Mel Gibson Reveals His New 'Passion'
March 1, 2005 — -- One year ago this week, Mel Gibson's controversial film about the life of Jesus, "The Passion of the Christ," was released.
The film ignited controversy for its graphic violence and its portrayal of Jews, but it was voted "favorite drama motion picture" at the People's Choice Awards this year and grossed over $600 million worldwide.
Despite its popular success, "The Passion of the Christ" received only three behind-the-scenes nominations at this year's Academy Awards and won none of them.
But that snub doesn't bother Gibson, who told Diane Sawyer on ABC News' "Good Morning America" that he wasn't expecting any nominations for the film and so was not disappointed.
Gibson, who didn't attend the Oscars, did not heap critical acclaim on the academy either.
"It's the tastes of those 6,000 people who are in the industry," Gibson said of the Academy Awards. "I mean, if you think about it, the whole concept is kind of ludicrous because, I mean, how can one … compare an apple to an orange? I mean, they're different sorts of artistic expressions."
A new version of "The Passion of the Christ" will be released to 500 to 750 theaters nationwide on March 11, just in time for Easter.
Gibson confirmed that five to seven minutes of the movie will be deleted, particularly the most graphic scenes in which Jesus is flogged.
"Well, I got a lot of feedback," explained Gibson. "And it was like they thought that perhaps it was a little too hard for 'em, too wrenching. So I sort of listened to that, and I went back and I said I could redo it and keep the impact of what I had done, and … cut down on the brutality."
Gibson added that he did not think the film was too violent but he did want to make it available to a "wider audience."
Many in the secular, and often liberal, world of Hollywood expressed scorn for Gibson's re-telling of the Christ story.
In a "Primetime Live" interview last year with Sawyer, the "Passion" director recounted seeing Jack Nicholson, who Gibson said asked him: "How's Jesus treating you?"
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