MCN: The Passion

The Passion
of the Christ
Directed by: Mel Gibson
Release Date: February 25, 2004
Rated: R
Newmarket

3/17/04
"Our history has taught us we have paid a dear price by listening to the mentality of the shtetl Jews who said, 'sha shtil,' Yiddish for keep quiet and don't stir up the goyim."

Giving Credit To The 1 In 1,000,000
As Though It Can Be Repeated
Marty Grove On Mel Gibson & Hollywood's
10 Commandments

Is The Passion Helping Jews?
Also - Jesus Calls On The Pope

3/15/04
50% Reasonable Story About Hollywood's Cash Reaction To The Passion
Footnote 1 - Dec 18 Story About The Lion The Witch & The Wardrobe Coming to NZ, Back When Some People Thought
The Passion Would Bomb
Footnote 2 - Phillip Anchutz Is A "Practicing Christian" Producer, But He Has Invested Hundreds Of Millions In Religion-
Free Films In The Last 3 Years
Footnote 3 - Nov 13 Reuters Story About Greenlit Gavin Palone/NBC "Revelations" - Mini-Series, Not Pilot
Footnote 4 - 11% Of US Population Is Just Over 32 Million People WIth An Avg. Ticket Price Of $7.25, No Repeat Viewings... And If 34% More People Saw The Film, It Would Gross Over $925 Million, More Than 50% Beyond The Current Domestic Record Holder, Titanic

3/14/04
Brazilian Cardinal Embraces The Passion
Also - Brazilian Critic Pablo Villaca's Takes On The Film

A Vatican Sermon Wary Of The Passion

3/11/04
Chicago Trib Self-Reflects On
Coverage Of The Passion

Finke On The Passion Of The Latinos |
While Gabriel Snyder Is Into The Passion of The Geek Violence Freaks

3/8/04
This New Yorker Piece From Last Week Is Travelling The Web As An Anonymous E-Mail Piece
Steve Martin Channels "Stan's" Script Notes On The Passion Of The Christ
Also - Paul Rudnick's "The Gospel Of Debbie"

3/5/04
"Then it hit me: This year's Oscar show was a secular version of Mel Gibson's
The Passion of the Christ."

3/3/04
It's About Love...
The Transcript Of The Interview Of The Father Of The Director Of The Passion Of The Christ

3/2/04
What Does The Passion's Box Office Success Mean?

NY Hate Cops Cover The Passion Beat... No Troubles To Report

3/1/04
The International Distribution Challenges For The Passion

Passion's Official Take $83.8 million/$125.2 5-Day - 3rd Best 5-Day Ever... 2nd Best Wed Start With Matrix Reloaded's $5 million Wed Included
Also - AP Looks To A Big Follow-Up Easter Weekend

We Were Duped! Comments On The Passion Being Sent Around Web Falsely Atrributed
Not Paul Harvey On The Passion / The Real & Original Story

2/29/04
Some Parents Say, "Forget The Talk Of Violence.. Take The Kids To The Passion"

A Note To MCN Readers About Our Coverage Of The Passion Of The Christ

2/27/04
Gibson Colleague Franco Zefferelli
On The Passion
"What conclusion can one reach (from the film), in particular young people, other than that his blood was shed because of the Jews?"

The Lipp Whips Up An NC-17 Frenzy With A Side Of Passi

2/26/04
Chicago's Greek Orthodox Warn That The Point Of The Passion Is Missing

Passion Estimates Range From A Conservative $15 MIllion to an unlikely $26 Million
Yesterday - Ash Wednesday Brings In $15-20 Million For The Passion

2/25/04
Christ Killer?
Drudge Reports A Wichita TV Report Of A Mid-Passion Heart Attack | The Actual Report

Christian Movie Reviews Of The Passion
U.S. Conference Of Catholic Bishops
Christian Spotlight On The Movies
Screen It! | ChildCare Action Project

Grossly Premature Piece On Effect Of The Passion On Gibson's Career

Latin May Be Dead, But People Are Passionate About Aramaic

2/24/04
The Passion-ate View From Chicago
Ebert's 4 Stars | Wilmington's 2.5 Stars
Caro Isn't So Sure | Roeper Says All Is Well... And Then Starts Equivocating

Passion's Primer

2/23/04
Jews Fighting Jews Over The Passion

Early Reviews Of The Passion
Time's Corliss | Newsweek's Ansen
Todd McCarthy |Kirk Honeycutt

"The Christian story includes joy, astonishment, prophecy, righteous wrath, mystery and love straightforward as well as love sacrificial. The Passion of the Christ is a one-note threnody about the Son of God being dragged to his death."

Some Exhibitors Pull Other Movie Trailers From Passion Screenings

2/22/04
The Quiz Of The Movies Of The Christ

Jack Mathews Calls Out The Marketing Of The Passion Of The Christ

2/21/04
Not All Christians Are Passion-ate
Also - Jesus! What A Great Career Move!
And - The Jesus Look

2/20/04
A Cloak Of Piety?

Mary's Passion

2/19/04
Newmarket Adds 800 Screens
For The Passion Play

One Gibson Short Of A Full Boat
"Jews are scheming to take over the Catholic Church and the entire world, Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan should be hanged, and most European Jews believed exterminated by the Nazis actually immigrated to the West."
Also - NY Press Screening Update - One More Screening Added.. Now Up To 150 Seats For Monday's Screenings

The Marketing Of The Christ Continues
Two Thumbs Crucified, Waaaay Crucified

Today's Passion Package
Foxman Is As He Was At The Vatican
**Mel's Dad Still Holocausting Mel Good Will
*** Passion Is In Fashion
***** The Theological Questions

2/16/04
How Liars Behave When They Get Caught: Roger Friedman And The Passion

Gossip Friedman Continues To Lie & Mislead About The Passion's Theatrical Release, Adding False Claim Of Late Bookings Instead Of Taking Responsibility For His Libelous Friday Report

2/14/04
Driving The Speedway To Heaven .. Where Passion And NASCAR Meet

2/13/04
Why FoxNews.com Needs to Be Sued And Roger Friedman Needs to Be Fired
Earlier - FoxNews Hack Roger Friedman Grotesquely Misreports The Theatrical Release Pattern Of The Passion

2/9/04
Roeper Speaks To The
Anti-Catholic Side Of Film

" .. I've shown it to many Jews and they're like,
it's not anti-Semitic."

2/8/04
Newsweek Pretty Much Reviews The Passion Of The Christ While Pretending Not To... Real Film Critics Will Only See The Film Once, While The Newsweek Editor Saw It Twice

2/6/04
Austrailian Jews For Jesu... Uh, Mel

2/5/04
The Passion Coninues:
AMC Just Says No To Baptist Ad

Trouble For Religion Writers Trying to
Cover The Film

2/4/04
Posting The Passion
** Daily News Starts CountdownTo Passion-ate Response

2/2/04
Killing Him Softly

2/1/04
Mel"The Pot" Gibson's Kettle Boils Over... Calls It Black & Increases Heat

1/29/04
Tony Scott On The Passion Of The Rage Of The Christs

A Passion Marketing Strategy Made In Heaven

1/20/04
More Passion: "The Holy Father saw the film privately in his apartment, but gave no declaration to anyone."

1/18/04
Frank Rich Attacks The Passion Again... Overstatement Destroying
Otherwise Good Logic

1/15/04
Passion Is Buying Your Movie Tickets
6,000 At A Time

Mel Gibson's Little Indie Passion
Gets 2000 Screens

1/11/04
Is Mel Gibson Out to Censor An NYU Student Over A Shared Passion?

12/23/03
A Satirical Look At The Trailer
(please cut & paste)
http://homepages.nyu.edu/~scs273/01.mov

12/7/03
The Passion Of The Christ Has Its Public Debut For A Paying Audience...
Why Ain't It Cool?

12/5/03
The Passion Of The Christ Has A Website And An Official Teaser Trailer
Quicktime High | Medium | Low
Windows Media High | Medium | Low
Real Player High | Medium | Low

11/30/03
Rabbi: "Don't Boycott The Passion"
Question: Will Mel Object To The "Roughcut" That The Rabbi Saw?

11/29/03
Gibson Strategy Continues To Be To Separate,
Not Build Real Consensus
Another Unexpected Endorsement Of The Passion Of Christ

11/28/03
The Passion As A "Teachable Moment"

11/25/03
Hard Core Right Wing Spin Publication NewsMax Uses Mel Gibson's The Passion Of Christ As A Marketing Tool, Claiming Free Access To A Gibson Interview On The Film, But Just Baiting Potential Readers Into A $49.95 Subscripton
And - Keith Fourner's Unchristian Review

11/23/03
PassionGate Or An Attempt To Control Free Speech? Feds To Investigate 3 Millionth Print Story Based On Ill-Gotten Movie Info

10/24/03
Passion Arrives Ash Wednesday

So, You Play Jesus And Get Struck By Lightning. Is It A Sign?

10/8/03
Film Stew Goes Inside A Pirate Chip /
The Passion Clip Has Been Removed

9/21/03
Frank Rich Keeps Fighting Over The Passion
9/18/03
Both Sides: Let's Be Honest

Vatican Weighs In On The Passion

9/17/03
Great Read On The Passion, The Gospel Of John And Being Faithful To The Text

9/9/03
David Thomson Weighs In On Gibson's
Sincere Passion

Meanwhile More Passion Over Mel's Defense Passionate Defense of The Passion

8/31/03
A Must-Read Look At The Issues Behind
Mel Gibson's The Passion

8/30/03
One Account Of What Happened (or Didn't) At Christ's Crucifixion

8/29/03
Fox Said No, But The Passion Keeps Shopping For Distribution

8/28/03
Today's Passion Rhetoric ..
"This is how it began in Germany."
Meanwhile .. Fox Passes On Distribution

8/25/03
Report That 4 Distribs Are Interested... 2 Studio Attached, 2 Not... Report Mistaken About Who Has And Who Has Not Seen The Film
And - Corliss Stacks The Deck For Mel & The Passion... Perhaps Fairly.. Perhaps Not
Plus - Passion Comedy From Christian Right | Passion Finger Waving At Jews By Jewsweek
8/14/03
Salon Prints A Story That Attacks Gibson Again, But Makes A Lot Of The Same Kinds Of Presumptions That The Passion Must Make

8/12/03
Jewish Pot Calls Passion Kettle Black
OR The Censorship Chicken Meets
The Jew-Blaming Egg

8/11/03
Now That They've Seen It,
The ADL Weighs In On The Passion

8/7/03
"You can quote me -- Mel Gibson's
The Passion is not anti-Semitic."
Valenti Has Spoken
Tim Rutten Pipes Up On The Passion

8/5/03
Mel's The Passion Preview

8/4/03
Guardian Sums Up The Passion Smashin'

8/3/03
The Politics Of The Passion
Earlier - Frank Rich Attacks Gibson

7/25/03
Kathie Lee Gifford On The Passion

7/23/03
David Poland On Mel Gibson's Passion

7/17 - The New Republic, Paula Fredriksen
The Gospel According To Gibson. Mad Mel
"We already knew that Gibson's efforts to be "as truthful as possible" (his own words in the Times) would be frustrated by the best sources that he had to draw on, namely, the Gospels themselves."

7/22 - Washington Post, Lloyd Grove
Mel Gibson's Washington Power Play
"Yesterday's secret screening at the Motion Picture Association of America included columnists Peggy Noonan, Cal Thomas and Kate O'Beirne; conservative essayist Michael Novak; President Bush's abortive nominee for labor secretary, Linda Chavez; staff director Mark Rodgers of the Senate Republican conference chaired by Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.); former Republican House member Mark Siljander of Michigan; and White House staffer David Kuo, deputy director of the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives."

7/22 - Boston Globe, Alex Beam
Is Mel Gibson's film passion for Jesus misplaced?
"What these people don't understand, what Mel Gibson and his ilk don't understand, is that the literal truth of Jesus' story isn't what animates Christian belief. Many of us are awed by the figurative beauty of a story that created a system of values and beliefs that has survived for 2,000 years and has a reasonable possibility of surviving even Italian vamp Monica Bellucci's depiction of Mary Magdalene in Gibson's vanity outing."

7/22 Newsday, Laura Eisenberg
Stirring Passions - Gibson's film about Jesus raises Jews' fears
"However high-minded his intentions, the filmmaker appears to have stepped on a theological landmine."

7/21 - USA Today, Michael Medved
'Passion' elicits unfair conflict
"Perhaps (Gibson's) efforts may yet achieve an uplifting ending to the story of his production, allowing the ADL to go back to doing what it does so effectively: concentrate on real dangers to Jews from real enemies who wish us real harm. Certainly, the Islamic terrorists and their sympathizers who loathe both "Zionists" (Jews) and "Crusaders" (Christians) can only smile at the utterly gratuitous divisions between the two faiths over an unfinished movie."

7/21 NewsMax.com
New Republic Attacks Mel Gibson
"The smear campaign against Mel Gibson's "The Passion" by people who haven't even seen the movie continues. Gibson's defenders, however, refuse to be silenced."

7/18 - Steve Gushee, Palm Beach Post
"Sadly, the fundamental roots of anti-Semitism, that Jews killed Jesus, persist among the ignorant and the evil. Gibson might fuel their delusions."

7/17 - NewsMax.com, James Hirsen
Mel Gibson's 'Passion' Shakes Up Hollywood
"Mel is actually using Scripture as his source. And he’s telling the literal truth."

7/10 - Christian Science Monitor, Jane Lampman
Capturing the Passion

7/9 - World Net Daily, David Horowitz
Ted Baehr's uncharitable commentary

7/7 - JesusJournal.com
Mel Gibson's New Film "Theologically Accurate"

7/8 - World Net Daily
Mel Gibson's Passion for 'The Passion'

7/8 - World Net Daily, Ted Baehr
Beware the bigoted kibitzers

7/4 - Daniel Treiman, The Forward
Report on Mel Gibson Movie Splits Jewish, Catholic Groups

7/2 - The Washington Times, Julia Duin
Mel Gibson looks right for movie on Jesus

6/30/03
Catholics Their Wounds & Apologize To Gibson's Passion

6/29/03
A First Non-Spoiler Look At Mel Gibson's The Passion... Shown At New Life Church and
Focus on the Family
Also, From An Individual Who Saw The Film In L.A. (in inverse order of time)

6/24/03
ADL Statement On The Passion

6/15/03
Agreeing To Hold Comment Until They See The Film
Earlier Mel Gibson Defends Passion

6/13/03
Mel Gibson Defends His Passion

6/8/03
Mel Gibson Reportedly Threatens Suit Against Catholic Church And The Jewish Anti-Defamation League Over Passion... but no quotes and only old details

5/11/03
The Controversy Swirls Around Passion

3/7/03
Great Passion, Newly Told

1/26/03
A Story Of Violence