Passion of the Christ" paid off enormously, riding a storm of religious debate to a $117.5 million haul in its first five days, according to studio estimates Sunday.
"The Passion," which debuted on Ash Wednesday, rocketed to the No. 1 box-office slot for the weekend with $76.2 million from Friday to Sunday. It was the seventh-best three-day opening ever, behind "Spider-Man" at $114.8 million and such Hollywood franchises as "The Matrix Reloaded" and the first two "Harry Potter" movies".
Koppel Tackles The Passion - Jesus, Jews, and the year's most controversial film. By Joel C. Rosenberg (Joel C. Rosenberg is the New York Times best-selling author of 'The Last Jihad' and 'The Last Days', and a former senior aide to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Deputy Prime Minister Natan Sharanksy)., National Review Online (February 24, 2004): "(...) Tonight, ABC's Ted Koppel who is Jewish and whose wife is Catholic tackles the controversy for a Nightline special (Channel 7 in Washington, 11:35 P.M. EST). Monday night, my wife and I and five others from McLean Bible Church watched a sneak preview of The Passion with Koppel at the Regal Cinema in Sterling, Virginia. We were interviewed by Koppel for about an hour afterwards about our perspective on the film and the debate surrounding it. Nightline also separately taped interviews with a number of Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish leaders for the program (...)".
Gibson creation is painful, indelible. By Robert Trussell, The Kansas City Star (Wednesday, 25 February, 2004): "Some viewers may be appalled. Some may be angered. Some may be brought to tears. But few will watch The Passion of the Christ without coming away with new respect for Mel Gibson as a filmmaker. Grudging respect, perhaps, but respect nonetheless. (Note that this review is based on an advanced critics' screening at which everything that could go wrong went wrong: Two reels were shown out of order, and the film broke in the middle of the crucifixion sequence)".
Mel Gibson: Action hero gets serious. By BBC News (Wednesday, 25 February, 2004,): "Mel Gibson, once known as an airhead action hero, has tackled one of the most challenging stories ever told - that of Jesus' crucifixion - for his new film The Passion of the Christ".
'A powerful vision'. By Louis B. Hobson (Special to the Free Press, 2004-02-25): "Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, which opens today in London, is a graphic, wrenching and masterful film".
Reviews mixed on Mel Gibson's 'Passion'. By The Associated Press (Tuesday, February 24, 2004):: " Reviews of Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" range from unabashed raves to raging eviscerations. Here's a sampling from the criticisms released Tuesday".
Ebert and Roeper give Gibson film two thumbs way up. CHICAGO, USA, February 24 (CNA) - The renowned film-reviewing duo, Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper, has given Mel Gibsons film The Passion of The Christ their highest trademark rating: two thumbs way up. The pair offered an early review of the movie, which will hit theaters Feb. 25, on their syndicated series Ebert & Roeper.
This is the most powerful, important and by far the most graphic interpretation of Christ's final hours ever put on film, said Roeper, calling Gibson a masterful storyteller. Ebert said it is the only religious movie he has even seen, with the exception of The Gospel According to St. Matthew, that really seems to deal with what actually happened.
The movie focuses relentlessly on the price that Christ paid for redemption and it emphasizes that Jesus wanted this to happen, said Ebert. His death was the instrument of his purpose, and we should be grateful to him instead of critical of those who were the instruments of his will.
I don't think the movie is anti-Semitic, said Ebert, addressing the films controversy that has swept the media. Roeper added that the movie does not blame all Jews past and present for the death of Jesus. Christ was born as a Jew, his disciples were Jewish, said Ebert. Yes, some Jewish priests call for his death. They were threatened by his assault on their establishment. Most of the Jews in this movie are horrified by what they see".
The Passion Of The Christ. By Mike Goodridge in Los Angeles, Screendaily.com (23 February 2004):: "Dir: Mel Gibson. US. 2004. 127 mins. - It has become difficult to think about The Passion Of The Christ without being influenced by the storm of passion it has stirred up over the last six months, and some of the questions raised. Is it an act of hubris on the part of Mel Gibson? Is it anti-semitic? Is it a dangerous tool designed to incite hatred? Is it a monumental error of judgement of the politically sensitive times we live in? Well the film is finally here to assess - as a film - and the (earthly) good news is that Gibson has delivered a genuinely startling and traumatic vision of the final 12 hours in the life of Christ filled with the directorial flourishes and command of craft which werent so readily on show in Braveheart (...)".
Gibsons Passion. By Russell Hittinger and Elizabeth Lev, First Things 141 (March 2004): 7-10.: "(...) It is thus demonstrably difficult to satisfy the demands of cinematic art and canonical text. But Gibsons Passion is a new kind of film which does just that. In the tradition of Lenten art, he focuses intensely on the climatic moment of the Christ saga, intensifying the power of its sacramental aspects. From the agony in the garden, where Gibson begins, to the piet at the foot of the cross, Jesus does what he teaches. In the sacred text itself, the last twelve hours of his life contain only the tersest dialogue. The parables have all been spoken. The disciples have slunk away. From here, the question of the Christ is telescoped by Gibson into what we seeor, more accurately, what we are able to watch.
Zefferellis movie is comparable to a Ghirlandaio paintingexquisite, but the figures occupy only half the canvas. By contrast, Gibsons figures are in the style of Michelangelo, filling the screen, looming over us, threatening to enter our space. It is unnerving art. When the Roman soldiers call out vertere crucem the audience tenses. The soldiers lift the cross, prop it on its side for an agonizing moment, and then let it fall over towards us. As it crashes to the ground, an audible gasp sounds in the theater. The viewer is denied the detachment of looking through a window into a faraway world and is drawn into the scenes as a humble, perhaps helpless, participant.(...)"
Movie review: 'The Passion of the Christ'. By Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune Movie Critic (Tuesday, February 24, 2004): "2-1/2 stars (out of 4) - "The Passion of the Christ" Mel Gibson's serious, often brutally powerful film on the last 12 hours of the life of Jesus is a passionate but gruesomely physical picture. But it's a subject that needs more spirituality and transcendence, at least to move us in the way director-writer-producer Gibson so obviously wants (...)"
Lo que Gibson buscaba con "La Pasin", lo ha conseguido: golpea. Por Vittorio Messori, especial para "La Razn" (mircoles 18 de febrero de 2004): "En la salita insonorizada, la luz se vuelve a encender despus de dos horas y seis minutos. Somos apenas una docena, de muchos pases, conscientes de nuestro privilegio: por invitacin de Mel Gibson y del productor Steve Mc Eveety, somos los primeros en Europa en ver la cinta recin llegada de Los ngeles. La misma que el prximo mircoles se estrenar en dos mil salas americanas, en quinientas inglesas, en otras tantas australianas, la misma que ha llevado al colapso a todos los sitios de internet y que en la primera semana recuperar los 30 millones de dlares de coste de la produccin. Ni siquiera el Papa ha visto ms que una versin provisional, a la que le faltaba, entre otras cosas, parte de la banda sonora. Pero s, esta tarde somos los primeros (los espaoles la vern el 2 de abril y los italianos tendrn que esperar hasta el da 7, Viernes de Dolores)."
-- Download from "Zenit" the English version: "A Passion of Violence and Love" By Vittorio Messori.
Crucifying Mel Gibson. By Michael Medved, The American Enterprise (January-February, 2004): "(...) I became personally involved in the burgeoning controversy. As a film critic and cultural commentator who also happens to be an observant Jew (and a long-time president of an Orthodox congregation), I felt heartsick over the harsh denunciations of an unfinished motion picture that almost no one had seen. In the past, I've supported and spoken for the Anti-Defamation League, even serving as one of the featured speakers for its national convention eight years ago. I called the ADL office in New York City to express my opinion that the hostile tone of its press statements would destroy all chance that Gibson might cooperate in making adjustments to his motion picture. I also invited ADL director Abe Foxman to discuss the controversy over The Passion on my nationally syndicated radio show, but on several occasions he declined. In discussing the issue on my broadcasts, and in an op-ed column, I emphasized my sense that Gibson had been unfairly targeted with wildly premature attacks on his movie, and by a guilt-by-association campaign focused on his elderly father (...)".
The Passion of Mel Gibson - Why evangelicals are cheering a movie with profoundly Catholic sensibilities. By David Neff, editor of Christianity Today (02/20/04): "(...) This evangelical enthusiasm for The Passion of the Christ may seem a little surprising, in that the movie was shaped from start to finish by a devout Roman Catholic and by an almost medieval Catholic vision. But evangelicals have not found that a problem because, overall, the theology of the film articulates very powerful themes that have been important to all classical Christians(...)"
'Passion' distributors widen film's debut. Reuters (Thursday, February 19, 2004): "Newmarket Films, which is distributing Gibson's film about the last 12 hours of Jesus Christ's life, is raising the number of movie prints to 4,000 from 2,500, and the number of theaters playing the film is expected to rise from 2,000 to 2,800, Newmarket spokeswoman Brooke Travis said. The size of the film's debut now rivals that of a major Hollywood release, underscoring the strong support Christians groups are showing for it after the movie faced criticism from some Jewish leaders and others that its message might be viewed as anti-Semitic.
A big opening volume is considered key to a movie's ultimate success."
Gibson warns audiences of violent Passion. By Guardian Unlimited, Staff and agencies, (Tuesday February 17, 2004): "Gibson appeared on ABC's Primetime programme last night to insist his film was not anti-semitic. "To be anti-semitic is a sin," he said. "It's been condemned by one Papal Council after another. To be anti-semitic is to be un-Christian, and I'm not." He said the gruesome violence was necessary to "push [viewers] over the edge so that they see the enormity, the enormity of that sacrifice."
Why Mel Owes One To The Jews. By Rabbi Daniel Lapin, President, Toward Tradition (February 12, 2004): "Two weeks before Mel Gibson's Passion flashes onto two thousand screens, online ticket merchants are reporting that up to half their total sales are for advance purchases for Passion. One Dallas multiplex has reserved all twenty of its screens for The Passion. I am neither a prophet nor a movie critic. I am merely an Orthodox rabbi using ancient Jewish wisdom to make three predictions about The Passion.One, Mel Gibson and Icon Productions will make a great deal of money. Those distributors who surrendered to pressure from Jewish organizations and passed on Passion will be kicking themselves, while Newmarket Films will laugh all the way to the bank. Theater owners are going to love this film. Two, Passion will become famous as the most serious and substantive Biblical movie ever made. It will be one of the most talked-about entertainment events in history, it is currently on the cover of Newsweek and Vanity Fair. My third prediction is that the faith of millions of Christians will become more fervent as Passion uplifts and inspires them. Passion will propel vast numbers of unreligious Americans to embrace Christianity. The movie will one day be seen as a harbinger of America's third great religious reawakening." Letter on The Passion of the Christ - Most Reverend John F. Donoghue, Archbishop of Atlanta : "(...) I believe that all people should see this film. And as your bishop, I would urge all Catholics of the Archdiocese of Atlanta to see this film. But do not expect to view it objectively or without being changed. It will not leave you the same person you were before you will never again not be able to picture the scope of our Lord's suffering, and the terrible price He paid in order to save us. And consequently, you will never again be able to think of yourself as being innocent, or only relatively involved in the events of His Passion. That is a result of the true artistry that Mel Gibson has brought to the production, along with the work of an amazing cast, and cinematography that elevates this film to a place among the greatest ever made. But most importantly, it is a result of Mel Gibson's faithful adherence to the words and the spirit of the Gospel.(...)"
Welcome Inquirers, Doubters, Devoted Followers of Christ, at whatisthepassion.org: "Whether you have heard of the movie, seen the movie, or just picked up on the controversy surrounding Mel Gibson's film about the last 12 hours of the life of Jesus Christ it is safe to say that The Passion of the Christ is having and will have an impact on people all over the world. In response to the curiosity, the controversy, and the concerns this movie engenders, we have sought, here, to engage in an open dialogue not only about the movie or even about the last 12 hours of Jesus' earthly life but about Jesus' other 33 years and the reason why he died. What about His life? What about your life?"
Gibson film realistic portrayal of Christ. By John-Henry Westen, The Interim(February 2004): "Often, I have tried to evoke "true contrition for my sins." It is that feeling of sorrow you would want a child to be experiencing after seriously harming a sibling. Not crying out of the fear evoked because his brother is hurt or his parents are worried. Not for fear of punishment or worse yet, self-pity after punishment, but crying out of sorrow in the realization that by his own malicious actions, he has seriously hurt his brother, the child of his father and mother, his closest friend."
Gibson warns audiences of violent Passion. By Guardian Unlimited, Staff and agencies, (Tuesday February 17, 2004): "Gibson appeared on ABC's Primetime programme last night to insist his film was not anti-semitic. "To be anti-semitic is a sin," he said. "It's been condemned by one Papal Council after another. To be anti-semitic is to be un-Christian, and I'm not." He said the gruesome violence was necessary to "push [viewers] over the edge so that they see the enormity, the enormity of that sacrifice."
Christians aid Gibson's "Passion" marketing. By Emily Kaiser, Reuters ,( Fri 13 February, 2004): "Arch Bonnema was so moved by Mel Gibson's controversial film "The Passion of The Christ," he bought $42,000 (22,000 pounds) worth of tickets so more people could see it. "It had a profound impact on my life," said Bonnema, a Southern Baptist who runs a financial services firm near Dallas and saw a preview of the film. He gave away 6,000 "Passion" tickets for opening day on Ash Wednesday, February 25."
Religious battle over The Passion. By By David Willis, BBC correspondent in Los Angeles ,( Fri 13 February, 2004): "The Passion of the Christ, written and directed by Mel Gibson, has aroused strong debate among religious groups ahead of its release in the US on 25 February. The film tells the story of the final hours and crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It is a harrowing film which spares few details in its harrowing depiction of the suffering of Christ. Hailed by some as an epic, to others it is one of the most offensive films ever made."
Film Forum: Is The Passion of the Christ Good Because It's Accurate? Is It Accurate? By Jeffrey Overstreet , ChristianityToday.com (| posted 02/12/2004): "The period of speculation, worry, warnings, assurances and hype over The Passion of the Christ is coming to an end. The film is finished, and some audiences have seen it. An original soundtrack has replaced the music that supported early screenings of director Mel Gibson's rough drafts. The final cuts have been made. Here it comes, along with reviews."
Open letter on 'The Passion of the Christ'. By Dr. James Dobson, WorldNetDaily.com (February 6, 2004): "For years, Hollywood executives have justified their constant barrage of sex-and-debauchery-soaked movies by saying, "We're only releasing what the public wants to see!" Many movie industry executives refuse to admit that there is a viable audience for stories and characters that extol biblical virtues. "The Passion of the Christ" presents us with a powerful opportunity to prove them wrong.
In the competitive entertainment market, a movie's opening weekend is widely considered to be the measure of success or failure. If a film fails to draw strong numbers during its first few days of release, it is generally considered a "flop." Therefore, I want to encourage you to consider seeing "The Passion of the Christ" either on its opening day, or soon thereafter.
A 'Passion' Push. Faith-based marketing creates a buzz. By Karin Lipson, Staff Writer New York Newsday; Carol Eisenberg contributed to this story. (NY Newsday, February 9, 2004): "(...) How effective are these methods? In Plano, Texas, for example, two members of a large Baptist church bought out a 20-screen multiplex so 6,000 people could watch the film's premiere. The interdenominational American Bible Society, in Manhattan, has purchased 10,000 tickets to distribute for free. And among Catholic groups, the New York-based Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, has bought several thousand tickets, to be resold at a subsidized cost of $5 each.
Support has come, too, on TV. The Catholic network EWTN last month aired an exclusive interview with Gibson. And the family-oriented PAX network will broadcast an Icon-produced documentary about the making of "The Passion" on Feb. 22 and 24. "I just wanted to make sure I was the one doing it at the height of the issue, which was a few days before" the opening, said PAX chairman Lowell "Bud" Paxson."
Anti-Defamation League plays into Gibson's hands. By David Klinghoffer (The Seattle Times, February 06, 2004). "If the ADL is right that the film "could fuel latent anti-Semitism," whom should we hold responsible if any Jews get hurt as a consequence of its release? Mel Gibson, you say? How about the Anti-Defamation League? This film will be seen by lots and lots of people, thanks largely to the controversy around it, and nobody has done more to fan that controversy into a roaring blaze than the ADL."
Jews OK Mel's film. Herald Sun (Sydney, 07feb04). "Mel Gibson's controversial film about the last hours of Jesus's life is unlikely to incite hostility against Jews, the Executive Council of Australian Jewry said yesterday."
Mel Gibson film 'Passion' to debut on 2,000 screens Reuters / Haaretz (Thu., January 15, 2004 Tevet 21, 5764). "Sometimes a little faith can go a long way. Mel Gibson's controversial new film, "The Passion of Christ," which at first had a hard time finding a distributor, will be independently released on about 2,000 screens in the United States next month, a Gibson spokesman said on Wednesday. A release on 2,000 screens is similar to what a major studio release would receive."
Gibson expects backlash over movie will intensify. Broward Liston - Reuters "Toronto Star" (Jan. 23, 2004). "Youth urged to see it despite R rating -- Jewish criticism follows screenings."
Violence in The Passion of Christ. By Barbara Nicolosi, Director of Act One. (February 03, 2004). "The anti-Semitism argument is not the most controversial thing about the soon to be released Mel Gibson film. The amount and quality of the violence in the film will be a much bigger bone of contention for the Christians who will be lining up at theaters. Believe me, this isn't the kind of film that you load up on popcorn and Diet Cokes for and then sit there munching away. A lot of people are going to be shocked, and profoundly disturbed by the violence. Most adult Christians need to see the film, but we need to prepare them for the shock of it."
Update on 'The Passion'. By John L. Allen Jr., National Catholic Reporter Vatican Correspondent. (January 23, 2004). "I sympathize with those weary of the controversy surrounding the alleged papal reaction, It is as it was, to Mel Gibsons film The Passion of the Christ. Not even the most rabid ultramontanist believes papal infallibility extends to movie reviews, so the film will rise or fall on its own merits, apart from anything John Paul thinks. Moreover, the increasingly farcical he said, she said nature of the story is hardly edifying."
--Statement by Holy See Press Office Director Joaquin Navarro-Valls on 'The Passion of the Christ' : "Vatican City, Jan 22, 2004 (VIS) - The following statement was released this morning by Holy See Press Office Director Joaquin Navarro-Valls: "After consultation with the Holy Father's personal secretary, Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz, I can confirm that the Pope has had the opportunity to see the film, 'The Passion of the Christ'. The film is the cinematographic recounting of the historical fact of the passion of Jesus Christ according to the Gospel accounts.
"It is the Holy Father's custom not to express public judgments on artistic works, judgments which are always open to diverse evaluations of an aesthetic nature."
>> Read "It Is as Is Was". 
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Jews Against Jesus?. Critics of Gibson's film The Passion distort the truth. A Christianity Today editorial (November 2003) :"Christianity is incompatible with anti-Semitism. Which is why we are incredulous that so many are fixated on whether Mel Gibson's film The Passion, due for release next year, will cause violence against Jews. "If it turns out that the controversial film is as brutal as the already-released trailer, then Israel may have to absorb a massive flight of European Jewry this coming spring, when the Jews get all the credit for committing deicide," Rabbi Tovia Singer recently wrote for Israel's Arutz Sheva.
The memory of the Inquisition and the Holocaust -among other anti-Jewish atrocities- remains fresh for many. But given the universal Christian
repudiation of anti-Semitism, Singer's suggestion seems ludicrous and borders on anti-Christian bigotry. Ultimately, the campaign to brand The Passion
as anti-Semitic with a potential "tinderbox effect" is dangerous to Jews."
"After consultation with the Holy Father's personal secretary, Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz, I can confirm that the Pope has had the opportunity to see the film, 'The Passion of the Christ'. The film is the cinematographic recounting of the historical fact of the passion of Jesus Christ according to the Gospel accounts.
"It is the Holy Father's custom not to express public judgments on artistic works, judgments which are always open to diverse evaluations of an aesthetic nature."
-- Jewish Actress Maia Morgenstern Defends Gibson's Jesus Film - By Naomi Pfefferman,
Arts & Entertainment Editor, The Jewish Journal (11-2-3):
Film Director Mel Gibson said during a press
interview in Italy that his new film "The Passion" is "buono
per l'anima, non buono per il portafoglio", good for the
soul, not good for the wallet...
Read more from Azatlan's Hector Carreon. The charges on "The Passion" comes mainly fom the Jewish advocacy group, the "Anti-Defamation League". This is the Gibson point on the the argued "Jewish defamation" supposedly implicit in his thematic approach: "This isn't a story about Jews vs. Christians. Jesus himself was a Jew, his mother was a Jew, and so were his Twelve Apostles. Itǃs true that, as the Bible says, "He came unto his own and his own received him not"; I canǃt hide that. But that doesn't mean that the sins of the past were any worse than the sins of the present. Christ paid the price for all our sins.
The struggle between good and evil, and the overwhelming power of love go beyond race and culture. This film
is about faith, hope, love and forgiveness. These are things that the world could use more of, particularly in
these turbulent times. This film is meant to inspire, not to offend."
(More on Christian Cinema.com
interview).
[...] It would have been ridiculous for England to have launched a public relations effort against BraveHeart because it portrays William Wallace in a positive light, who led a rebellion against the British."
"[...] if you want the popular culture to laud your work on Christ, make sure it either depicts Him as a
homosexual or as an everyday sinner with no particular redeeming value (literally). In our anti-Christian
culture, the blasphemous "The Last Temptation of Christ" is celebrated, and "The Passion" is condemned."
"Mel Gibson's film, The Passion, which is about the last twelve hours of Christ's life is the object
of campaign villification and book burning by a committee of Christians and Jews who want to shut it
down before it is shown, or edit it to their own politically (or religiously) correct standards"...
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