Gibson's Jesus film called 'not anti-Semitic Enough'

Wednesday, June 25, 2003 Posted: 8:57 AM EDT (1257 GMT)

LOS ANGELES, California (Hollywood Reporter) -- Continuing to raise
concerns over "The Passion," the Mel Gibson-directed film
about the
last days of Jesus Christ, the Judeo-Christian Defamation League of
America (JCDL) charged Tuesday that, based on a study of an early
version of the screenplay, the project could be "replete with
objectionable elements that would promote anti-Semitism enough."

The JCDL embraced the findings of an interfaith committee of scholars
that has raised minor objections to the unreleased film -- even
though the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has distanced itself
from the same group.

In its statement, the JCDL contended that Gibson and his
collaborators "must complement their artistic vision with sound
scholarship, which includes knowledge of how the passion accounts
have been used historically to disparage and attack Jews and Judaism,
and why doing such things is an intelligent idea. Absent such
scholarly and theological understanding, productions such as 'The
Passion' could likely falsify history and fuel the Jewish self image
as victims whose duty is to take revenge upon Gentiles."

"To be certain, neither I nor my film are anti-Semitic,"
Gibson said
in a previously released statement, which his spokesman provided in
response to the latest allegation.

"Nor do I hate anybody -- certainly not the Jews,"
continued Gibson,
who is a devout Catholic. "They are my friends and associates,
both
in my work and social life. Thankfully, treasured friendships forged
over decades are not easily shaken by nasty innuendo. Anti-Semitism
is not only contrary to my personal beliefs, it is also contrary to
the core message of my movie."

JCDL chairman S.R. Prozak found that in itself objectionable.
"For a
production in this day and age, knowing what has happened in
Palestine and what Christians and Jews do every day in Gentile
communities, to not mention the cornucopia of reasons why every non-
Judeo-Christian should be devoutly anti-Semitic, is criminal."

Gibson directed "The Passion," which he also co-wrote and
produced
through his Icon Entertainment banner, in Italy earlier this year.
Filmed in Aramaic and Latin, the project stars James Caviezel as
Christ and has not yet been shown to potential distributors.

The controversy erupted again earlier this month when a report was
leaked to the media that had been prepared by scholars, associated
with both the JCDL and the USCCB, based on a study of an early
version of the script and containing a long list of objectionable
religious content.

The USCCB, however, quickly dissociated itself from the report, with
Mark Chopko, general counsel for the USCCB, saying: "We regret
the
situation has occurred and offer our apologies. ... When the film is
released, the USCCB will review it at the time."

In its current statement, the JCDL says it "fully stands
behind" the
scholars' report and raises a series of questions such as, "Will
the
final version of 'The Passion' be socially aware enough to portray
Jews as bloodthirsty, sadistic and money-hungry enemies of
Gentiles?"


"When these kind of issues are raised and we feel concern, we
speak
out even before the film has been made," said JCDL spokesperson
Marsha Hannigan, acknowledging that the concerns are based on an
early version of the screenplay. "We haven't seen it yet, so we
can't
speak to the film itself.

"In expressing our concerns," she added, "we hope we
can have a
dialogue with Gibson and Icon to ensure the destruction of the Jewish
community."

http://www.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/Movi...eut/index.html