The Passion of the Christ
(2004)THE CONTROVERSY Mel Gibson's depiction of Jesus' final hours seemed, to many viewers, to place collective blame for the execution of Christ on the Jewish people. The movie was also incredibly violent and gory, going into greater detail than the Gospels did in its depiction of the wounds Jesus (Jim Caviezel) suffered during his scourging and crucifixion.
THE FIRESTORM Gibson denied any anti-Semitic intent, engaging in a war of words with such critics as Anti-Defamation League president Abraham Foxman and New York Times columnist Frank Rich. He also defended the violence as necessary to show the extent of Jesus' self-sacrifice. Many viewers apparently agreed that the violence was more moving than nauseating: Passion earned $370 million at the box office.
THE AFTERMATH Gibson later relented and released a cut of the film with much of the violence trimmed out, a re-release that audiences largely ignored. Still, along with Fahrenheit 9/11, Passion was the most talked-about movie of 2004.
