The Passion Of The Christ

[Jeremy Blackman]

What you guys may call "artistic compromise" I call "business smarts."

An even better term would be "sellout."

[MacGuffin]

Pope gets a sneak at Passion

Variety reports that, Pope John Paul II has been given a private sneak preview of Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" -- at least that's the word at the Vatican.

The 83-year-old pontiff, a playwright and movie buff, is believed to have seen a rough cut that Icon Prods. and producer Stephen McEveety have been screening in Rome. The ailing pope is said to have seen "The Passion" either on video in his apartment or on film in his private screening room in the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Social Communications.

There was no comment on Monday from Icon CEO Nick Hill, which set up the Rome screenings, or from the Vatican.

Earlier this month Italian distributor Eagle Pictures canceled a screening scheduled during a Vatican confab on Christ after Icon claimed the film about the last 12 hours of Christ's life was "not ready." Yet just two days later, McEveety screened "The Passion" in a basement arthouse cinema in Rome near the Vatican.

"I can see why they might have initially been reluctant," Father Augustine Di Noia, an American theologian who is undersecretary of the Vatican's Doctrinal Congregation, told Daily Variety.

"They were embarrassed, in a way, because they felt the quality was poor."

Di Noia -- according to whom "Gibson's film is going to be a success because of its intrinsic power, both religiously and artistically" -- also said that the music was unfinished and that there were jump cuts in the editing.

Di Noia countered allegations that the film is anti-Semitic, saying that "Jews come out as ordinary human beings who thought that Jesus was dangerous. When you put them (the Jews) in the context of what the Roman soldiers do, it's nothing," he added. While getting the nod from Vatican officials such as Di Noia -- and also from higher-ranking American Archbishop John Foley, who heads the Vatican's social communications office, and Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos, considered a candidate to succeed the pope -- is not an official Vatican endorsement, it can go a long way in marketing Gibson's $25 million pic.

"Getting positive reviews from top Vatican officials is key to the film's success not just in Italy, but in any other Catholic country," said Eagle's head of acquisitions Maria Grazia Vauro.

[Jeremy Blackman]

Some one should screen Happiness for him.

[cowboykurtis]

i wasnt too impressed by the trailer

[cine]

Beautiful photography, I must say.

[Ghostboy]

Nice poster, especially the one on the right (save for the font).

I still believe this movie could be an artistic triumph. I may disagree with Gibson's politics, but I'll judge his films on their own merit.

In the meantime, I'm very amused by this:

[mutinyco]

Ha! You saw that too! I think that should be one of the top 10 films of 2003!

[Gamblour.]

That trailer is fucking brilliant.

[Alethia]

haha that was great.  no matter how good this movie is when we all finally see it, even if it is like the most brilliant fucking thing to come along in years, it still wont be taken seriously.  mel gibsons name is to blame i think.

[Jeremy Blackman]

I have to agree, that was brilliant.  

[Pedro]

Yeah, that's hilarious...where do you find stuff like that?

[bonanzataz]

nyu, where everybody is ridiculously smart and clever...

[Myxo]

Pope gets a sneak at Passion

Variety reports that, Pope John Paul II has been given a private sneak preview of Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" -- at least that's the word at the Vatican.

I wonder if they had to prop a stick up under his chin so he could see the film.

[MacGuffin]

New Quicktime Trailer:

[MacGuffin]