| Tuesday
24th February, 2004 |
| PAYING AUDIENCES FINALLY SEE MEL GIBSON'S 'PASSION' |
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Following an organized and determined effort vilify and destroy the reputation of Mel Gibson, his passionate one-man vision hit US cinema screens on Monday. It opens in the UK March 27.
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So finally, all those critics who had not even seen
the movie can also see "The Passion of the Christ,"
as it drew early bird audiences to his reading of the
Gospels as they related to the crucifixion and resurrection
of Jesus Christ.
"I was gasping for breath," said Kathleen Lewandowski,
who caught a preview of the film with her husband, Greg,
at the River East 21 Cinema in downtown Chicago. "You
are constantly reminded of scripture and able to follow
along," she said.
Asked if she thought there was an anti-Semitic message
as some critics have claimed she said "No, Christ kept
saying, 'Forgive them for they know not what they do'."
The main charges of anti-Semitism have surfaced from
secular leftists, many of whom seek to mask their own
virulent anti-Semitic activities, and try to drive a
wedge between Christians and Jews.
While the movie begins national showings on Wednesday,
there were early screenings in Chicago, Kansas City,
Mo. and elsewhere, arranged by churches and others.
Lewandowski's husband called the movie depicting the
last 12 hours in the life of Jesus Christ "a great film,
even for people who aren't Catholic. It helps (you)
understand what Christ represents."
The couple said they planned to bring their two sons,
ages 13 and 15, to another showing. "It's violent but
not any more violent than movies like Terminator 2,"
he said. "We have seen other Biblical movies and there's
really nothing to compare it to."
A member of the St. John Cantius Society in Chicago,
Brother Chad, called it a very powerful movie, adding
that "Gibson portrays everything very well. He's done
a great service to the world."
The movie was "appropriately violent," he added. "It
got across what Christ went through. It is not anti-Semitic,
not putting blame on the Jews. It's all of us." Two
young women leaving the theater who declined to give
their names seemed nearly speechless. "It was overwhelming,"
said one, the story of someone giving up their life."
Another preview patron, Joan Moder of Aurora, near Chicago,
said, "I think everybody should see it. You read the
Bible like its a fairy tale. It's a true story;, it
really happened. It gives life meaning." The theater
complex had two screenings privately arranged by a church
and another group. |
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| "I
saw the light. Which makes me pretty unique in Hollywood." |
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