Review
THE PASSION RECUT
Starring Jim Cavietzel, Monica Bellucci and Maia Morgenstern
Directed by Mel Gibson
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One year after the original release of The Passion of the Christ Mel Gibson re-enters the multiplex with a newly edited, less violent version of his controversial, mega-million-dollar grossing opus. The Passion (from late Latin meaning martyrdom) refers to the agonizing and ultimately redemptive events in the final 12 hours of Christ’s life. It also refers to Gibson’s love affair with this particular project. Why else would he recut and re-release it?
Some say for the money, but I don’t think so. Gibson has more money than God and The Passion is already the top-grossing R-rated film of all time, so I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt when he says he was inspired to recut the film to cater to those who might have avoided it because of the brutality.
I’ve seen both versions of The Passion and I think he’s done a great job with re-editing. I found some of the images in the original version so jarring that it took me completely out of the film. This "softer" version is what Gibson should have released initially, but then, who knew this movie would actually see the light of day?
Right from the start, Mad Mel seemed to be in hot water with this flick and every move he made was scrutinized. No one gave Gibson credit as an auteur for self-financing, co-writing and directing The Passion. Instead, people said he was a fool for wanting to make a movie in Aramaic, Latin and Italian.Troubles came during production when the unfinished film couldn’t secure a distributor due to it’s (and Gibson’s) alleged anti-Semitism, which he vehemently denied. I have a hard time believing that a man who shells out $35 million of his own money would be tempted to further an agenda of hate. He even cut out lines directly taken from The New Testament in order to appease his more vocal critics.
Gibson was again condemned for choosing Catholic figureheads to be the first to view the film. Personally I think that’s just common sense seeing as The Passion is essentially the Stations of the Cross (a Catholic practice) put on film. Getting professionals on the subject to verify the film’s authenticity sounds more like committed filmmaking than subversive anti-Semitism.
When The Passion was released it was initially marketed to the Christian community. That’s just good target marketing – the fact that the right-wing Moral Majority (who are so-called Christians at best) latched on wasn’t Gibson’s fault. He’s may be staunch Catholic and a traditionalist, but I don’t believe he was actively trying to associate his movie with homophobic, hateful warmongers. This would be irresponsible, especially considering hatred goes against everything that Jesus taught. You can’t blame the art for its patrons. Triumph Of The Will, Leni Riefenstahl’s infamous propaganda film of the 1934 Nazi Party rally in Nuremberg, is a historical piece of filmed hatred that is now being embraced by intellects and film lovers all over the world as a cinematic masterpiece. I assume you can see the irony here.
Then came the reviews. The more open-minded cinephiles felt The Passion was nothing more than a two-hour gore fest and people latched on. I’ve talked to friends of mine who emphatically refuse to see this movie because they have better things to do than watch a man get tortured for two hours. These same friends own copies of Evil Dead and its two sequels.
When The Passion made an absolute killing at the box office this, of course, brought further contempt for Gibson, who was further chastised for selling Passion paraphernalia online. People who loved the movie wanted souvenirs. What’s the problem? Personally, I’m more offended by George Lucas (another self-financed auteur) and his approach: to sell off the rights of his Star Wars movies to giant corporations like McDonalds or Wal-Mart weeks before the film’s release, thus breaking even financially before audiences have had a chance to decide whether or not it’s a hit. At least Gibson recouped his losses the old-fashioned way – he earned it.
The fact that Gibson released The Passion Recut in time for Easter tells me three things: He really wants those Evil Dead-loving friends of mine to see his movie; he’s a savvy filmmaker who knows his demographic and there’s a message in The Passion that he really wants people to hear and I am kind of moved that he’s gone to such great lengths to get it across. Maybe I’m just an optimist, but I really believe that Gibson believes that the message is one of love – the love that his Messiah has for all of humanity.
I think more studios should follow his lead. Maybe that way we would have fewer films made by committee and more movies made by filmmakers who are truly passionate about the films they make.
Have a safe and Happy Easter. |
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