March 2004
INDONESIA: Catholics and non Catholics welcome “The Passion of the Christ”
(March 30, 2004)
Jakarta (AsiaNews/Ucan) – Catholic clergy and lay people in the Jakarta area who have viewed the by-now famous film directed by Mel Gibson, “The Passion of the Christ”, say that the film has been an asset to their Lenten reflections and has deepened their appreciation of Jesus’ sufferings. More here
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“The Passion of the Christ” stirs religious controversy in Kuwait
(March 30,2004)
A religious scholar in Kuwait issued a fatwa demanding the banning of the film “The Passion of the Christ”, by Mel Gibson from being screened in the Islamic world, in addition to prohibiting Muslims from watching it, saying anyone who has seen the movie must “repent”. More here
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Paris court refuses to ban Passion of the Christ
(March 29, 2004)
(AFP) - A demand that Mel Gibson's popular film, "The Passion of the Christ", be banned in France because of a perceived anti-Semitic theme was thrown out by a Paris court Monday. More here
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South Africa: The Passion of The Christ smashes local box office records
(March 29, 2004)
By Patrick Leeman: Mel Gibson's film about the last 12 hours of Jesus's life on Earth, The Passion of The Christ, has set a number of box office records since opening at outlets in Durban on Friday. More here
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'The Passion of the Christ' draws confession from murderer!
(March 27, 2004)
London: Dan Leach, 21, who murdered his pregnant girlfriend, Ashley Wilson, 19, confessed after watching Mel Gibson's film 'Passion Of The Christ'. According to The Sun, Leach walked into a police station and admitted that he had killed Ashley two months ago because he could not cope with the feeling of being a dad. More here
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Scots cinema-goers feel the passion of the Christ
(March 27, 2004)
FOR months before its release, it was dogged by controversy and its director accused of using gratuitous violence and anti-semitism. And yesterday, on the first full day of release in Scotland of Mel Gibson’s depiction of the last days of Christ, there were extreme reactions to the movie from cinema-goers. More here
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Women of The Passion of the Christ
(March 24, 2004)
Men's Wear Daily: "For a moment, lets set aside all of the excruciatingly poisonous anti-Christian rhetoric that has flooded newspapers and networks since Mel's movie first shone a bright light on the treacherous agenda of “interfaith” interlopers across America. For a moment, lets look at the beautifically inspiring women of The Passion of the Christ..." More here
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Egyptians sneaking 'Passion'
(March 24 2004)
Hollywood Reporter: "When Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ opens (in Egypt) next month, theater owners are anticipating record-breaking boxoffice even though many Egyptians already have seen the film on bootlegged cassettes or downloads from the Internet. Piracy is a tempting activity in a country where a $2 theater ticket is a luxury and strict censorship laws dictated by Al Azhar, the Supreme Muslim Authority, limit the number of Western films on Egyptian screens. Hassan
Saleh, a video editor in Cairo, recently saw Passion on a CD-ROM a friend had downloaded from the Internet. He and his friends, most of whom are artists and filmmakers in their 30s, shared the CD and said they loved the film. "We all know how this story ends," Saleh said. "But the beauty of it was the journey of Christ's last three days, the journey of suffering and tragedy. It was very impressive." More
here
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Passion of the Christ' community forum draws 400
(Mar 23, 2004)
The Herald-Sun: "Professor Richard Hays, a New Testament expert from Duke Divinity School, said he had spent 25 years trying to get people interested in the New Testament with nominal success, but that Mel Gibson had done it in one stroke. An interfaith community forum Monday night at Judea Reform Synagogue attracted about 400 people. And after three speakers gave their initial reaction to Gibson's movie The Passion of the Christ, the crowd spent 45 minutes peppering them
with reactions and questions..." More here
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Gibson Likely To Become Top Celebrity Money-Earner
(March 23, 2004)
Studio Briefing reports " Although Mel Gibson fell off the "Forbes Celebrity 100" list last year, the success of his The Passion of the Christ will likely push him to the top of the list this year, as his $30-million investment is likely to net him between $300 million and $400 million out of a gross of around $1 billion." More here.
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'The Passion of the Christ' will be first M-18 film in Singapore
(March 23, 2004)
Singapore News: "Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" will be the first movie here to be screened under the new Mature-18 film category when it comes into effect next Monday..." More here
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'Passion of the Christ' knocked out of top box office spot by 'Dawn of the Dead'
(March 22, 2004)
Associated Press: "Audiences feasted on zombies as the fright flick ``Dawn of the Dead'' ruled the box office, debuting with $27.3 million and bumping The Passion of the Christ' from the top spot. More here
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Qatar is first Gulf Arab state to publicly screen Gibson's controversial film accused of encouraging anti-Semitism.
(March 22, 2004)
Middle East Online: Mel Gibson's film "The Passion of the Christ" made its debut Sunday in Qatar, the first Gulf Arab state to publicly screen the controversial movie that has been accused of encouraging anti-Semitism. "We submitted 'The Passion of the Christ' to the censorship committee, which had no objection to its screening," in Qatar, said Abdul Rahman Mohsen, the director general of a private Qatari cinema company. More
here
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President Arafat: Passion of the Christ 'Impressive'
(March 21, 2004)
International Press Online: "The Palestinian President Yasser Arafat watched Mel Gibson's “The Passion of the Christ” on Saturday in his office in Ramallah City, after a his key advisor compared Jesus' pain during crucifixion to the suffering of Palestinians in the conflict with Israel." More here
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UAE cinemas set for 'Passion of the Christ'
(March 21, 2004)
"Smash-hit movie 'The Passion of the Christ' is to be screened in the UAE on March 31, said a report. Sources, quoted by the Gulf News, said the Ministry of Information and Culture had approved the screening of Mel Gibson's film in UAE cinemas..." More here
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Woman's view: A Very Beautiful Heart felt Review of the Passion
By Sister Joseph Andrew Bogdanowicz, OP
(March 15, 2004)
ZENIT: "For me, Jim Caviezel's portrayal of Christ elicited tears wrung from the heart which, I soon understood, was beating as one with Mother Mary's and with all the women portrayed in the film: Mary Magdalene, Veronica, Claudia, the weeping women." More here
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"Passion" Star Caviezel Has a Papal Audience
(March 15, 2004)
ZENIT: "John Paul II received Jim Caviezel, the actor who plays Jesus in the film "The Passion of the Christ," in private audience. Caviezel was accompanied by his wife and parents-in-law. Vatican sources told ZENIT that the Pope blessed Caviezel at the end of today's audience." More here
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Pirated DVDs of ‘The Passion of Christ’ Flood Jeddah
(March 15, 2004)
Arab News: "High quality DVDs of Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ are selling like hotcakes in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the English-language." The publication said that bootleg copies of the movie are being "sold outside of supermarkets and out of the trunks of cars for about $8.00 apiece. One vendor said that he and his colleagues had underestimated the demand for the movie.." More
here
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Jewish actress, Maia Morgenstern, relishes 'Passion' role
(March 15, 2004)
Rachel Abramowitz, Los Angeles Times: "Over lunch, Morgenstern keeps fingering the large, gold Star of David that hangs from her neck. Morgenstern, who's Jewish, insists that it's not something she's purposefully wearing to promote the film during a rash of interviews.
"I always wear it," she says in accented English. "Not on the stage, or on the set when I'm filming, depending on the character. Since my parents and my grandparents were forced to wear yellow Jewish stars on their clothes as a sign of racism and anti-Semitism during the Second World War." More here
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Gibson may do the Jewish Maccabbees next
Mark I. Pinsky
The Orlando Sentinel: "The first rumor flitting through the evangelical world is that the filmmaker intends to plow the profits from "The Passion" into a movie about the central characters of the holiday of Hanukkah, fighters called the Maccabees. Their story is told in sacred writings of the biblical period, although the two books of the same name are not officially a part of either testament...." More
here
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Great Interview with actor Jim Caviezel, who plays Jesus
(March 15, 2004)
Northern Ireland: "It was a brutal shoot, Caviezel admits. He spent weeks near naked on a cross in bone-chilling weather, being hit by lightning and accidentally having his back gashed. Not to mention the sharp crown of thorns, dislocating a shoulder and a lung infection." More here
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'Passion' set to become top R-rated film
(March 15, 2004)
USA Today: "Few films hang on No. 1 for more than a week or two. Those that do are among the biggest movies ever. Passion's ticket sales fell just 40% from the previous weekend. And its religious theme is likely to play well in the four weeks before Easter April 11..." Read more
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'The Passion of the Christ' Having Unexpected Impact: Film and Surrounding Debate Might Be Lessening Hostility Toward Jews, Says Institute for Jewish & Community ResearchPoll
(March 15, 2004)
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040315/sfm108_1.html
Among those who have seen the film or are familiar with it, most (83%) said the film had no impact on the extent to which they feel contemporary Jews are to blame, two percent said "The Passion" has made them more likely to hold Jews responsible, but nine percent said the film has made them less likely to hold today's Jews responsible. The rest did not know. Of the 146 respondents who had seen the film, 80% said the film had no impact, five percent said "The Passion"
has made them more likely to hold Jews responsible, and 12% percent said the film has made them less likely to hold today's Jews responsible.
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The Passion remained the top film for third weekend
(March 15, 2004)
Mens News Wear Daily: "The Passion of the Christ has pulled in a massive $264 million, moving it past some of the biggest hits of all time. The Passion moved ahead of the top-god flick Bruce Almighty which grossed $242.7 million last year, two Pixar films, Toy Story 2 ($245.8 million) and Monsters Inc. ($255.8 million), and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets ($262 million). Next weekend it
should rise to become the top R Rated film, passing The Matrix Reloaded at $281.6 million. Estimating where the Passion is going to top out at is a dangerous game, but at this point I'm going to estimate a finish around $350-375 million, putting it just out of the top five films of all time." More here
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`Passion' book a good read for Tyndale House publisher
(March 15, 2004)
"It's unusual for a coffee table book. These types of books normally sell between 20,000 and 30,000 copies," said Dan Balow, executive director of Tyndale International Publishing Services. "By the end of this month, we'll have 525,000 in print." More here
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Man Arrested For Allegedly Selling Bootleg "Passion" DVDs
(March 15, 2004)
"Videos Reportedly Sold At Jockey Lot. When a movie such as "The Passion Of The Christ" brings in more than $250 million, it's only a matter of time before illegal copies begin to appear." More here
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Rooney stirs 'passion' in his viewers
Record response for calling Gibson a 'wacko'
(March 15, 2004)
Canada.com: "The 60 Minutes curmudgeon said Sunday he got 30,000 pieces of mail and e-mail in response to his Feb. 22 commentary, in which he called The Passion of the Christ filmmaker Mel Gibson a "wacko." It's the biggest viewer response ever to a segment on the CBS newsmagazine..." More here
Also, WCCO.com has a nice followup on Andy Rooney Here
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'Passion' will inspire other religious films (excellent reflection)
(March 15, 2004)
Michael Medved in USA Today: "Mel Gibson's unprecedented hit, The Passion of the Christ, already has changed Hollywood forever. Those industry insiders who deny the significance of the transformation are fooling only themselves." Read more
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FIRST-PERSON: The passion of hypocrisy (excellent reflection)
(March 15, 2004)
Baptist press: For critics to slam The Passion for being too violent is disingenuous at best, and hypocritical at worst. I will point out that the “too violent” charge comes from the very community that lauded Quentin Tarantino’s gratuitously bloody “Kill Bill Vol. 1.”
"...For the avant-garde to reject The Passion on artistic grounds is hypocritical. Mel Gibson has done a serious treatment about a Christ who willingly embraces suffering. Could it be the subject matter of The Passion that has the artistic elite so queasy? More here
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Hollywood Rethinking Films of Faith After 'Passion'
(March 15, 2004)
New York Times: "As the overwhelming success of "The Passion of the Christ" reverberates through Hollywood, producers and studio executives are asking whether the movie industry has been neglecting large segments of the American audience eager for more openly religious fare." More here
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Expected To Be Bigger Hit Than Oscar-Winning 'Return of the King'
(March 15, 2004)
Talon News: "Movie experts say the film will likely see a huge surge in popularity as the Easter holiday approaches, pushing box office totals into unprecedented territory for a film with a Christian theme and English subtitles." More here
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The Passion remained the top film on Friday
(March 13, 2004)
The new Columbia Pictures thriller, Secret Window, starring Johnny Depp and John Turturro, opened to $7.1 million on Friday in 3,018 theaters. The film is the first to come close to taking over the top spot from Mel Gibson's The Passion of The Christ, which was first again with $7.8 million from 3,221 theaters. The film has now collected an amazing $240.3 million in 17 days and has moved up to #34 on the all-time domestic blockbuster list.
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'The Passion of the Christ' to Undergo Tight Screening in Turkey
(March 13, 2004)
"Mel Gibson's movie, 'The Passion of the Christ', which was the target of many heated debates in the U.S., will open on April 9th in Turkey." Read more
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One passionate actor learns how to swing like a legend
(March 13, 2004)
"When the producers of Stroke of Genius, the upcoming movie about the life of Bobby Jones, set out to cast the lead role, they looked at actors who were good golfers -- Chris O'Donnell and Mark Wahlberg, to name a few. At the same time, they offered the supporting role of Walter Hagen to an actor named Jim Caviezel, who's starred in The Passion of the Christ, The Thin Red Line, and Frequency, among others."
Read more.
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$232,379,231!
(March 13, 2004)
The figures are in. During it's second week (March 5-11) The Pasion of the Christ made an incredible $71,737,292 box office, bring the total cumulate to $232,379,231!
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Mel Gibson in line for "Lethal Weapon 5"!
(March 12, 2004)
"According to a report in IMDb, the 'Passion Of The Christ' filmmaker is reportedly in talks with director Richard Donner, who is persuading Gibson to reprise his role as renegade cop Martin Riggs." Read more
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The Vatican and the Catholic League Speak up in support
(March 12, 2004)
From: www.catholicleague.com
"Joaquín Navarro-Valls, the Director of the Holy See's Press Office, said yesterday that 'The Passion of the Christ' was 'a cinematographic transcription of the Gospels. If it were anti-Semitic, the Gospels would also be so.' He added that the pope would have criticized the movie if it were bigoted against Jews, but, he declared, there is 'nothing anti-Semitic about it.' The Vatican spokesman made his comments in reply to Riccardo Di Segni, chief rabbi
of Rome, who had asked the Vatican to formally condemn the Mel Gibson movie.
"Catholic League president William Donohue was pleased:
"This will now settle the issue for most Catholics-the movie is not anti-Semitic. Naturally, there will always be some, most especially dissident theologians, nuns and priests, who will reject the Vatican's understanding of the film. But then again they have a long track record of rejecting lots of things the Vatican says. It would be a mistake for the millions of Catholics who have embraced this movie to allow the dissidents
to distract them from the beauty of the film.
"For some Jews, this may not sit too well. That would be unfortunate, because the last thing Catholics want is bad relations with Jews. Those Jews who find the movie problematic should be treated with respect. Given what has happened to Jews throughout history, including at the hands of many Christians, it is not surprising that many Jews today would be wary of any movie that deals with the death of Jesus. But an honest
dialogue between Catholics and Jews cannot proceed if Catholics-convinced the movie is a spiritual exercise absent anti-Semitism-are to pretend there isn't an honest disagreement about the movie.
"At the end of the day, however, disagreements between Catholics and Jews need not take on any greater significance than the ordinary family quarrel. It is up to the major players on both sides to see to it that our common friendship transcends any discord about this matter." www.catholicleague.com
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Legal action urged against Mel Gibson film
(March 12 2004)
"A Jewish advocacy group has asked the US Justice Department to 'utilise civil, criminal and federal hate crime laws' against Mel Gibson's film The Passion of the Christ." Read more
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PASSION AT DAYTONA 500
(March 12, 2004)
"At this year's Daytona 500, Whoopi Goldberg dropped the green signal flag, Ben Affleck drove the pace car, LeAnn Rimes sang the national anthem and actor James Caviezel , who plays Jesus in "The Passion of the Christ," spent time in the pit of Bobby Labonte , whose car advertised the film." Read more
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Now number 39 all-time champ
(March 12, 2004)
Despite the arrival of three new films last weekend, the Passion of the Christ fell just 36% in its second weekend, pulling in another $53.2 million to bring its 12-day gross to $213.9 million. As of Wednesday, March 10, Passion's score increased to $228.1 million, and it ranked No. 39 among all-time domestic boxoffice grossers. If this momentum continues over the weekend, a 35%-40% decline would see
the film pick up another $35 million. For a total box office of $265 million. In the process, it will surpass My Big Fat Greek Wedding, which has held the record as the most successful independent film ever.
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Appealing to many non-religious teens and college students.
(March 11, 2004)
"The movie, widely characterized as gory, is bringing in young men who usually flock to slasher-type films. "I think there's a lot of searching in the younger people's minds," said Michael Boerner of Mission Media, "They want to know what it's all about. When they go to the movie, it's full of violence, it's tough, it's uneasy to watch, but this is the same generation that's been raised on some very extreme things." Read
more
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BOX OFFICE CHAMP IN 3RD WEEKEND?
(March 11, 2004)
The Passion of the Christ will probaly continue as box office champ for a third week in a row. Although daily numbers have slacked off a bit -- from the $7-9 million range last week to $4-5 million this week. Box office is expect to be $32 million. Johnny Depp's Secret Window is expected to bring in $30 million this first weekend. The Passion should be one of the top 25 highest-grossing films of all time
by Sunday.
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Philippine bishops endorse Gibson film 'Passion of the Christ'
(March 11, 2004)
"Church leaders in the predominantly Roman Catholic Philippines say they are endorsing the Mel Gibson film "The Passion of the Christ", dismissing criticism that it was anti-Semitic." Read more
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A Hindu Looks At The Passion Of The Christ
(March 11, 2004)
"Last Friday, I saw two reports, one conducted by the National Review Board for the Protection of Children and Young People regarding the sexual abuse of minors by pedophile priests, and the other a study by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice that said 4,392 priests sexually abused 10,667 children from 1950 to 2000.
"Suddenly the movie, The Passion of the Christ, assumed a fresh meaning in my mind. I saw it as an allegory about the abuse of the innocent by the powerful and corrupt. I began to see that the High Priest Caiaphas' loudest outburst against Jesus as no different from the loudest silence of the Vatican when it knew or should have known what its priesthood was doing to the innocent. Instead of seeing Jesus on the Cross, I
saw thousands of abused American children on the Cross, while the Church made plea bargains and financial settlements with victims..." Read more
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Debney to conduct 'The Passion Of The Christ' on Jay Leno
(March 10, 2004)
"Film composer John Debney has been invited to conduct a choir performing music from his The Passion Of The Christ score on the most popular late night US TV talk show, 'The Tonight Show' with Jay Leno, on 11th March." Read more
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Gibson takes time out
(March 9, 2004)
Mel Gibson is taking a much needed time out. Location unknown.
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Is Caviel in danger of assination?
(March 8, 2004)
"A furious mob has already screamed 'anti-Semite' slogans and hurled a bucket of lamb's blood at the Oscar-winning actor and director Gibson in a New York street." Read more
"James Caviezel, who plays Jesus in Mel Gibson's blockbuster "The Passion of the Christ," has reportedly been assigned a security detail to protect him." Story here.
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The Passion of the Christ" Gets Elementary School Teacher Suspended
(March 6 2004)
"Ronald Anthony has been suspended with pay from his teaching position at the Malcolm X Elementary in Washington D.C. Anthony showed his 6th grade students excerpts from the R-rated Gibson film, "The Passion of the Christ", during social studies." Read more
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Mel Gibson sues over pirating of "The Passion"
(March 6, 2004)
"Hollywood star Mel Gibson's company has sued a movie post-production film where workers allegedly made pirate copies of his hit movie "The Passion of the Christ," court documents showed Friday."Read more
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A SOCALIST POINT OF VIEW
(March 5, 2004)
Why has The Passion of the Christ evoked such a popular response in America? By David Walsh. "The Passion of the Christ is a reprehensible work. Those who praise the film, or downplay its reactionary character, or remain silent for fear of drawing fire from the fundamentalist right, serve political reaction themselves.
"However, the film, artistically and intellectually negligible, has provoked a response that points far beyond itself and its director. Whatever the immediate fate of Gibson’s work, its reception underscores, above all, the increasingly unstable social and moral state of American capitalist society, inexorably coming face to face with its own peculiar Passion." Rear
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