For those "in the know," for the head of Disney to make this type of announcement is highly unusual. It was more than unusual; it was phenomenal and virtually unprecedented. I was frankly amazed when I read the report early yesterday evening. Eisner's proclamation was an affirmation of Gibson's proven directorial talent. It proclaimed the potential box office drawing power of his project. Strangely, there were no reports that Disney would distribute the film on any television news shows. Eisner's praise was not picked up by any of the talking heads at CNN, NBC, CBS or even Disney's ABC.

Read More of This Op Ed

Other Great Reports on "Mel News"

"The Passion:" Fan's Site Has a Web Poll

Loud Applause for Mel Gibson's New Film "The Passion" is Awakening Deaf Ears in Hollywood -- A Resounding Bravo for Mel !

Mel's critics appear to led by the Anti-Defamation League who are concerned about the possibility of the film inspiring attacks on the Jewish community. With all due respect to the ADL, I must strongly disagree.

Mel Gibson is an excellent director and does not have an antisemitic bone in his body. He is a devout Roman Catholic. His work on "The Passion" appears to have been inspired by regular daily prayer and his own study of the Bible. There is no doubt that Jesus was Jewish; that is a historical fact. Many Catholic Priests even include brief readings from the Hebrew Torah in their sermons because they read and speak Hebrew. Rabbis are invited regularly to speak at Mass or other Christian services across America. The primary cause of violence against Jewish people today comes from Muslim fundamentalists and not the Christian community.

But there are new signs that the film is awakening deaf ears and exciting the public generally.

Harry Knowles runs the AintItCool.com film web site. He features insider reports on films and the film industry and draws millions of visitors each month. On July 11th he posted this brief report the "The Passion:"

Once every now and again a really special project comes along borne out of a passion for the material. We've seen Peter Jackson's passion really come through with his LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy thus far, and well... I've got a feeling that Mel Gibson has that same sort of drive in the making of THE PASSION. While I'm not a deeply religious person, I can not help, but acknowledge the ingrained power to the story of Christ's final hours. Simply, as one film called it, it's the greatest story ever told, or at least one of them.

The story of Christ in those final hours is one of pain and torment and astonishing spirit. From the images in this trailer that was sent to me, I can't help but believe in Mel's vision for the film. Shot in the original language of the time and allegedly being shone sans subtitles, I really feel this is not only powerful filmmaking, but a bold artistic step forward for Mel. I also feel that it has the chance to really become a bit of a phenomenon in theaters that play it, and can't believe it hasn't been picked up by a studio yet. I mean, the story behind the making of this film in its original "dead" languages and the opportunity to have Mel Gibson on every talk show in the world talking about the decisions and reasons he had for making the film this way... Well, I think it has a wider audience than anyone is currently expecting. Here's the trailer that was sent to me... See what you think, though 10 to 1, it will crash my server, so be quick!

There appears to be widespread swelling interest in Gibson's new project. The Top Rated Film Review Site in the U.K. just said "The Passion" is a "Must Not Miss This Film Pick!" There is a film photo collection available on HollywoodJesus.com which is worth viewing. The Internet is simply buzzing about the very strong reviews Mel's Passion is receiving.

Movie fans all over the world are showing genuine interest in "The Passion." They are beginning to have an impact on Hollywood. There are rumors that Gibson will soon announce he has found a major distributor for his film.

In the meantime, religious leaders and theologians have lined up to support the project. Fr. Michael Reilly published a report in SeaMax News critical of Catholic theologians for saying basically that Gibson was "following the Bible too closely." Julia Duin wrote an op-ed piece for The Washington Times quoting religious leaders who had actually seen the film. I quote an excerpt from her commentary:

Rob Brendle, the associate pastor at New Life [Church] * * * calls the film "very positive" and says "we are confident the film is true to the Scriptures," a reference to charges by Jewish groups that Mr. Gibson, 47, has included extrabiblical and anti-Semitic elements in the two-hour film.

Paul Lauer, director of marketing for the film, says various religious leaders have been quietly making their way to Los Angeles in recent weeks to view "The Passion." One fan is Bishop Charles J. Chaput of the Catholic Archdiocese of Denver, who defended the movie in the Denver Catholic Register.

"I find it puzzling and disturbing that anyone would feel licensed to attack a film of sincere faith before it has even been released," the archbishop wrote.

"When the overtly provocative 'The Last Temptation of Christ' was released 15 years ago, movie critics piously lectured Catholics to be open-minded and tolerant. Surely that advice should apply equally for everyone," he said.

Another religious leader who has praised the film is Don Hodel, president of the Focus on the Family. Quoting briefly from a report that appeared on TheDenver Channel.com recently:

I was very impressed," added Don Hodel, president of Focus on the Family. "The movie is historically and theologically accurate."

Gibson financed the $25 million film, co-wrote the script and directed and produced the movie, which stars James Caviezel as Christ. The film was shot in the Aramaic language of the time, but subtitles were in place during Thursday's showing.

Gibson said he attended Mass every morning during filming because "we had to be squeaky clean just working on this."

"It was a strange mixture of the most difficult thing I've ever done, along with this incredible ease," Gibson said. "Everyone who worked on this movie was changed. There were agnostics and Muslims on set converting to Christianity."

Update for July 24th: As first predicted by NewsPundit.net on July 18th, Mel Gibson has a major distributor. 20th Century Fox has inked an option on distribution rights according to Carl Limbacher

Posted by Douglas Oliver on July 18, 2003 at 8:10 AM
Updated on July 21st at 2:14 PM

By all accounts, Mel Gibson has hit a "home run." His new film is getting rave reviews from the people who have been lucky enough to see the rough cut. Adding to the intense industry "buzz" are the few negative reports generated by people who have not seen the film. Interest in Mel's new film is growing stronger with each passing day. I have not seen such excitement at the grass roots level about any film before. Amazing!

Harry Knowles, who runs the AintItCool.com web site, reports that his site was being flooded with people who were trying to access the film trailer. Apparently, his server crashed several times in the past two weeks. I have great news for Mel Gibson fans worldwide - - Mel has released a new film trailer! This new preview is over 4 minutes long. I had difficulty downloading it this morning but it was well worth it! It is available through the direct link to Harvest.org below:

"The Passion"

You may read my July 18th report on Gibson's new film here. I have posted some of the better film reviews right below my report.

Update on Mel's Project:

Mel Gibson is getting more "flack" right now than a B-17 flying over World War II Germany. Amateur film critics from the ADL are blasting away at a film they have not even seen. Some are even saying that they will not see the film if it is made available for viewing.

In my humble opinion: Gibson should release the film now to selected theaters all across America. Pick any twenty venues. Release it for three days (Friday through Sunday). But not in Southern California. Have people who are lucky enough to see the film fill out a couple of pages for critical input. Go to the grassroots of America and see what people truly think about the film.

I'm betting that people will back Mel's project. Lines of hundreds of people would be waiting around the block to get in to see "The Passion" in rough cut.

Now would that would a "miracle" that even Los Angeles critics could understand.

New Editorials:

This commentary about says it all:

Steven Greenhut: My Passion About "The Passion

What more can anyone say about Mel's project? I was at a loss for words when I posted this update on August 21st.

More Editorials:

20th Century Fox Passes on Distributing Gibson Film

In Defense of Mel Gibson: A Film Critic Blasts Other Critics

Posted by Douglas Oliver on August 5, 2003 at 7:20 AM
Updated on August 13th and again on September 3rd at 6:50 AM