The Passion Re-Cut: If "It Is As It Was”, Why the Redaction?

Authors

Clodagh M. Weldon, Dominican UniversityFollow

Abstract

Mel Gibson claimed that The Passion of the Christ (2004) was faithful to the gospels and that the gospels were faithful to history, a claim subsequently challenged and debated by many. This article seeks to examine Gibson's claim in light of his decision to edit and re-release the movie as The Passion Re-Cut, arguing that, ironically, he is in fact doing precisely what the gospels writers did in the first century: adapting the story of Jesus and retelling it to a different audience. Further, by exploring the changes Gibson has made to the movie, and the new audience for whom he is writing, I hope to discover something of his purpose as "gospel” writer and redactor.

Recommended Citation

Weldon, Clodagh M. (2006) "The Passion Re-Cut: If "It Is As It Was”, Why the Redaction?," Journal of Religion & Film: Vol. 10: Iss. 2, Article 5.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.32873/uno.dc.jrf.10.02.05
Available at: https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/jrf/vol10/iss2/5

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

VolNum

10