HOLLYWOOD, CA, USA, April 17, 2003 — News has spread quickly among Christian groups when this past January, movie star and director Mel Gibson announced on Fox News Channel's "The O'Reilly Factor" that he is under attack for making a realistic movie about the suffering, sacrificial death of Jesus.
Mr. Gibson told Mr. O'Reilly that a reporter was dispatched by a "reputable" but unnamed publication to "dig up dirt" on him.
"Whenever you take up a subject like this, it does bring out a lot of enemies," he added. His private life, his banking records, charities he supports, friends, business associates and family members have all undergone scrutiny in this investigation, he said.
Mr. Gibson told Mr. O'Reilly that "This is a movie about love, faith, hope and forgiveness. [Jesus] died for all mankind. He suffered for all of us. It's time to get back to that basic message. The world has gone nuts. We could use a little more love, faith, hope and forgiveness." Since Jesus suffered and died to pay to forgive us our sins, Mel told Mr. O'Reilly that he forgave those who were trying to attack him.
Mr. Gibson's movie that is eliciting so much ire is one of several new Hollywood movies on Jesus entitled 'The Passion'. Mr. Gibson is taking a unique tack by filming the entire movie in the original languages, Aramaic and Latin, for authenticity. Mr. Gibson wants his movie featuring Jesus' crucifixion to be the most accurate ever and is working closely with Vatican experts on every detail.
The script is based on the diaries of St. Anne Catherine Emmerich (1774-1824) as collected in the book "The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ," "The Mystical City of God" by St. Mary of Agreda, and the New Testament books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
Jesuit linguistics professor Bill Fulco has translated the screenplay into Latin and Aramaic; and, there won't be any subtitles. A devout Catholic, Mr. Gibson told ABC news that he hopes he will "be able to transcend language barriers with filmic storytelling." He added that, "the audience will have to focus on the visuals, but they had silent films before talkies arrived, and people went to see them."
Production of 'The Passion started Nov. 4, 2002 in Matera and Craco in Southern Italy. Mel Gibson says he chose to shoot in November because of the particular color of the light in this month on the soft stones of the ancient part of Matera. The landscape surrounding Matera looks very similar to the one surrounding Jerusalem. Moreover, the ancient part of Matera (Sassi), abandoned 50 years ago, still looks like a city of 2000 years ago.
According to the Italian press, Mr. Gibson has a good knowledge of the biblical text and of the ecclesiastical documents, that he quotes in Latin. When a local priest paraphrased the apostle Peter, "I'd be ready to die for Christ, even now," Mr. Gibson confirmed, "Me too."
Dr. Ted Baehr is the Publisher of MOVIEGUIDE - http://www.movieguide.org.
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