|
Latest
Updates on: The Passion
The
Passion Updated:
Thursday
10th February 2005: The Passion of The Christ:
Mel Gibson has made a new cut of "The Passion of The Christ,"
cutting five to six minutes of violent scenes. Gibson cut a
less-violent version of his film in response to an audience
segment that skipped the film because of the depiction of onscreen
brutality as Jesus Christ was tortured by Roman soldiers prior
to being crucified. The new unrated version, "The Passion
Recut", will be released on 500-750 screens in the USA
by Newmarket Films on March 11. It will play through Easter
weekend and may become an annual release.
| |
|
|
3rd August 2004: The Passion of the Christ: |
| DVD
Review posted by Jamie Kelwick Click
Here |
| |
| |
|
31st May 2004: The Passion of the Christ: |
| The
Passion of the Christ will be released
on R1 DVD in the US
on the 31st August 2004. |
Features:
1.33 Audio: DTS 5.1 - Aramaic/Latin/Hebrew Dolby
Digital 5.1 - Aramaic/Latin/Hebrew Additional Release
Material: Trailers -
1. Theatrical Trailer |
Find
the lowest price of
The Passion of the Christ on
DVD! |
|
|
Tuesday
9th March 2004: The Passion of the Christ Update:
Looks like The Passion of the Christ will do huge numbers in
the UK as well, with the following news. Churches in Maidstone,
Kent have been buying up tickets for their congregations to
view the movie for free. They have bought £20,000 worth
of tickets. Ross Hughes director of worship at one of the churches
had this to say "This is the greatest opportunity for the
church in the last 30 years and if we did not use it we may
not get such an opportunity again."
Monday
8th March 2004: The Passion of the Christ Update:
News reaches us that Icon Distribution are suing the company
that duplicated The Passion of the Christ for distribution to
cinemas. The reason they are suing is that three employees made
copies of the movie, that they say were for personal use only,
that ended up the the hands of the New York Times who previewed
the movie, against the wishes of Icon.
Wednesday
4th February 2004: The Passion of the Christ Update:
Director Mel Gibson has agreed to delete a scene from The Passion
of the Christ after criticism from focus groups. The scene,
in which the Jewish high priest Caiaphas calls down a kind of
curse on the Jewish people by declaring of the Crucifixion,
"His blood be on us and on our children," will not
be in the movie's final version, said the Gibson associate,
who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Wednesday
21st January 2004 The Passion of the Christ Update:
The following EXCLUSIVE promo images for The Passion of
the Christ were just received!
Click
Each Pic for MUCH larger versions!
Wednesday
21st January 2004: The Passion of the Christ Update:
The New Zealand Herald says that similar to John Travolta nearly
sabotaging his comeback career with the Scientolgy inspired
"Battlefield Earth", Mel Gibson's gruesome rendering
of "The Passion Of Christ" may also be a "career-killer
film" as the "Lethal Weapon" star describes it.
Gibson now
admits his screenplay was based not so much on the Gospels,
but rather on a 'reinterpretation' as set down in a diary by
19th-century nun Sister Anne
Catherine Emmerich, whose sometimes rabid, anti-semitic visions
included details missing from the Gospels.
As for Gibson's
ultra-traditionalist beliefs, he rejects the Pope as a 'heretic',
for holding masses in Latin, and rejects current Vatican teachings
including the church's apology for its deliberate, historical
persecution of the Jews. The rite that Gibson follows was codified
at the Council of Trent in the 16th century, the high watermark
of the Counter-Reformation that soon led to heretics being burned
at the stake throughout Europe.
Gibson's
father, author of religious tracts, believes burning heretics
is "an act of charity", that the Second Vatican Council
was a "Masonic plot", that the Holocaust never happened,
al Qaeda had nothing to do with the September 11 attacks, and
that income tax was and remains a communist plot.
"The
Passion Of Christ" opens February 25.
Tuesday
20th January 2004: The Passion of the Christ Update:
According to the Catholic News Service, Pope John Paul II never
said "It is as it was" after watching Mel Gibson's
"The Passion Of Christ", said the pope's
longtime personal secretary, Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz. "The
Holy Father told no one his opinion of this film," the
archbishop told the Catholic News Service Jan. 18. Archbishop
Dziwisz watched the film in the pope's apartment with Pope John
Paul in early December, when co-producer Steve McEveety was
in Rome to hype up private screenings of a rough cut of the
film for Vatican and other Catholic officials, already disturbed
by the negative controversy the film was stirring up in both
Christian and Jewish quarters. According to published reports,
McEveety said Archbishop Dziwisz told him the pope reacted positively
to the film and said, "It is as it was." But, Archbishop
Dziwisz told the Catholic News Service "That is not true.
I said clearly to McEveety and Michelini that the Holy Father
made no declaration," the archbishop said.
Friday
16th January 2004: The Passion of the Christ Update:
The movie trailer for The Passion of the Christ is now online:
The
Passion of the Christ QuickTime Movie Trailer Full Screen
The
Passion of the Christ QuickTime Movie Trailer Hi-Res
The
Passion of the QuickTime Movie Trailer Med-Res
The
Passion of the Christ QuickTime Movie Trailer Lo-Res
Monday
12th January 2004: The Passion of the Christ Update:
Word reaches us that Mel Gibson is in London at the moment for
the recording of the score for The Passion of the Christ.
Wednesday
7th January 2004: The Passion of the Christ Update:
News reaches us that Mel Gibson will be have a cameo appearance
in the movie as one of the men who drive the stakes into Jesus's
hands as he is raised onto the cross!
 Tuesday
30th December 2003: The Passion of the Christ
A New movie poster for The Passion of the Christ has
been released today.
Click
Here |
|
Tuesday
30th December 2003: The Passion of the Christ
A New movie poster for The Passion of the Christ has
been released today.
Click
Here |
|
Tuesday 23rd December 2003 The Passion of Christ Update:
Two new posters for Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ have been released. To see them click here.
Saturday 13th December 2003: The Passion of the Christ Update:
The trailer for The Passion of the Christ has been released today.
The Passion of the Christ Movie Trailer Quicktime Hi-Res
Monday 8th December 2003: The Passion of the Christ
A New movie poster for The Passion of the Christ has been released today.
Click Here |
|
Wednesday 3rd December 2003: The Passion of the Christ Update:
The official site for The Passion of the Christ has opened up Click Here
Monday 1st December 2003: The Passion of Christ Update:
A fan site has opened up for The Passion of Christ Click Here
Friday 28th November 2003: The Passion Update:
Following the news that a leading U.S. newspaper had cheekily screened Mel Gibson's (unfinished) The Passion of a Christ to a number of religious figures in order to elicit their reactions, Gibson himself has now shown the movie to high profile evangelist Billy Graham. So what did he think? "After watching The Passion of the Christ, I feel as if I've actually been there," he said. "I was moved to tears. I doubt if there has ever been a more graphic and moving presentation of Jesus' death and resurrection." Rumours that the film will next be screened for the Vicar of Dibley are as yet unfounded.
Monday 24th November 2003: The Passion of Christ Update:
US Federal authorities have opened an inquiry into how the New York Post obtained a bootlegged copy of Mel Gibson's controversial unreleased film "The Passion of Christ," the Los Angeles Times reported in its Friday edition, citing three sources familiar with the matter. The Post said Monday that it had obtained a "rough-cut version of the film that was screened - with temporary English subtitles, no credits and further editing changes likely."
The newspaper said it held a private screening for a panel made up of a rabbi, a priest, a professor of early Christianity, a Post movie critic and a reader selected at random to garner their reactions. Most of the reactions were universally negative, citing Gibson's 'passion for gore'. Sources said that authorities were looking into how the film was acquired without authorization. According to the Times, a lawyer for Gibson said the director was considering filing a civil suit in the matter. The film is set to be released nationwide Feb. 25 - Ash Wednesday
Tuesday 18th November 2003: The Passion Update:
The New York Post managed to get its hands on a print of Mel Gibson's controversial The Passion of Christ and staged a very special screening. The newspaper brought together a rabbi, a Catholic priest, a Christian religious studies professor, a Baptist reader and the publication's film critic. To find out what they all had to say click here.
Friday 24th October 2003: The Passion of Christ Update:
Just received word that Jim Caviezel has been struck by lightning on the set of The Passion of Christ in Rome. Producer Steve McEveety had this to say "I'm about a hundred feet away from them, when I glance over and see lightning coming out of Caviezel's ears." Luckily Caviezel was not injured by the strike. Whjat doesn't gel though is that filming was completed months ago and Caviezel is currently filming Stroke of Genius in the States, has he had to pop back for re-shoots?
Wednesday 22nd August 2003: The Passion of Christ Update:
Mel Gibson has signed a deal with Newmarket to handle U.S. distribution for
his controversial The Passion of Christ. The rent-a-system deal means that
Gibson's Icon Productions will retain all rights to the film while relying
on Newmarket's distribution apparatus in exchange for a cut of the gross.
Icon is reportedly planning a February 25 Stateside release. The company is
distributing the movie itself in the UK and Australia, where it already has
its own distributor operations.
Thursday 15th October 2003: The Passion of Christ Update:
Mel Gibson’s film The Passion has changed its name. The official title of
the movie has been altered to The Passion of Christ. Although the film is
still struggling for a distributor, the goal is to release the film in U.S.
theatres on February 25, 2004.
Monday 6th October 2003: The Passion Update:
Michael has been in touch with the following
The upcoming October 13 issue of Newsweek Magazine reports that no major studio wants to touch Mel Gibson's latest film, "The Passion," a controversial movie that has inspired more hostile attention than any film in recent history.
"It's not worth the aggravation," says one studio head. "Even if it makes money, it's not going to be 'Titanic.'"
Studios are worried about protests, hate mail and boycotts.
"Even if it doesn't deserve it," says another film executive, "it's going to be used as a political football."
Gibson's company, Icon Productions, did not seek out buyers for the film before producing it, but waited afterwards to see who came knocking.
The studios didn't, apparently, reports Newsweek Senior Writer Sean Smith. Icon did get interest from small, independent companies without public shareholders, that could be hurt by boycotts or protests. Companies "that have nothing to lose," as one executive puts it.
The top distributor now appears to be Newmarket, which released "Memento." They have made a formal bid. Lions Gate and Miramax, have expressed interest in the film and have asked to see it. But the film could prove problematic for Miramax, as its parent company, Disney, dislikes controversy.
Gibson's camp would not comment about the potential sale, beyond saying it could happen in the "near term." It's possible that Icon, which distributes most of Gibson's films in the U.K. and Australia, may opt to put "The Passion" in U.S. theaters itself.
Meanwhile, the press surrounding the film -- in particular a New Yorker profile that delineated Gibson's rigid religious beliefs-has done some damage to his reputation. While he remains one of the most bankable stars in history, his occasionally strident public statements have not played well in an industry predominantly liberal. "People think Mel's crazy now," says one top producer. Adds a studio head, "People feel like his character in 'Lethal Weapon' isn't that far from who he is."
Monday 25th August 2003: The Passion Update:
Distributors are starting to show interest in Mel Gibson's controversial The
Passion, including Newmarket, Paramount Classics, Sony Classics and Lions
Gate. The companies are talking to Icon Productions about a possible North
American deal, even though they have yet to see the film which chronicles
the final 12 hours in the life of Jesus Christ.
Wednesday 20th August 2003: The Passion Update:
Australian cinema owners have reacted warmly to a preview of Mel Gibson's
controversial film The Passion. A four-minute sampler of the movie was
screened at the Australian Movie Convention in Melbourne. It’s welcome news
for Gibson, whose film has been under attack from various interest groups,
especially the Anti-Defamation League, a U.S. lobby group fighting
anti-Semitism, which says his film of Christ's last days "fuels hatred of
Jews".
Monday 14th July 2003: The Passion Update:
The movie trailer for The Passion has been released today.
The Passion Movie Trailer Quicktime Hi-Res
Wednesday 2nd July 2003: The Passion Update:
Mel Gibson believes he was guided by the Holy Ghost while making his
controversial new film about the life of Jesus Christ. The actor, who is a
devout Catholic, said the force was so strong that Muslims and agnostics who worked on the set of The Passion converted to Christianity. "I really feel my career was leading me to make this," he said. "The Holy Ghost was working through me on this film, and I was just directing traffic. I hope the film has the power to evangelise." The £15 million production, which Gibson directs, stars James Caviezel as Christ during the last 12 hours of his life and Monica Bellucci as Mary Magdalene.
Friday 13th June 2003: The Passion Update:
Mel Gibson has been vehemently defending his Jesus movie The Passion "To be certain, neither I nor my film is anti-Semitic. The Passion is a movie meant to inspire not offend. My intention in bringing it to the screen is to create a lasting work of art and engender serious thought among audiences of diverse faith backgrounds (or none) who have varying familiarity with this story. Nor do I hate anybody - certainly not the Jews. 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. For those concerned about the content of this film, know that it conforms to the narratives of Christ's passion and death found in the four Gospels of the New Testament."
Monday 5th May 2003: The Passion Update:
Monica Belluci has been talking about The Passion "We just finished about 2 months ago. I hear that everybody is talking about the film being controversial and nobody has seen the movie. Visually it’s going to be something beautiful and strong, but the story…we all know this story, I don’t understand what can be so controversial. It (the story) won’t be any different".
Monday 27th April 2003: The Passion Update:
The appropriately titled Seattle Catholic has posted some of the first
pictures from the Mel Gibson-directed The Passion, starring James Caviezel
and Monica Bellucci. The film is a chronicle of the final 12 hours in the
life of Jesus Christ. You can see the six images by clicking here
Tuesday 18th March 2003: The Passion Update:
Some details on The Passion have been revealed. Jim Caviezel's eyes will be digitally recoloured in the movie. The running time is thought to be coming in at the 90 minute mark.
Wednesday 5th March 2003: The Passion Update:
Monica Belluci has been talking about The Passion "I think what Mel Gibson wanted to do is really a strong visual movie and I've seen a few things that look really, really beautiful and it's like a painting. Mel was really generous, and he's an actor, not just a director. So, he knows very well how to get the best from you and use it for the performance because he is an actor. I had a great time. I think that the concept is going to be like a silent movie. When you see a silent movie, you understand everything that's going on from the images because the images are so strong and I think that this film is going to be the same, the concept is there. Everyone knows the history of Jesus. When you're going to see what happened, you've heard about him so many times that you'll understand what's going on. So, sometimes, words are too small to express all the concepts and I think that's what the vision of the film is. The film is going to talk more than the words."
Sunday 26th January 2003: The Passion Update:
Mel Gibson has been talking of what us moviegoers can expect with his Jesus movie The Passion "It's going to be hard to take. When the Romans scourged you, it wasn't a nice thing. Think about the crucifixion - there's no way to sugarcoat that. The audience will have to focus on the visuals. There's an immense amount of suffering on this. Fortunately, God is helping me."
Tuesday 21st January 2003: The Passion Update:
Mel Gibson has been talking about his currently filming movie called The Passion "I've never seen a rendering that equals this for reality. The versions I've seen either suffer from bad hair, inaccurate history, or not just being real. And somehow, because of that, I think I think you're distanced from them somehow. They're more like fairy tales. And this actually happened. It occurred. I'm exploring it this way, I think, to show the extent of the sacrifice willingly taken...I think anybody that is in the know about Jesus as God and they believe in that realize that he was brutalized and that I'm exploring it this way, I think, to show the extent of the sacrifice willingly taken. I think it's going to be hard to take, but I don't necessarily know that people are going to be upset by it. The point is that I think you can transcend language with the message through image. And I'm very happy with what we're getting".
Monday 23rd September 2002: The Passion Update:
Well he tackled Braveheart, so if that wasn't a big enough project for him Mel Gibson has decided to now have a go at The Passion. The Passion will take us through the last twelve hours of Jesus Christ's life. He will start filming in November this year and has signed up Jim Caviezel to play Christ. In what may be a reckless move he is filming in Latin and Aramic. The movie has not yet been picked up by a distributor and the language may be part of the problem, Gibson acknowledges this. "Obviously, nobody wants to touch something filmed in two dead languages. They think I'm crazy, and maybe I am. But maybe I'm a genius. I want to show the film without subtitles. Hopefully, I'll be able to transcend language barriers with visual storytelling. If I fail, I'll put subtitles on it, though I don't want to." Also thought to be up for parts are Monical Belluci as Mary, Sergio Rubini and Rosalinda Celentano.The script has been written by Ben Fitzgerald and Mel Gibson
More News on
The Passion as we get it! | 
