# Gibson denies Jesus film is anti-Semitic - ADL wants to review film before release **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 14, 2003, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gibson-denies-jesus-film-is-anti-semitic-adl-wants-to-review-film-before-release/181884 "2003-06-14T19:25:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2003, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gibson-denies-jesus-film-is-anti-semitic-adl-wants-to-review-film-before-release/181884/1 "2003-06-14T19:25:03Z")
From MSNBC [LOS ANGELES, June 14 — Actor Mel Gibson, breaking his silence on his controversial film depicting the last 12 hours in the life of Jesus Christ, denied Friday that his movie was anti-Semitic and insisted the film is “meant to inspire, not offend.”](http://msnbc.com/news/926636.asp?0cv=CB20) Some of article below > [@](#): > > Jewish leaders have raised concerns that the movie, titled “The Passion,” might portray Jews as collectively guilty for Christ’s crucifixion, a notion that has been used to foment persecution of Jews for centuries. Catholics have expressed worries that Gibson might use the film to challenge church teachings. Their concerns were sparked by a New York Times Magazine article portraying Gibson as a traditionalist Catholic opposed to reforms of the Vatican II Council of the 1960s, which among other things rejected the belief that Jews were to blame for the death of Jesus. > > In his first public comments about the film since the controversy began, Gibson said, “Neither I nor my film are anti-Semitic … Nor do I hate anybody — certainly not the Jews. They are my friends and associates … Anti-Semitism is not only contrary to my personal beliefs, it is also contrary to the core message of my movie.” > > He added that the film is “meant to inspire, not offend. … 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.” > > The film’s producer, Steve McEveety, said that while critics have a right to their opinion, “no one has a right to publicly critique a film that has not even been completed, let alone base their critique on an outdated version of the script which has been illegally obtained.” > > The religious scholars’ report on the draft script has not been made public. But according to The Jewish Week newspaper, they concluded that a “film based on the present version of the script … would promote anti-Semitic sentiments.” The newspaper, which claimed to have obtained a copy of the 18-page critique, quoted one unnamed Catholic theologian as calling the script “one of the more anti-Semitic documents most of us have seen in a long time.” > > Icon said it learned in late March that a draft of the script “was taken by an individual referred to as ‘our Deep Throat”’ and circulated to members of the interfaith scholars group without permission. ---
**Author:** ![Petter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/dbc845/32.png) [@Petter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Petter)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2003, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gibson-denies-jesus-film-is-anti-semitic-adl-wants-to-review-film-before-release/181884/2 "2003-06-14T19:34:20Z")
> [@](#): > > Gibson previously has said little about his movie, which was shot in Italy and contains dialogue only in Latin and Aramaic with no English subtitles. I’ve wanted to hear _Always Look on the Bright Side of Life_ in the original language for some time now. Hmm? Oh… ---
**Author:** ![SnugTheJoiner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e8c25b/32.png) [@SnugTheJoiner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnugTheJoiner)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2003, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gibson-denies-jesus-film-is-anti-semitic-adl-wants-to-review-film-before-release/181884/3 "2003-06-14T20:02:07Z")
Oh, I was waiting for this. Snore. Every movie about Jesus–or ANY religious figure–inspires some outraged hoo-hah by those who haven’t seen it yet. And after the film’s released, it invariably turns out to be much ado about you-know-what. Of course I haven’t seen Gibson’s film yet, either–but how could it possibly portray Jews COLLECTIVELY as responsible for Jesus’s death when Jesus, His disciples, and His other followers were Jews themselves? Just in case we don’t get that, Gibson has his actors speaking in Aramaic and Hebrew! This just may turn out to be the first film that really gives us a good portrayal of Jesus as a Jew. ---
**Author:** ![SnugTheJoiner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e8c25b/32.png) [@SnugTheJoiner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnugTheJoiner)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2003, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gibson-denies-jesus-film-is-anti-semitic-adl-wants-to-review-film-before-release/181884/4 "2003-06-14T20:25:50Z")
Apropos of nothing, but I’ve always liked this joke: Three rookie cops come in on their first day as police officers to get their assignments. The Chief of Police says to them, “Before I give you your assignments, I need to ask each of you a question: Who do you believe killed Jesus Christ?” The first cop immediately says, “The Jews.” The Chief says, “Okay. Your beat will be the Irish Catholic neighborhood on the west side of town.” The second cop says, “Everyone knows that the Romans killed Jesus.” The Chief says, “All right. Your beat is the Jewish neighborhood on the east side of town.” Then he turns to the third rookie. “Who do YOU think killed Jesus?” The third cop says, “Can I think about this a little bit and tell you tomorrow?” The Chief, glad to have such a thoughtful young man on his staff, agrees. So the rookie goes home. His wife asks him, “How did your day go, honey?” The rookie cop replies, “Oh, it was awful! It’s my first day on the job and they’ve already assigned me to a homicide case!” ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2003, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gibson-denies-jesus-film-is-anti-semitic-adl-wants-to-review-film-before-release/181884/5 "2003-06-14T21:54:05Z")
I thought it was a bit odd that Mel is so concerned with having everything as accurate as possible, not even allowing subtitles for the Latin and Aramaic, and yet most of the actors aren’t Israeli or even Jewish but Italian. [http://us.imdb.com/Title?0335345](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0335345) Gibson’s religious devotion has always struck me as rather odd coming from a fellow who makes millions in movies that glamorize violence and non-marital sex. True he’s homophobic, but otherwise he’s hardly what you’d expect from a “man of the Book”. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2003, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gibson-denies-jesus-film-is-anti-semitic-adl-wants-to-review-film-before-release/181884/6 "2003-06-14T22:15:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sampiro \* > \*\*Gibson’s religious devotion has always struck me as rather odd coming from a fellow who makes millions in movies that glamorize violence and non-marital sex. \*\* Apparently you’ve never read the Old Testament. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2003, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gibson-denies-jesus-film-is-anti-semitic-adl-wants-to-review-film-before-release/181884/7 "2003-06-14T22:57:09Z")
I would rather say that he’s built his career on playing characters who’re out for revenge. The exceptions to this rule are scarce and far between. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2003, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gibson-denies-jesus-film-is-anti-semitic-adl-wants-to-review-film-before-release/181884/8 "2003-06-15T01:10:24Z")
> [@](#): > > how could it possibly portray Jews COLLECTIVELY as responsible for Jesus’s death when Jesus, His disciples, and His other followers were Jews themselves? Rather easily. There’s no reason one precludes the other; some Jews would surely have viewed him as a heretic. If the scene has Jews _en masse_ choosing to free a murderer over Jesus, that can certainly look anti-Semitic - depending very much on context, of course. The movie may or may not be anti-Semitic, I’d have to see it and I dub that highly unlikely. However it should be noted that according to the ADL, EVERYTHING is anti-Semitic. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2003, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gibson-denies-jesus-film-is-anti-semitic-adl-wants-to-review-film-before-release/181884/9 "2003-06-15T02:50:27Z")
Is the ADL anything like the Catholic League? ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2003, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gibson-denies-jesus-film-is-anti-semitic-adl-wants-to-review-film-before-release/181884/10 "2003-06-15T06:37:39Z")
Guin- the ADL is exactly like The Catholic League ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2003, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gibson-denies-jesus-film-is-anti-semitic-adl-wants-to-review-film-before-release/181884/11 "2003-06-15T17:02:42Z")
I loathe Mel. ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2003, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gibson-denies-jesus-film-is-anti-semitic-adl-wants-to-review-film-before-release/181884/12 "2003-06-15T18:58:05Z")
I didn’t know Mel Gibson is a homophobe. Is there some sort of cite backing up this assertion or is it common knowledge? ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2003, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gibson-denies-jesus-film-is-anti-semitic-adl-wants-to-review-film-before-release/181884/13 "2003-06-15T19:45:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by JuanitaTech \* > \*\*I didn’t know Mel Gibson is a homophobe. Is there some sort of cite backing up this assertion or is it common knowledge? \*\* I believe he has said that he has religious convictions against homosexuality. Although I personally have no problems with consenting adults doing whatever they want with each other, I reject the term “homophobe.” People can have genuine religious or moral convictions that homosexuality is wrong without having a phobia about the issue. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2003, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gibson-denies-jesus-film-is-anti-semitic-adl-wants-to-review-film-before-release/181884/14 "2003-06-15T19:54:49Z")
> [@](#): > > People can have genuine religious or moral convictions that homosexuality is wrong without having a phobia about the issue. We’ve discussed this a lot in other forums, let’s try not to make it into a hijack here if we can. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2003, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gibson-denies-jesus-film-is-anti-semitic-adl-wants-to-review-film-before-release/181884/15 "2003-06-15T20:26:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Marley23 \* > \*\*We’ve discussed this a lot in other forums, let’s try not to make it into a hijack here if we can. \*\* Well, if others are going to use it to describe Gibson’s beliefs, they would be the ones hijacking it. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2003, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gibson-denies-jesus-film-is-anti-semitic-adl-wants-to-review-film-before-release/181884/16 "2003-06-15T20:32:05Z")
Gibson’s homophobia, if he has it, could actually relate to the movie. Meanwhile, there was a Great Debate very recently that went into a lot of back-and-forth about whether disapproving of homosexuality is the same as homophobia. ---
**Author:** ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2003, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gibson-denies-jesus-film-is-anti-semitic-adl-wants-to-review-film-before-release/181884/17 "2003-06-15T21:14:59Z")
Why does the ADL want to review the film before it’s released? What are they going to do if they don’t approve of its content? They’re certainly justified in criticizing the film if they believe it’s anti-Semitic, but why can’t they watch the film with everyone else and make a statement then? Do the ADL representatives think they might be (or should be) able to block the film from release if they don’t like how Jews are portrayed? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2003, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gibson-denies-jesus-film-is-anti-semitic-adl-wants-to-review-film-before-release/181884/18 "2003-06-15T21:18:39Z")
Frankly, yes, I think they do think they should be able to block it. They’ll certainly cause trouble for the fillmmakers, sponsors, etc. This isn’t really unusual behavior for them. They complained to no end about the _Hitler_ miniseries, sight unseen, because they felt it would “humanize” him (apparently he wasn’t a person) or portray him as a victim of circumstance or some such. Then it came out and they had no problem with it. Although some wondered if the series didn’t try to avoid such charges and lose something in the process. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gibson-denies-jesus-film-is-anti-semitic-adl-wants-to-review-film-before-release/181884/19 "2003-06-16T01:02:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Marley23 \* > \*\*Gibson’s homophobia, if he has it, could actually relate to the movie. \*\* How exactly? The movie has nothing to do with the question of homosexuality. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gibson-denies-jesus-film-is-anti-semitic-adl-wants-to-review-film-before-release/181884/20 "2003-06-16T01:21:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by JuanitaTech \* > \*\*I didn’t know Mel Gibson is a homophobe. Is there some sort of cite backing up this assertion or is it common knowledge? \*\* Not to hijack, but to respond: I consider the following comments from this 1992 interview from the Spanish periodical El Pais (The interviewer was Koro Castellano) to be homophobic: Gibson: They take it up the ass. (Bending over and pointing to his rear-end.) This is only for taking a shit." Castellano: You worked with with gays and had gay instructors while studying at the School of Dramatic Arts, didn’t you? Gibson: Yes, of course. They’re unavoidable in show business. For the most part they were good people, kind. Their thing is not my thing. Castellano: But you were obsessed with the thought that if you were an actor, people would confuse you with one of them. Gibson: Yes, but I did it. I became an actor despite that. But with this look, who’s going to think I’m gay? It would be hard to take me for someone like that. Do I sound like a homosexual. Do I talk like them? Do I move like them? What happens is when you’re an actor, they stick that label on you. I go from playing rugby one week to taking dance classes in black leotards the next. Many of the girls that I met in school took it for granted that I was gay. He never denied the comments and in fact apologized for them, adopting instead the standard “Hate the sin but love the sinner until such time as s/he dies and burns forever in hell”. Hypocrite. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gibson-denies-jesus-film-is-anti-semitic-adl-wants-to-review-film-before-release/181884.md?page=2)