Atheism and Mel Gibson's 'The Passion of the Christ' - Making a big splash down on movieforum.com

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NonZeroSum
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Atheism and Mel Gibson's 'The Passion of the Christ' - Making a big splash down on movieforum.com

Post by NonZeroSum »

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Films about how religion has impacted our world + Dead Man analysis
https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?t=52182

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BOP wrote:I hadn't heard of "Calvary", but it just went on my Netflix queue. Thanks for the tip! I'm still debating about "Silence". And I'd previously had no interest in "Noah", but -- -- if ANYTHING were going to compel me to see this movie . . . LMAO!
Oh man, yea, had to watch like Mel Gibsons snuff film Passion of the Christ, for it's popular relevance, but genuinely "God-awful."[/quote]
Dani wrote:"Snuff film"??? Goodness me. I dont think youknow what that term means so probably best not to use it.
Yo Dani, you might have missed the reviews at the time, but it was widely criticized for the films focus on torture.
David Denby of the New Yorker called it a “two hour snuff film”. The New York Times said that the film “lacked grace”. Noted atheist, the late Christopher Hitchens, accused the film of being both “fascistic and sadistic”.
[Much discussion ensues from members]

. . .

If you search "Christopher Hitchens On Mel Gibson's 'The Passion of the Christ'" in YouTube you can get Hitchens 3min take from an interview, here's the auto-transcript:
[Wasn't able to post links but here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVD2n6p_u7U]

Interviewer: He's done well in marketing?

Hitchens: Yeah, I think that's innate in the project in a way, because the argument is about has he offended the will he offend the Jewish community is against create a sort of sectarian culture war in America and I think that's what the marketing tool was and I think it wasn't set out to create such a round and very cynically with a terrible movie ignorant philistine.

When it isn't luridly sadomasicistic and demagogic it's fortunately boring.

So Mr. Gibson and his father who both support this they claim sometimes we Catholics but actually they are in rebellion against Rome they're members of a right-wing schismatic fundamentalist group as I said have absolutely assured themselves a wave of publicity by picking a quarrel with the Jews and by recycling the most ancient primitive Christian allegations of Christ killing against the Jewish people in the film the Roman authorities are - pictured as puppets you know in a Jewish Empire completely without power of their own always having to answer to Jewish high priest enforced to torture to death a man who they believed to be innocent this is this is a very very old slander and misrepresentation it's unbelievably cruel and irresponsible of Gibson to do so he's done so in order to try and sell tickets I think it's a great cultural disgrace I hope nobody goes by the way heard people watching this decide to boycott it.
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It's an improvement on the old days when Roman centurions and sadists and imperial bullies and so on always had to play with people with accents like mine and people thought that if you really want to show about the Roman Empire was you'd show you know sneering Brits but I mean I do not I'm not trying to outbid you in an auction on a sort of ethnic self-pity so I assure you that you're right but that would be the least of it. . .

The problem is not its ethnic authenticity, it's an attempt to claim that the four Gospels which repeatedly contradict each other on very very very many important points which were written many years after the event by people who were not present and which I have many many other discrepancies and shortcomings in them. The attempt is made by Gibson to make a film that suggests that the Gospels agree and that they were written by eyewitnesses which he appears to think that they were he then in my view it's not my problem I'm not a Catholic but I would say blasphemously adds that the holy ghost is the real director of this film and he is only the instrument of the holy ghost in this respect that seems like a vast and profane conceit to me. As I say it's not just a matter I think for Jews who will be properly offended by the general got you film to boycott it but I think it's for Catholics to say that they don't like to have their religion represented to them in this way and by this vain man I think that's where you should get into trouble from that quarter to.

Interviewr: This ad a full-page ad in today's New York Times an open letter to Mel Gibson from a Jew for Jesus and she says to Mel Gibson she says I just want to tell you to hang in there Mel and she says that you know this ordeal has to be tough for you to take

Hitchens: Well Jews for Jesus is a well-known nutbag organization it were very sad people. . .

Of course Jesus was Jewish he existed and the tribute paid to that in the film by the way as follows when Judas gives him the kiss of treason he'll be her first whom as rabbi that's that that's the tasteful way in which the Jewish question is handled.
Dani wrote:My argument was with you calling it snuff.
What do you want me to tell you, I don't expect anyone to take it literally, I think Mel put his anger and feelings of being wronged by demonic Jews into a torture flick, it's exploring sado-masachism, I think many left the theatre having felt they experienced how a snuff film would be filmed.

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Dani wrote:. . .It's not snuff. You need to look up the meaning. It's not even 'snuff like'. Cannibal holocaust is if I were to use 'snuff like' because he was charged with murder.
I just think you're still hung up on a literal interpretation. You think Cannibal holocaust is snuff like because Charlie Sheen got freaked out on a cocaine bender, called it in as murder because the film was set in a location that made it easier to suspend disbelief that a director could set it up like that and it not be found out.

I'm saying Gibson's script reflected his desire to hold the viewers attention on torture without any let up, because his view of the world is a very violent one, to instill in the viewer that they had witnessed a great evil conspiracy, and yet obviously sympathize with the position of Christ as necessary. The latter sadism is necessary for the sacrifice/ atonement of sins, the former masochism which Gibson's work focus's on is not. He thought he was being directed by the holy ghost to get as close to as possible the sadistic snuffing out of Christ by grand Jewish conspiracy.

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