Film illustrates director’s passions

   One thing is for sure—we will not be calling Mel Gibson a quitter any time soon.
   His new movie, The Passion of Christ, has been controversial since before filming began, but when Gibson believes in something, he does not give up.
   It was impossible to find anyone who would agree to fund his film. But that didn’t stop him; he decided he would fund it himself.
   But funding wasn’t his only problem. The script itself met with opposition. Scripts were stolen and distributed without permission.
   Gibson was asked to rearrange historical facts by some, and still others wanted him to remain true to history as long as he did not dwell on the less palatable details.
   We demanded he consider what effect the film would have on different people. He was patient enough to listen and make some concessions.
   By this time, Gibson was a little stunned—he was just making an obscure movie in Italy because God had changed his life.
   He said, “I might look like I live the high life, making movies and jetting around the world. This [super-stardom] was supposed to be good, so why was it all so miserable? I had an emptiness, a void.”
   Gibson’s addiction to drugs and alcohol led him to consider ending his own life. At that point he asked God for help and began to meditate on the Gospels.
   “Pain is the precursor to change,” he said.
   Jim Caviezel, who portrays Christ, felt pain as he was accidentally gashed in the back during a scourging scene.
   Then, Caviezel was struck by lighting. But, he shares Gibson’s “passion” for the film and said it was worth it all.
   Gibson agreed to be interviewed by Primetime’s Diane Sawyer. When she asked who killed Jesus, Gibson said, “The big answer is we all did. I’ll be the first in the culpability stakes here.”
   In fact, Gibson’s own hand was filmed holding the stake in position when Jesus was nailed to the cross.
   Gibson included members of the Jewish, Muslim and Buddhist religions as integral parts of his film crew, and Maia Morgenstern, a Jewish actress from Romania, plays the Virgin Mary.
   Next, Gibson was told his movie should be less violent.
   “The film tries to help the audience understand what Jesus really had to suffer through so they can better understand the immense sacrifice that he made,” he said.
   He summed up why he is so determined, saying,”It was just something I needed to do—Christ’s sacrifice just grabbed me.”
   Paul Harvey, radio commentator, said, “It is a profound work of art … its producer is a Catholic Christian and thankfully has remained faithful to the Gospel text; if that is no longer acceptable behavior, then we are all in trouble.”
   This movie may not be for everyone. But, despite enormous obstacles, Gibson used the medium he knew best to express what he was most passionate about—God’s love, sacrifice and forgiveness.