The Passion of The Christ

Passionate About The Passion
an archive of the controversy of Mel Gibson’s new film, The Passion of the Christ

Compiled by Michael Flanagan

What follows is a rough outline of the events that helped to stir the now high levels of controversy surrounding Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ. Information was obtained from a variety of news sources, imdb.com, and HUGEReviews.com’s records of this film.

In 2002, Mel Gibson announced he would be making a film based on the Gospels’ accounts of the last 12 hours in the life of Jesus Christ, at that time to be called The Passion. The film would be spoken entirely in Latin and Aramaic and have no subtitles. What followed was a series of public, though not official, responses from religious groups, including Christian and Jewish, that was only the early stages of this controversial filmmaking story.

The Genesis of The Passion

June 16

Mel Gibson received an apology from the United States Conference Of Catholic Bishops after members lashed out at his plans to make the film. The high clergy were skeptical about The Passion, which Gibson is directing in Italy, but a spokesman for the Conference admits members were wrong to be critical of a film that has yet to be completed. Conference heads agreed to return all unauthorized copies of the script they had obtained to Gibson. The apology prompted Gibson's first comments on the furor, which led to religious leaders calling his project anti-Catholic and anti-Semitic. He said, "To be certain, neither I nor my film is anti-Semitic. It's a movie meant to inspire, not to offend. My intention in bringing it to the screen is to create a lasting work of art and engender serious thought among audiences of diverse faith backgrounds who have varying familiarity with this story. This is a movie about faith, hope, love and forgiveness - something sorely needed in these turbulent times."

June 30

Mel Gibson has shown the film to members of the Christian group Focus on the Family. Those who attended the screening told cable news channel MSNBC that what they saw dispels concerns about the film. "The Passion is a stunning work of art," one attendee remarked. As for expressions of concern that the film might also turn out to be anti-Semitic, an attendee remarked. "It is no more anti-Semitic than is the Gospel."

July 23

A member of a group of New Testament scholars that examined the script of Mel Gibson's drama The Passion, about the death of Jesus, has concluded that the film is filled with historical inaccuracies and is likely to fuel anti-Semitism. Writing in the New Republic magazine, Paula Fredriksen, a Boston University professor and author of Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews, claims that although Gibson's Icon Productions recently accused the group of scholars of working with a stolen script, it had in fact been in close communications with William Fulco, a Catholic priest at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles who had translated the original script in English to Aramaic and Latin, and had given its pledge to Fulco not to circulate the script outside the group. "The script, when we got it, shocked us," Fredriksen wrote. After presenting Icon with a detailed critique, Fredriksen said that the group was surprised to receive a letter from the company's attorneys accusing them of possessing stolen property and attempting to force the production company "to alter the screenplay to the Picture to suit your own religious views." Although published reports have indicated that the scholars have withdrawn their criticism pending release of the film, Fredriksen maintains that they have not and that early reports from some who have seen the film only compound their concern about many scenes indicated in the script. "That script -- and, on the evidence, the film -- presents neither a true rendition of the Gospel stories nor a historically accurate account of what could have happened in Jerusalem," Fredriksen wrote in the article. She also accused Gibson of engaging in a "very cynical marketing end-run" to discredit the group and others who might criticize the film.

August 7

Mel Gibson's controversial religious film The Passion has been praised as the "best adaptation of The Bible in Hollywood history" by an acclaimed American reviewer - who is also an orthodox Jew. The epic has been condemned by a number of religious groups, but critic Michael Medved spoke on television of his approval of the $25.6 million film, funded entirely by devout Roman Catholic Gibson. Writer David Horowitz, also an observant Jew, agreed, calling the film "an awesome artifact and an overpowering work". These appraisals are wildly estranged from the ferocious criticism leveled at the production by certain religious groups who, after seeing a leaked copy of the script, branded the movie anti-Semitic. A panel of three Jewish and six Roman Catholic scholars who studied the script concluded Jews were presented by Gibson as "bloodthirsty, vengeful and money- hungry". However, a select group of film and literary critics have been shown a rough cut of The Passion - on the condition they did not write or speak about the contents without permission, because the picture is not released until next Easter

August 13

The Catholic League, America's largest Catholic lay organization, has urged Mel Gibson to ignore criticism of his movie The Passion by the Anti-Defamation League. On Monday, following a screening of the film that was attended by Rabbi Eugene Korn of the ADL, the Jewish organization predicted that it "will fuel hatred, bigotry and anti-Semitism." On Tuesday, however, Catholic League president William Donohue issued a statement saying that Gibson, who produced and financed the film, "would be wise to ignore the ADL's politicized attack." Donohue concluded: "The movie is not anti-Semitic and does not need to be changed. Revisionist history is dishonest history and must be resisted."

August 13

Mel Gibson's new movie The Passion has been given the official thumbs down by America's Anti-Defamation League. The controversial film, about the final hours of Jesus Christ's life, was screened for select religious leaders Monday, and ADL officials were far from happy with what they saw. Abraham Foxman, who has been among those heaping criticism on the project, is convinced the film will infuriate and upset religious people. Foxman says, "We are deeply concerned that the film, if released in its present form, will fuel the hatred, bigotry and anti-Semitism that many responsible churches have worked hard to repudiate." Fellow ADL official Rabbi Eugene Korn, who also saw the movie, adds, "This is not a disagreement between the Jews and Mr. Gibson. Many theologically-informed Catholics and Protestants have expressed the same concerns regarding anti-Semitism and that this film may undermine Christian-Jewish dialogue and could turn back the clock on decades of positive progress in interfaith relations."

August 28

The Catholic League has condemned comments by New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind that Mel Gibson's upcoming film The Passion "can incite anti-Semitic violence" because it "resurrects the age-old canard of deocide." At a news conference scheduled for today (Thursday) Hikind is expected to demand that 20th Century Fox not distribute the Gibson film. However, in a statement on Wednesday, Catholic League President William A. Donohue said, "Assemblyman Hikind's response is an example of how reaction to The Passion has spilled into hysteria." He added: "Having seen the movie twice, I agree with the hundreds of Catholics, Protestants, and Jews who have now seen The Passion. It is near unanimous: this movie will not foment anti-Semitism. Any such blind charges are vacuous."

August 29

Twentieth Century Fox has decided not to exercise its right of first refusal to distribute Mel Gibson's controversial film The Passion about the final hours of Christ. A spokesman for the studio told the New York Daily News,"Fox wouldn't be involved." He noted that Gibson's production company, Icon, has "a number of alternative distribution options it was pursuing." Fox's decision was originally disclosed during a rally held outside News Corp's Manhattan headquarters by New York Assemblyman Dov Hikind, who called upon other film companies to reject the film, insisting that it could revive anti-Semitism. Gibson's movie, Hikind said, "is unhealthy for Jews all over the world."

What Does Russell Crowe Think?

Sept 17

Australian Russell Crowe has cast a few stones at The Passion, a movie about the last hours of Jesus Christ, produced and directed by Mel Gibson who moved to Australia with his family at the age of 12, went to school there and made his first movies there. Using an Australian expression that is the equivalent of the American phrase "get real," Crowe said that if it is true that Gibson has shot the film in Aramaic and Latin and intends to release it without subtitles, then "I think he's got to get off the glue. What's the point of making a movie where people can't understand what's going on?" Advised that Gibson believes that most people already know what's going on, Crowe remarked, "Well, if we know the story, if we know it that well, why did [he] bother making it again?" Crowe made the comments on Mancow Muller's radio show in Chicago, and they were picked up Tuesday by MSNBC online columnist Jeannette Walls.

More on the Religious Groups…

Sept 19

Sister Mary Boys, a religious scholar who teaches at Union Theological Seminary and the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, told an audience in Albany Thursday that Mel Gibson showed no interest in hearing the viewpoints of scholars like herself before he embarked on the production of his controversial movie The Passion, about the last hours of the life of Jesus. Boys, who has read the script of the movie but has not seen the film itself, told an audience at the College of Saint Rose that Gibson attempts to present his story as "history" but that the Gospels, on which the film is based, were never intended as history and are in fact contradictory in many instances. As reported by the Albany Times-Union, she went on to say that Gibson appeared to base some of his film on the writings of an 18th-century mystic who claimed to have vision about Christ's last hours. "I don't feel free to critique a mystic," she said. "But you can't have it both ways."

Sept 19

The headquarters of the Catholic Church have staunchly defended Mel Gibson's controversial new film about the last day of Jesus Christ's life, rejecting claims it promotes anti-Semitism. Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyes of the Vatican believes The Passion can't possibly offend Jews as it doesn't portray them in a negative way. He says, "Anti-Semitism, like all forms of racism, distorts the truth by putting an entire race in a bad light. This film does nothing of the kind." Prominent Jewish leaders and members of America's Anti-defamation League have expressed concerns that the movie could incite racial disharmony for depicting Jews as responsible for the death of Christ. Rabbi Eugene Korn, who has seen the movie, has said, "Many theologically- informed Catholics and Protestants have expressed the same concerns regarding anti-Semitism and that this film may undermine Christian-Jewish dialogue and could turn back the clock on decades of positive progress in interfaith relations.”

October 22, 2003

With no major studio showing interest in distributing his controversial The Passion of Christ, Mel Gibson has decided to distribute it through his own company, Icon Entertainment, with the help of art-house distributors Newmarket Films, published reports said today (Wednesday). Today's Los Angeles Times reported that Gibson is looking to debut the film on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 25.

Nov 7

Two religious scholars who criticized Mel Gibson's The Passion of Christ claimed Thursday that they have been bombarded by harassing phone calls, poison-pen letters, and "drive-by email," many of them anti-Semitic in nature, since their remarks were first reported. Sister Mary Boys of Union Theological Seminary in New York and Paula Fredriksen of Boston University made their remarks during a discussion of the movie in New York sponsored by the Anti-Defamation League. The ADL's director, Abraham Foxman, later remarked: "If the debate triggers that kind of response, what response will the movie trigger?"

The Post’s Post

Nov 17

The New York Post reported today (Monday) that a small panel of persons with wide-ranging religious beliefs who viewed a screening of Mel Gibson's The Passion of Christ gave it mixed reviews. Rabbi Robert Levine, a vice president of the New York Board of Rabbis, called the film "appalling" and its depiction of Jews "hateful ... painful and inaccurate" He remarked that he would have walked out of the film if he had not agreed to participate in the Post's panel. On the other hand, Joan Wilson, a Baptist Post reader picked at random by the newspaper, described the film as "riveting" and its portrayal of Jews as "fair." "It's a must-see movie," she concluded. Perhaps surprisingly, Mark Hallinan, a Catholic priest, expressed disappointment "that he didn't use the resources he had to do a balanced portrayal of the life and death of Jesus ... I don't think the intent was anti-Semitic, but Jews are unfairly portrayed." Two other panel participants, Elizabeth Castelli, a professor of religion at Barnard College, and the Post film critic Lou Lumenick also reacted mostly negatively to the movie.

Nov 21

The FBI and the U.S. attorney's office have launched an inquiry into how the New York Post obtained a print of Mel Gibson's The Passion of Christ, which it screened for a panel of five persons earlier this week, the Los Angeles Times reported today, citing three sources familiar with the matter. In its report, the Times described the print as "a bootlegged copy" and quoted a lawyer for Gibson as saying that a civil suit may be filed in the matter. The lawyer, George Hedges, told the newspaper: "Our biggest concern here is that a major media organization would become involved with pirates to concoct a news story to sell newspapers. ... For someone to feel the license to do this is just outrageous." Paramount COO Robert Friedman was also sharply critical of the Post, which is part of the News Corp family and therefore a corporate sibling of 20th Century Fox. "This is vigilante journalism," Friedman railed. "To get anybody's [movie] ... in a formative stage and steal it to review it is unconscionable."

Nov 26

Mel Gibson is reportedly in talks with his legal team after discovering The New York Post newspaper screened a bootleg copy of his controversial movie The Passion Of Christ to a panel of religious leaders. After watching the movie - which stars James Caviezel and Monica Bellucci - the group gave their mostly negative opinions to the paper, which turned the results into a news item. The move has provoked fury in Hollywood, with studio heads describing it as "horrible", "bad ethics" and "a complete lack of compassion for artists... a violation almost beyond words". However, the Post remains unrepentant, saying, "With so much controversy and attention surrounding this film, we feel this is a legitimate news story." Gibson may launch a legal challenge against the paper in the next few days.

The Vatican

Dec 2

Vatican officials have asked to see a preview of Mel Gibson's controversial new movie, The Passion Of Christ, so they can make an informed judgment about the project. The news comes after American religious leader Rev Billy Graham watched the movie - about the last days of Christ - with Gibson, and gave it the thumbs up. Italian religious leaders want to screen the film during an upcoming conference on theology and cinema to be held later this month. Andrea Piersanti, the head of the Catholic entertainment group Entedello Spettacolo, says, "This way, we will be able to form our own serene and detached opinion of the film." But Gibson, who produced and directed the film, has yet to agree to hand over his film. The movie star is a member of an ultra-conservative Catholic movement that does not recognize the pope's authority over the Roman Catholic church.

Dec 3

Mel Gibson is making Catholic leaders at The Vatican wait for a viewing of his controversial new film The Passion Of The Christ. Vatican officials were expecting a screening of the movie - about the last 12 hours of Jesus Christ's life - at their convention on spirituality in film last night, but Gibson's production company emailed them late Monday night to inform them that the final cut was still being worked on. The religious leaders will now have to wait at least a couple of weeks to watch the film - which has caused massive controversy for allegedly suggesting Jewish authorities were responsible for crucifying Jesus - but Gibson has assured them they will be treated to a private viewing before it goes on general release.

Dec 11

Mel Gibson's controversial religious epic The Passion Of The Christ has been praised by Vatican officials - after three highly-influential congregations were invited to special screenings of the film. According to sources in Rome, the Vatican Secretariat Of State, the Pontifical Council Of Social Communications and the Congregation For The Doctrine Of The Faith, were all invited to watch the eagerly-anticipated movie last weekend. And a report by American news source Zenit, which tracks Vatican news, suggested the Catholic audiences exhibited "unanimous appreciation and approval" of the film. In an interview with Father Augustine Di Noia, undersecretary of the Doctrinal Congregation, he says, "The production of exquisite artistic and religious sensitivity. The film neither exaggerates nor downplays the role of Jewish authorities and legal proceedings in the condemnation of Jesus. But precisely because it presents a comprehensive account of what might be called the 'calculus of blame' in the passion and death of Christ, the film would be more likely to quell anti-Semitism in its audiences than to excite it." However, the report has provoked a furious reaction from the Anti- Defamation League, a Jewish rights group, who insist that Gibson should give those who fear the film is anti-Semitic a chance to vet the upcoming release.

Dec 18

Pope John Paul II's five-word review of Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ -- "It is as it was." -- is likely to rescue the film from the intense controversy it has generated, even before its completion. The pope's endorsement, reported by the National Catholic Reporter's Vatican correspondent, John L. Allen Jr., may offset criticism of the film that was ignited when the Anti-Defamation League, the Simon Wiesenthal Center, and other Jewish groups charged that it could foment anti-Semitic conflict by depicting Jews as being responsible for Christ's crucifixion. In a statement on Wednesday, William Donohue, president of the Catholic League, the nation's largest Catholic lay group, said that while he could understand the concerns some Jewish leaders may entertain about the film, he believes that an "ad hoc group of Catholic and Jewish theologians" are miffed because Gibson did not discuss the ramifications of the film with them first. Said Donohue: "He doesn't need to -- the pope's on board. This latter group has two choices: they can either find a spider hole and crawl in it, or they can just keep on talking. Call it a Hobson's choice."

Dec 19

The Anti-Defamation League, which had denounced the original shooting script for Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, has moderated its criticism following word that Pope John Paul II had seen it and had endorsed it. Avowing that the group respected the pontiff's opinion, ADL National Director Abraham Foxman said in a statement: "The pope has a record and history of sensitivity to the Jewish community and has a clear moral voice and understanding when it comes to anti-Semitism." However, Foxman added, "we must reserve final judgment ... until we have an opportunity to see the film. We hope that Mel Gibson has heard our concerns and those of Christian and Jewish scholars and religious leaders, who expressed unease about the earlier version of the film and its potential to fuel, rationalize and legitimize anti-Semitism."

Jan 7, 2004

Director Mel Gibson makes a bizarre cameo in his forthcoming film The Passion Of Christ - his hand is reportedly seen putting a nail into the palm of Christ. The film, which has attracted controversy amid fears it would ignite tension between Christian and Jewish groups, has also encouraged a fierce following of internet fan sites, rife with speculation. Some sites have reported that a hand that appears during Christ's crucifixion scene is Gibson's own, with fans suggesting the star's deeply-held religious guilt is behind the unusual gesture.

Jan 15

Although Mel Gibson's controversial The Passion of the Christ had been expected to receive the kind of limited distribution associated with independent films, a Gibson spokesman said Wednesday that the film will open on Feb. 25 on about 2,000 screens, a figure generally reserved for major studio releases (and the biggest debut for an independent film in recent history). Gibson's own company, Icon Productions, is placing the film in theaters, with the help of indie distributor Newmarket Films. The film, which deals with the final hours in the life of Christ, has generated polarizing debate among religious groups, with the Jewish Anti-Defamation League warning that it could whip up anti-Semitic passions, and Pope John Paul reportedly giving it his blessing. Today's (Thursday) New York Times reported that one multiplex in a Dallas suburb plans to reserve all 20 of its screens for the film. Bob Berney, president of Newmarket Films told the newspaper that theaters have been inundated with ticket requests. "People call and say, 'I want 10,000 tickets, '" he said.

Vatican vs. Foxman

Jan 20

The Vatican has denied that Pope John Paul II has endorsed Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ. In an interview with the Catholic News Service, the pope's secretary, Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz, said that while the pope had indeed seen it, "the Holy Father told no one his opinion of the film." Earlier reports had quoted Archbishop Dziwisz as saying that the pope, after viewing the film, had remarked "It is as it was." The film concerns the final hours of the life of Jesus, and some critics have warned that it could spark a renascence of anti-Semitism. Reporting on the Catholic News Service article, today's (Tuesday) New York Times comments that it suggests that "either he (Dziwisz), the pope, or other Vatican officials close to the pope had become concerned about the degree to which the pope's imprimatur was being placed on The Passion."

Jan 23

Abraham Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League, has disclosed that he sneaked into a screening of Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ at a Christian conference in Orlando, FL this week and had concluded that the film might indeed "fuel latent anti-Semitism that exists in the hearts of those people who hold Jews responsible for the death of Jesus." A spokesman for Gibson later acknowledged that Foxman had not signed a required confidentiality statement and that he registered as a member of the "church of truth." In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Foxman said that Gibson is "hawking it on a commercial crusade to the churches of this country. That's what makes it dangerous." A spokesman for Gibson commented: "We respect the right to freedom of expression and expect the same in return." Reuters reported from Orlando on Thursday that the film includes a scene in which the Jewish high priest strikes and spits on Jesus and other scenes in which Jewish authorities are joined by a figure meant to be the personification of the Devil. Meanwhile, PAX-TV announced plans to broadcast a one-hour special from Gibson's production company about the making of The Passion of the Christ on Feb. 22. The company's founder and chairman, Bud Paxson, told the Times: "I saw it with a Jewish rabbi and a Catholic priest, we discussed it for an hour afterward, and we found nothing wrong with the film."

Feb 2

Mel Gibson has sent a letter to Rabbi Abraham Foxman, head of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), assuring him that "I do not take your concerns lightly." As reported Saturday in the Los Angeles Times, Gibson referred to public comments made by Foxman after he sneaked into a closed preview screening of Gibson's The Passion of the Christ in Orlando, FL last month. At the time Foxman said that the film had the potential to foment anti-Semitism and called upon Gibson to make numerous changes to it before its scheduled release on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 25. Gibson's letter, obtained by the Times, called upon Foxman to set an example "that the truest path to follow, the only path, is that of respect and, most importantly, that of love for each other despite our differences." The Times reported today (Monday) that Gibson is expected to lock in a final version of Passion this week.

Feb 4

Mel Gibson has agreed to remove at least one scene from his movie The Passion of the Christ that has been the subject of protests by Jewish leaders and religious scholars who have seen it, the New York Times reported today (Wednesday). The scene reportedly features Jewish high priest Caiaphas declaring of the Crucifixion, "His blood be on us and on our children." The Times, which said that it had been permitted to see the film, reported that the film depicts Pilate as being reluctant to treat Jesus severely but that in the end, he agrees to crucify him in order to mollify a Jewish mob.

Feb 12

The president of the Catholic League, the largest organization of lay Catholics in the country, has derided comments by the head of the Jewish Anti-Defamation League that Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ could revive the kind of anti-Semitism that has fallen on the heels of Passion Plays produced in the past. In a statement, William Donohue said, "Aside from one Catholic convert in Nazi Germany who was attacked, we have to go back to the Middle Ages to find examples. And in the U.S., there is no record of violence against Jews following any Passion Play." 16

Mel Gibson defended his special on an ABC special with Diane Swyer. For more information on the special, visit abc.com.

Feb 20

Mel Gibson's Icon Productions and independent distributor Newmarket Films announced Thursday that they will open the controversial The Passion of the Christ in about 2,800 theaters and perhaps as many as 4,000 screens on February 25, Ash Wednesday. At least one multiplex near Dallas has announced that it will initially be showing the film on all 20 of its screens 24 hours a day. Spokespersons for both companies acknowledged that the controversy surrounding the film has boosted interest in it. Advance ticket sales have reportedly exceeded $10 million, and box-office analysts are predicting that the film will earn more than $40 million in its first week, reportedly the amount that Gibson sank into it. Meanwhile, it was reported that Anti-Defamation League Chairman Abraham Foxman met Thursday with Vatican officials asking them to restate the church's teachings on the crucifixion. However, Archbishop John Foley, head of the Vatican's social-communications office, said later that Foxman's appeal had been rejected, and he dismissed the notion that the film could inspire anti-Semitism

Michael Flanagan

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