Entertainment: US Passion - A look at the impact of Gibson movie on advisors
TAPE: EF04/0205
IN_TIME: 11:20:53:17
DURATION: 03:57:10
SOURCES: VARIOUS
RESTRICTIONS: No re-use/re-sale of film clips without clearance-No Internet
DATELINE: LA - recent
SHOTLIST:
''The Passion of the Christ'', Newmarket Films - Please credit Icon Productions/Newmarket Films
1. Various clips from "The Passion of the Christ" trailer.
APTN
Los Angeles - December 13, 2000
2. Wide shot of Mel Gibson at movie premiere
''The Passion of the Christ'', Newmarket Films. Please credit Icon Productions/Newmarket Films
3. Film sequence from "The Passion of the Christ" trailer.
APTN
Los Angeles, California - February 13, 2004
4. Mid shot of Professor William Fulco reviewing Hebrew and Aramaic texts.
5. Close up of Fulco.
6. Close up of text.
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Professor William Fulco, Loyola Marymount University:
"Well, it''s not so much that he (Mel Gibson) reached out to the Passion for meaning. He had the sense that the Passion reached down and grabbed him. And that''s why I think that one sees in his films his gradual perception of redemptive suffering. Certainly in ''Braveheart'' - and in that it''s not that he''s already stating what the crucifixion will be - he was working his way through (the question) ''can human suffering have a purpose and be redemptive?'' And finally everything was in place and it was time to do the Passion."
8. Mid shot of still photo of actor James Caviezel (left) and Mel Gibson (right) during filming of "The Passion of the Christ"
9. Close up still of Gibson
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Professor William Fulco, Loyola Marymount University:
"I know that what Mel intended...to the best of my knowledge he never intended this to be used as a tool for evangelisation. He...his own vision did not go beyond the audience, the immediate audience. And he hoped that those who saw the film...that their hearts would be moved, and apparently that''s been happening."
''The Passion of the Christ'', Newmarket Films. Please credit Icon Productions/Newmarket Films.
11. Various film clips from "The Passion of the Christ" trailer.
APTN
Azusa, California - February 12, 2004
12. Mid shot of Azusa Pacific University faculty members
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr. Kevin Mannoia, Dean, Azusa Pacific University theology school:
"This is a great tool to raise the priority of Christ in the consciousness of the world. And I think it will cause people to begin to talk about this, (to ask) ''What in the world would cause anybody to go through that kind of pain?''."
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr. Kenneth Waters, Azusa Pacific University theology professor:
"The human family needs to see that there are alternatives...there are alternative ways of responding to the presence of evil and violence in today''s society. And this movie does a good job of demonstrating that, whether one is a Christian or not."
15. Close up of Newsweek magazine cover story about "The Passion of the Christ"
16. Close up cover
17. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr. Kevin Mannoia, Dean, Azusa Pacific University school of theology.
"I don''t think the movie was anti-Semitic. I don''t think there.....there is clarity to that point relative to motive or agency. The motive was.....clearly, people are going to talk about it and hopefully they will....that''s part of what the genius of this film is all about.
''The Passion of the Christ'', Newmarket Films. Please credit Icon Productions/Newmarket Films.
18. Various film clips from "The Passion of the Christ" trailer.
APTN
February 12, 2004. Los Angeles, California. APTN.
19. Close up of Newsweek magazine opening page from article on "The Passion of the Christ".
20. Close up of still photo from the film.
21. SOUNDBITE (English) Rabbi Marvin Hier, Dean, Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles:
"In my opinion, the audience has to ask one question: Who did all of this in humanity, who is responsible? And in Mel Gibson''s film, it certainly wasn''t the Romans, and it has to be the Jews..collectively. That takes us back in everything that the church has tried to do in the last 50 years. And I don''t want to blame the church. It''s not their film, it''s Mel Gibson''s film. So, this is a terrible film for Jews. It''s also a terrible film for those who want to put the bitter two-thousand years in the past behind us and work toward a new era of cooperation and tolerance."
''The Passion of the Christ'', Newmarket Films. Please credit Icon Productions/Newmarket Films.
22. Various film clips from "The Passion of the Christ" trailer.
FILM CREATES A STIR IN RELIGIOUS CIRCLES
"The Passion of the Christ" - Mel Gibson''s bloody recreation of Christ''s final hours - has provoked a firestorm, with some Jewish leaders saying the movie could result in anti-Semitism, reviving the notion that Jews collectively were responsible for the death of Christ.
Actor-director Gibson has said that the need to re-evaluate his own life inspired him to make the Biblical epic, which was shot in Latin and Aramaic and is set to open in US theaters on February 25.
Gibson, a Catholic, financed the film''s reported 25 (m) million US dollar budget, using his own money, and drew on the expertise of religious scholars and historians for guidance during the film''s production.
Professor William Fulco, one of Gibson''s advisor''s, tutored the film''s cast in the use of the Aramaic language and translated the dialogue for the film''s subtitles.
Fulco says he believes that making the film has been both a personal journey of discovery for Gibson and a professional challenge.
He also says that Gibson''s own vision of the story of Jesus'' suffering and violent death is true to the Bible''s New Testament texts.
But some Jewish leaders have expressed concern about the film.
Rabbi Marvin Hier, dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre in Los Angeles, remains critical of the film after seeing it twice in early screenings.
He says he believes that "The Passion" blames the Jews collectively for the death of Jesus Christ.
Gibson insists he''s not anti-Semitic and has had a favourable response from several Jews who have seen the film.
Last weekend, Gibson discussed the film and its meaning before several thousand invited guests at Azusa Pacific University - a Christian school near Los Angeles.
Azusa'' dean, Dr. Kevin Mannoia, responds favourably to the "The Passion", saying he does not believe it to be anti-Semitic.
The film is also generating attention among evangelical Christian groups in America.
Christian churches across the country are reserving entire theatres for the film''s opening day and a national evangelical organisation is helping sell tickets via its Web site.
Some pastors also are planning sermons timed to the movie''s Ash Wednesday release on some two thousand screens.