Motion Picture Association  Jack Valenti

CEO   I thought Passion was a superior recounting of the ‘greatest story ever told,’ the last days of Jesus. There is in the film the gravity and seriousness it deserves. There are moments so heart-rending, the tears come easily. I cannot but believe that people of all religions will find this truly an impressive (and respectful) piece of art and realism, emerging from the New Testament. As a cinema artist, you have just reason to be proud of what you have done. (From a letter to Mel Gibson, July 2003)   Excerpts from Valenti’s appearance on MSNBC’s Scarborough:   SCARBOROUGH: What can you tell us about “The Passion”?
VALENTI: Well, I was quietly moved by it. I thought it was a serious and gravely told story about the last days of Jesus. …I found this to be an extraordinary movie.
SCARBOROUGH: So you do not believe that it was anti-Semitic?
VALENTI: No, I don't. Actually, the villains in this movie are the Roman legionnaires who, on orders from their legion commanders, flogged Jesus before they made him take the cross to the mount. So they were the villains. …I have read the New Testament and I think this accurately portrayed what is in the gospels.  

  It is a powerful film, and I believe it will prove historic -- a real moment in the history of cinematic treatments of the greatest story ever told. Be happy and proud. It is going to be huge. (From an email to Icon)  

Drudge Report

Matt Drudge

  From MSNBC:   DRUDGE: This may be the last movie Mel Gibson makes. This is the ultimate film. It's magical. Best picture I have seen in quite some time, and even people like Jack Valenti were in the audience in tears at this screening. There was about 30 of us. It depicts a clash between Jesus and those who crucified him, and speaking as a Jew, I thought it was a magical film that showed the perils of life on earth.
BUCHANAN: Right. "The New Republic" -- today I read a long report in "The New Republic" said it is an anti-Semitic film, just about flat-out. What's your take?
DRUDGE: They haven't seen the darn film and those of us, every single person in there, and I'm not talking about tears, I'm talking total tears. It is something Mel Gibson stood back at the end and took questions for about an hour, and he is -- he told me he's tired of Hollywood. That this is it. He's going to do it. He's going to do it his way, and this film, I tell you, is magic. It's a miracle. It's a miracle... (MSNBC, Jul 23, 2003)  

This movie does not preach; it doesn't try to convince you one-way or the other who or what Jesus was. It is very intimate. It doesn't matter if you're religious or atheistic or a snake handler. This movie will hit you in the gut. It has themes about man's inhumanity to man. It's also about one man standing by what he believes to be true - no matter the cost - and enduring. (Rush Limbaugh Show, Jul 28, 2003)

As I watched this yet unfinished version of the film, I experienced moments of profound spiritual intimacy with Jesus Christ.  It is a film that leads the viewer into prayer and reflection, into heartfelt contemplation.  In fact, as I told Mr. Gibson after the screening, I would gladly trade some of the homilies that I have given about the passion of Christ for even a few of the scenes of his film.    With this film, Mr Gibson has achieved something truly extraordinary.  He has used the marvelous technology available through our modern means of communication to make the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ come alive for the people of our times.What is more, the film as a work of art – the performances, the dazzling cinematography, the sounds, lighting, and pacing– is just as powerful as the message it contains.   In my opinion, one of the great achievements of this film is to have shown so effectively both the horror of sin and selfishness, and the redeeming power of love.  Seeing this film provokes love and compassion.  It makes the viewer want to love more, to forgive, to be good and strong no matter what, just as Christ did even in the face of such terrible suffering.   The viewer is drawn into a powerful experience of God’s strong yet gentle love, of his overflowing mercy.  It is my belief that if we could understand what Jesus Christ did for us and we could follow his example of love and forgiveness, there would not be hatred or violence in the world.  This film will help to make that possible.   

This film is a triumph of art and faith.  It will be a tool for explaining the person and message of Christ.  I am confident that it will change for the better everyone who sees it, both Christians and non-Christians alike.  It will bring people closer to God, and closer to one another.    Mr. Gibson has had to make many artistic choices in the way he portrays the characters and the events involved in the Passion, and he has complemented the Gospel narrative with the insights and reflections made by saints and mystics through the centuries.  Mel Gibson not only closely follows the narrative of the Gospels, giving the viewer a new appreciation for those Biblical passages, but his artistic choices also make the film faithful to the meaning of the Gospels, as understood by the Church.    Anti-Semitism, like all forms of racism, distorts the truth in order to put a whole race of people in a bad light.  This film does nothing of the sort.  It draws out from the historical objectivity of the Gospel narratives sentiments of forgiveness, mercy, and reconciliation.  It captures the subtleties and the horror of sin, as well as the gentle power of love and forgiveness, without making or insinuating blanket condemnations against one group.  This film expressed the exact opposite, that learning from the example of Christ, there should never be any more violence against any other human being. (La Stampa, Sept 18, 2003)  

Carl Anderson

Supreme Knight   Carl A. Anderson, head of the 1.6 million member Knights of Columbus, attended a July screening of The Passion. In introducing Gibson to leaders of the Knights, Anderson said “The Passion” was a powerful depiction of Christ’s crucifixion. “I urge critics who have not seen the final film to keep an open mind and not prejudge it,” Anderson said. If there is going to be a public debate about “The Passion” and religious rights, Anderson said, the Knights “would not duck from it.” Giving Gibson the opportunity to meet with the Knights, he said, “was making sure ‘The Passion’ gets a fair hearing. We hope such a hearing will promote better religious tolerance and dialogue among all religious faiths.” (Knights of Columbus, Aug 12, 2003)  

Crisis Magazine Deal Hudson
 From an aesthetic standpoint, the film is beautiful. Its visual narrative carries traces of the long tradition of Christian art, from the very earliest Christian styles and medieval iconography up to pre-Raphaelite images. My wife Theresa and I came away from the film with a sense that our faith had been revitalized. Make no mistake: this movie will convert and uplift hearts. Once you've seen it, you'll never again take for granted the words: "He suffered, died, and was buried." And what about all the alleged anti-Semitism? I didn't see any kind of anti-Jewish bias in the film. If anything, it was the unspeakable brutality of the Roman soldiers that enraged me. Of course, that doesn't make me hate modern-day Italians. Nor do I hate the French when I see a film about the brutality of the French Revolution. Simply put, there's no reason to be concerned that this movie will spark any sort of anti-Jewish campaign. (Crisis, Aug, 2003)

Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua

  I think that Mel Gibson has tremendous experience in the film world.  I think used a lot of his, almost genius, in the film, having intuition almost on film making – how he was able to use that and take the scriptures, surely he and the others he used must have done a lot of research.   I believe that he depicted it as something like Michelangelo would have done and say, “what’s the essence here, what am I trying to teach?”  Art is generally getting beyond the physical, you have to teach something in any kind of artistic presentation, whether it be in music, or painting or a sculpture, you must be able to look at it and see beyond just what was the artist actually depicting, what was he trying to teach.  And the highest art is when you can see God in any art.  Whether it is depicting a landscape, you’ve got to see it’s God, a manifestation of God’s beauty.  That’s the highest form of art, especially when it’s not a mystery, like modern art, because I don’t understand it.  But great art to me is that I can see a manifestation of the attributes of God, the beauty of God, the mercy of God, the love of God, all of them.  And I think that that came through in this film, of manifesting God’s infinite love for us and what He did for us.

Father Richard John Neuhaus
First Thing

President

  The National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) affirms the importance of the authentic retelling of the New Testament accounts in Mel Gibson’s latest film, The Passion. The NAE has established this position of support for the film in response to numerous attacks leveled at Gibson and the film. In interviews on CNN and various radio networks, Ted Haggard, President of the NAE has described The Passion as, "A beautiful, wonderful account of the last twelve hours of the life of Jesus Christ. It is consistent with Matthew, Mark, Luke and John."

At a special showing in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Haggard, along with 30 other prominent evangelical leaders, reviewed the film and encouraged Gibson to release it with minor stylistic adjustments. All acknowledged the biblical accuracy of Gibson’s creative dramatization of the historical account.

CNN questioned Haggard on specific claims from the story, including Jewish leaders' offering blood money for Jesus' betrayal and Jewish people's inciting hatred toward Jesus, leading to his crucifixion. Haggard responded, "The movie portrays historical accounts realistically, but the Body of Christ worldwide does not blame Jewish people for the crucifixion. Evangelicals believe that our sins are responsible for creating the situation that required the crucifixion of Christ. Christ did not die because of the political and religious powers of the day, but for a far greater purpose. We are all responsible. This is why evangelicals view The Passion as a love story. It demonstrates the profound love Christ has for all people."

Haggard emphasized that evangelical Christians--who have a high view of the historical accounts in the Bible as shown in the film--are some of the most ardent supporters of Israel and defenders of Jewish people worldwide. He maintained that evangelical Christendom values the realistic portrayal of Jesus' last day and believes that the final effect of The Passion will be positive for Judaism in America and around the world.
(NAE Release, July 22, 2003)  

Brilliant, biblical – a masterpiece. (Comments following a screening)  

Youth For Christ/USA
Roger Cross
President   I feel the film is the most powerful treatment of Jesus passion that I have ever witnessed.  It is true to the text and done with the quality that it deserves.  The range of emotions caught me by surprise but the message is so powerful that it captures your soul.   From a ministry perspective I tried to imagine what young people would think and how they would respond.  My hope is that they will also be captured by the presentation.  I believe they will because it is simply the telling of God’s story.  I am most encouraged by the fact that they will see a true representation of Jesus: fully God and fully man. (From an email to Icon)