Mel Gibson's new movie... In Latin with no subtitles

[Semjaza]

[url]http://abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s682222.htm[/url]

[quote]Mel Gibson is set to direct a movie about Christ's last 12 hours played out entirely in two ancient tongues - Latin and Aramaic - with no subtitles.

The formula hardly sounds like the recipe for a hit movie but Gibson thinks language should be no barrier for the film, titled Passion.

"For me that's more real and hopefully I'll be able to transcend language barriers with filmic storytelling," Gibson said.

"It's very visual and it's about something that has ... affected civilisation in every possible way you can imagine," the 46-year-old actor, a devout Catholic, added.

But Gibson, a perennial Hollywood favourite with lead roles in the hit Lethal Weapon series, Braveheart and more recently Signs, acknowledged his choice of languages for the new film was causing headaches as far as US distributors were concerned.

"No-one wants to touch something in two dead languages. They think I'm insane, maybe I am," joked Gibson, who was born in New York but grew up in Australia.

Gibson is very much of the old school and a Latin service is still held at the private chapel of his California home.

He also had some sharp words for the modern-day Catholic Church, rocked this year by allegations of child abuse.

"It's very easy to be shaken these days faith-wise. All this kind of paedophilia stuff in the United States, it's hard to hang on to a foundation with this stuff going on," he said.

Shooting will switch between the famous Cinecitta studios just outside Rome and cave-riddled Matera in southern Italy.

Gibson acknowledged he was filming "in the shadow of the dome" but brushed aside questions on whether the Vatican would approve of the film.

"I don't know what they like these days," he said, adding his priority was to make a credible film.

"Many people have told the story but ... it's like looking at it from the wrong end of the telescope, I mean Jesus either suffers from bad hair or it's inaccurate or you don't believe it," he said.

But Gibson, who turned down Martin Scorsese's offer of playing Jesus, has once again shied away from the role, giving it to Jim Caviezel, star of The Count of Monte Cristo and High Crimes.

"There's two things I wouldn't do on film and I said this when I was in my 20s - I will never play myself if it ever comes to that and I will never play Jesus."[/quote]

At first I thought this was pretty strange, but the more I thought about it the cooler it seemed. It kind of reminds me of picture books, where you can see what's going on... but you kind of have to make it up yourself at the same time. Of course, a movie has the added benefit of sound, so I'm sure emotions would be put to better use.

I took Latin for 4 years in High School, finally I have a use for it other than figuring out the roman numberal copyright dates for movies lol.


---- I also just realized how poorly written this article is. How do these people get these jobs anyway?

[Sephiroth]

I just don't think this movie will work, a movie spoken in a language that very, very few people understand, with no subtitles?

The way I see it, it will be a flop in the cinema, but a hit on DVD since it will be added with a subtitles option

[Fall]

I think, in a sense, that it will be popular than any other movie released in the past like this....simply because of Mel Gibson staring in it.

I know for one that my mum knows absolutely no Latin at all, and will still get this movie on VHS/DVD, whatever.......[size=1]she loves him.[/size] :p

[Guest Matt]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Semjaza Azazel [/i]
[B]---- I also just realized how poorly written this article is. How do these people get these jobs anyway? [/B][/QUOTE]

[color=red][b]lol. When I was reading the article, I was thinking "wow. this has a lot of errors.".

Well, I think it will all depend on the publics willingness to except the film. I have never seen a jesus movie in theaters, and one that is in all latin.....

It seems as if the theaters might not want it because it could drag down profits and take up theater space.

But then again it could be a big hit and everyone will love it.[/b][/color]

[wrist cutter]

I think the idea is unique enough that it might just draw in some crowds. I'd like to see it myself - if the movie is not littered with drawn out conversations and is done right (I'm sure Mel had this in mind) then it should be good despite the fact very few would be able to understand the words.

[RicoTranzrig]

It might be interesting to see how powerful the dramatic imagery can be to make up for the lost dialouge. Hope Mel does a good job too. so he doesn't upset those really religous people. I'm thinking there is going to be a lot of flashbacks as his sentence is carried out.