Gibson softens film about Jesus' death
Changes to film will address concerns about Jewish stereotypes

09:34 PM CDT on Wednesday, August 13, 2003

Religion News Service

Director Mel Gibson, under heavy fire from Jewish groups for his $25 million movie about the death of Jesus, has "softened the story" and made changes to make The Passion more palatable to critics, according to a spokesman.

Scheduled for release next year during Lent, The Passion has some Jewish groups nervous that it will resurrect old beliefs that Jews were responsible for the death of the Christian savior.

Paul Lauer, marketing director for Mr. Gibson's Icon Productions, said Mr. Gibson has edited the film to show more "sympathetic" Jewish characters who were not calling for Jesus to be crucified.

"We believe we have softened the story compared to the way the Gospel has told it," Mr. Lauer said in an interview. He pointed to Matthew 27:25, in which the Jewish mob calls for Jesus' blood "to be on us and on our children."

"That's in the Gospel," he said. "It's not in our film."

In addition, Mr. Lauer said the character of Simon of Cyrene, who was forced to carry the cross for Jesus, will be clearly labeled a Jew in the film. A shouting mob will include voices opposing the execution, Mr. Lauer said.

Faced with vocal Jewish opposition, Mr. Gibson is mounting a pre-emptive public relations offensive to counter critics – all for a film that is still being edited. After regional screenings, Mr. Gibson has lingered with audiences to listen to their advice.

In an effort to soothe concerns, Mr. Gibson also is hoping to launch "The Jewish Initiative" to recruit Jewish and Christian leaders to discuss the film's effects on Christian-Jewish relations.

"We've gone out of our way to accommodate this process because we felt it was necessary and important, and to show that we care and that we're not callously sitting back saying, ' ... Screw you, We're going to make the film we want to make,' " Mr. Lauer said.

Jewish groups, however, remain unconvinced.

"The fact that Mel Gibson says this is a work in progress is something we welcome. I don't make light of it," said Abraham Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League. "We respect his creative rights, but we also believe that creative rights come with a certain responsibility."

Invited Christian leaders who have seen the film offer near- universal praise. The Rev. Ted Haggard, president of the National Association of Evangelicals, told The New York Times that Mr. Gibson was "the Michelangelo of this generation."

Rabbi Eugene Korn, the Anti-Defamation League's director of Interfaith Affairs, was one of the first major Jewish leaders invited to see the controversial film Friday in Houston.

"Sadly, the film contains many of the dangerous teachings that Christians and Jews have worked for so many years to counter," Rabbi Korn said in a statement released Monday. "This is not a disagreement between the Jews and Mr. Gibson. Many theologically informed Catholics and Protestants have expressed the same concerns.... This film may undermine Christian-Jewish dialogue and could turn back the clock on decades of positive progress in interfaith relations."

Rabbi A. James Rudin, senior interreligious affairs adviser for the American Jewish Committee, emerged from a Houston screening "troubled" by what he saw as the film's suggestion that Roman authorities were powerless to stop the murderous rage of Jewish leaders.

"The emphasis should be more on what killed Jesus, not who killed him," said Rabbi Rudin, also a columnist for Religion News Service.


Staff Writer Chris Vognar contributed to this report.