All About

The Passion of the Christ

Get the latest photos, news, and more

What about those anti-Semitism charges?
Critics were divided. Ditto for clergymen and many multiplex moviegoers who may not have remembered Pontius Pilate being so hospitable. Even directors who have worked with Gibson were split. Donner defended him, but ''Hamlet'''s Franco Zeffirelli labeled the film ''anti-Semitic'' and Gibson ''bloodthirsty.'' Gibson's Icon partner Bruce Davey sees this controversy easing: ''Those charges have diminished now. If people hold those views, then so be it, but I'd imagine that those people would also find the Gospels anti-Semitic.''

Gibson, whether he intended it or not, may have benefited from the controversy. Referring to searing columns by The New York Times' Frank Rich, a Hollywood producer says, ''If I were Mel Gibson, instead of wanting Frank Rich's intestines [on a stick], as he has been quoted as saying, I would give Frank Rich 10 percent of my profits.''

Baloney, says Rabbi A. James Rudin of the American Jewish Committee: ''I don't accept for a moment that we somehow contributed to the success of the film. If we had remained passive and quiet, knowing what was in the movie and what we actually saw from the first cut, we would have been remiss. The Jewish community would have had a legitimate complaint: 'Didn't you know this? Where were you?'''

Strip away the context, and Rudin's predicament seems to be a common one in Hollywood: ''The Passion'' has simply become too big -- too much of a phenomenon -- to ignore. Asked last week if he had seen Gibson's film yet, Miramax cochairman Harvey Weinstein replied that he had not. Then he added with a grimace, ''I guess I have to see it now.'' (Additional reporting by Rebecca Ascher-Walsh, Nicholas Fonseca, Jeff Jensen, Missy Schwartz, and Allison Hope Weiner)

Originally posted Mar 03, 2004 Published in issue #755 Mar 12, 2004 Order article reprints
Page 1 2 3
You Might Also Like

Add your comment

The rules: Keep it clean, and stay on the subject or we might delete your comment. If you see inappropriate language, e-mail us. An asterisk * indicates a required field.

500 characters remaining