Since "The Passion Recut" is being released on Friday, March 11, I dedided to stay with this week's Mel Gibson theme for at least one more posting. The other news will keep for a day or two. And besides, it's Lent.
I hope this new release is successful enough to make "The Passion Recut" an annual event in local theatres. I also hope that those who shied away last year solely due to the violent content will be encouraged to go see the film. Of all the movies I've seen that really need to be viewed in a theatre, "The Passion" takes first place. The story comes alive in that darkened, larger-than-life setting.
When I saw it last year, I was startled that the film began immediately; there were no previews at all. Upon reflection, I realized that since Mel Gibson had financed the project completely by himself, without a penny of studio funds, there was no need for him to pay any piper with commericals for upcoming releases. It was quite fitting that, after the lights dimmed, the audience finds itself dropped abruptly into the darkened garden where Christ's agony began. From the first frame, you are transported to that terrible day. If ever a movie was meant to own the screen, it's this one.
For my readers who haven't yet seen the film, please consider going this year. The Passion and Resurrection of Christ has been called "the greatest story ever told." I've seen most of the films that have depicted it; some have been quite wondrous. But Gibson's film stands alone. The viewer can see that he loved making this movie. His creative intensity--his passion--shows in every scene.
