Gibson Recuts "The Passion" to be Less Violent

February 18, 2005

Source: The Church of England Newspaper

http://www.churchnewspaper.com/news.php?read=on&number_key=5756&title=The%20Passion%20recut

On February 18, 2005 The Church of England Newspaper reported, "Most movie makers add reels of extra footage to the 'director’s cut' of their cherished films. Not Mel Gibson. The actor-turned-director has chopped five to six minutes from his 2004 hit The Passion of the Christ. The result is 'The Passion Recut' – less violent than the original, and, the filmmaker hopes, more appealing as a result. Protracted torture scenes in the R-rated 'Passion' proved a turnoff for many, among them the Christians targeted by the film’s promoters. 'The new film will provide more of a family experience,' Bruce Davey, Gibson’s partner in Icon Productions, told Variety magazine. The original film, released on Ash Wednesday last year, grossed over $370 million. US distributors Newmarket Films hope that the unrated 'Passion Recut' will likewise prove a money spinner when it opens at 500-700 screens across the United States on March 11, 10 days before Palm Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week."