96 replies to this topic

[sev-mard]

This dilemna spreads to all things 'cultural' and 'ethinc' my friend. Some see it as exposure, some see it as devaluation and a mockery. It can go either way. I think with a rich(one of the richest) Christian histories on the planet, music from you culture is a fitting addition to a movie of this nature.

peace

[gurgen]

But when used on subjects with nothing at all to do with Armenia it is just so laughable. What next? When will we hear it as background music on adverts for toothpaste, or tampons?

This is indeed true.

When I first let my German friend in London hear duduk music he actually said it made him think of National Geographic Channel
Our music is being used in documentaries very very often and people have no idea where it comes from.

[sev-mard]

Our music is being used in documentaries very very often and people have no idea where it comes from.

This is unfortunate but almost to be expected. Many 'cultural' things are used by the predominately jermak controlled media without explanation or even true knowledge. I think being mad about it isn't the key, more so informing your friends and others as to what it is, and it's significance, without being brash. Does that make any sense? Or the mere out of context use incenses you all?

[vava]

quick note: we should be proud to spread our music, and knowledge of our music regardless of the context - we just have to take ownership of it (in order not to 'lose' it....) If we don't spread knowledge our culture, than we will forever be trapped by our dwindling numbers and eventually assimilate and be lost...

[hyebruin]

Why on earth do you think it is cool? Why are you not angry that it is being devalued.

It is bad enough hearing the complete overuse of duduk music on just about everything connected to Armenia, making everything sound so corny and cliched.

But when used on subjects with nothing at all to do with Armenia it is just so laughable. What next? When will we hear it as background music on adverts for toothpaste, or tampons?

hello??? this is about the death of christ!!! i am honored as an armenian to hear duduk played here...if it was a corny 'love story' that's another thing!! and how in the world do you see fit to compare a movie about christ's life to a tampon or a toothpaste commercial?? really!! i am speechless...perhaps you're not christian or do not see the importance of christianity within the armenian culture...either way, i do not see how you come to your conclusions!!! would it make you feel better if they did a quick historical review of armenians and their duduk in the intro of the fim? hmmm let's be reasonable now!!

[joseph parikian]

'THE PASSION': JUDGMENT DAY
Violent film lovers
suddenly sensitive
Critics who praised decapitations
in 'Gladiator' blast Gibson movie

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: February 25, 2004
1:00 a.m. Eastern



© 2004 WorldNetDaily.com

Many reviewers of Mel Gibson's film are displaying a "New Puritanism," condemning "The Passion of the Christ" for being too violent while lauding other violent films, charged a Catholic leader.

"Having failed to tag the movie as anti-Semitic, those who hate everything about Mel's masterpiece are trying to convince the public not to see it because it's too violent," says Catholic League president William Donohue.

"Alas, there is a New Puritanism in the land," he said. "Violence has now joined cigarettes as the new taboo."



Jim Caviezel portrays Jesus in 'The Passion of The Christ' (courtesy Icon Distribution)


Gibson's controversial film about the last 12 hours of Jesus' life opens today.

Donohue points to New York Daily News reporter Jami Bernard, who voted the "super-violent" film "Gladiator" the best picture of 2000, but brands Gibson's film "a compendium of tortures that would horrify the regulars at an S&M club."

Yet, Donahue says, Bernard is "a big fan of the Marquis de Sade – the pervert who wrote the book on S&M – and that is why she liked 'Quills.'"

Reviewer Peter Rainer, the Catholic leader noted, also condemns "Passion" for delving into "the realm of sadomasochism," yet commended director Steven Spielberg for the "gentleness" he brought to the bloody war hit "Saving Private Ryan."

Richard Corliss of Time, he noted, thinks the only people who will be drawn to Gibson's film are those "who can stand to be grossed out as they are edified."

Yet, said Donahue, Corliss called the "body halvings, decapitations, [and] unhandings" of "Gladiator" a "pleasure that we get to watch."



Critics praised violence by 'Gladiator' Russell Crowe (courtesy Universal Studios)


Newsweek's David Ansen says "The Passion" will "inspire nightmares," though he hails as "a must-see" movie a film about incest, "The Dreamers."

David Denby of the New Yorker cites "The Passion" as being so violent it "falls into the danger of altering Jesus' message of love into one of hate."

Says Donahue: "This is the same guy who said of 'Schindler's List' that 'the violence [is] neither exaggerated nor minimized."

"The New Puritans will not win this one," Donahue said. "The public does not share their deep-seated aversion to religion nor their phony pacifism."

A New York Times review today by A.O. Scott says Gibson "has constructed an unnerving and painful spectacle that is also, in the end, a depressing one."

The review says, "It is disheartening to see a film made with evident and abundant religious conviction that is at the same time so utterly lacking in grace."

"What makes the movie so grim and ugly is Gibson's inability to think beyond the conventional logic of movie narrative," charges the critique.

In a scathing review in the Boston Globe, James Carroll says the subject of the film is the "sick love of physical abuse, engaged in for power."

"'The Passion of the Christ' by Mel Gibson is an obscene movie," says Carroll to open his critique. "It will incite contempt for Jews. It is a blasphemous insult to the memory of Jesus Christ. It is an icon of religious violence."

David Edelstein, film critic for Slate.com says: "This is a two-hour-and-six-minute snuff movie — The Jesus Chainsaw Massacre — that thinks it's an act of faith."

He concludes with: "Gibson's Jesus reminded me of the Terminator — he could be the Christianator — heading out into the world to spread the bloody news. Next stop: the Crusades."

In contrast to these reviews, the many Protestant and Catholic leaders who have screened rough cuts of the film over the past several months have praised it as the most powerful cinematic treatment of the subject they have ever seen.


Editor's note: Coinciding with the release of Mel Gibson's film "The Passion of the Christ," WorldNetDaily has issued one of the most extraordinary editions of its monthly Whistleblower magazine ever produced, titled "THE DAY JESUS DIED."

Read WorldNetDaily's extensive coverage of Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ."

http://www.wnd.com/n...RTICLE_ID=37285

[gevo27]

I just saw it, and:

First i would like to say indeed it was a touching film. It was very well thaught out, and had many more "underlying" themes to certain scenes than most people would ever understand..

But.. to me personally if was just another portrayal of Jesus's death, only diff with this one was the emphasis on the pain he went through, and still kept saying to the last minute "father forgive them, they know not what they do"

[ExtraHye]

By JOHN LIPPMAN and MERISSA MARR, Wall Street Journal

(March 12) -- Mel Gibson is on track to reap at least $350 million in personal profits from his controversial "The Passion of the Christ" -- one of the biggest individual windfalls in Hollywood's long history of oversized payouts. The estimate is based on projections of people close to the film, as well as a consensus of people who routinely deal with the business aspects of filmmaking.
Hollywood insiders believe the only other filmmaker who personally profited as much from a single film is George Lucas, who financed and controlled all aspects of the release of his 1999 Star Wars movie, "The Phantom Menace." A spokeswoman for Mr. Lucas declined to comment. Other blockbuster movie makers, like Steven Spielberg, have generally worked within the studio system, which takes a big share of profits in return for financing and distributing films.
Not even the distributor of "Passion," Newmarket Films, anticipated the size of the audiences that have been flocking into theaters since the movie's opening on Feb. 25.

"I don't think anyone expected the film to do $125 million in the first five days," says Robert Schwartz, Newmarket's senior vice president of marketing and distribution. "We thought it might be capable of $45 million to $50 million, but beyond that it's a big gap."

Calculating Mr. Gibson's personal take of at least $350 million is fairly straightforward, although the final total will depend on a number of complicated factors. According to people familiar with the film, if the U.S. box-office receipts from "Passion" reach $400 million -- as many observers now expect -- Mr. Gibson will take home about $108 million. That number is derived by subtracting the theaters' share of the box-office receipts, Newmarket's distribution fee, and production and marketing costs. A spokesman for Mr. Gibson said he wasn't available for comment.

On top of his share of the U.S. ticket revenue, Mr. Gibson stands to earn at the very least another $100 million from overseas ticket sales, assuming the foreign box-office also reaches $400 million. That box-office figure is actually conservative, since the world-wide ticket sales from mega-hit U.S. movies often exceed the domestic sales. One question mark is Japan, the second-largest overseas market after Germany, where interest in a Western religious movie may not be high.

DVD Profits

The real gusher will come from DVD and video sales. Tom Adams, president of video market-research firm Adams Media Research, estimates that 22 million "Passion" DVDs will hit the world market, a number on par with the first "Harry Potter" movie or "Shrek." Based on average DVD prices -- and subtracting costs such as marketing and returns -- sales of those DVDs would yield $275 million. Mr. Gibson will share DVD revenue with Twentieth Century Fox Home Video, which has the rights to distribute the "Passion" DVD in the U.S. Fox declined to comment on the terms of the split.

"You have to figure he will get $100 million-plus," says Mr. Adams, referring to what he believes will be Mr. Gibson's piece of the DVD pie. But one person familiar with the agreement says the DVD deal with Fox more than flips the standard ratios between a producer and distributor in favor of Mr. Gibson's Icon Entertainment; that would result in additional tens of millions of dollars for Mr. Gibson.

Another big sum will come from the sale of pay-TV rights. Hollywood observers estimate Mr. Gibson will receive about $20 million from such a deal, plus at least $10 million from CD sales of the soundtrack, and another several million from licensing and merchandizing. Yes, there are "Passion" tie-in mugs as well as crucifix necklaces.

Together the total comes to about $350 million. But the ultimate sum could rise even higher if, as Newmarket's Mr. Schwartz believes, "Passion" exceeds the distributor's current North American box-office projections. "It's certainly in the realm of possibility that the film will top $400 million," Mr. Schwartz says.

That would make "Passion" a bigger hit than the top movie of last year, "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," which has so far taken in $368.9 million at the U.S. box office. The all-time record in U.S. ticket sales is held by 1997's "Titanic," with $600 million.

No doubt other star directors and actors are taking note of Mr. Gibson's strategy, and hoping that they, too, can emulate his success. Mr. Gibson was able to foot personally the $30 million production cost of "The Passion" because he has made a series of movies where he earned more than $25 million to star.

There are at least a half-dozen other stars in the $25 million-per-picture league, not to mention dozens more who earn more than $10 million per picture, a level of wealth that might make it possible for them to finance their own movies. Mr. Gibson hasn't announced his next movie project. A spokeswoman for Twentieth Century Fox says he is still "attached" to star in the fourth "Mad Max" movie, which the studio had hoped to release this summer.

The movie is now mired in development limbo, but Mr. Gibson said recently that he is no longer interested in being in it.

Fox has completed production on "Paparazzi," a thriller produced by Icon, but no release date has been set. In a recent TV interview, Mr. Gibson said there are other stories in the Bible he could foresee making into movies.

Bloated Benchmark?

It's Hollywood's equivalent of grade inflation. In 1990, only nine movies made it into the elite "blockbuster" ranks of $100 million in box office; in 2003, that number had jumped to 29. Well, $100 million isn't exactly what it used to be: The $286 million gross of "Home Alone," the 1990 hit, equals $380 million when adjusted for inflation.

So, isn't it time to raise the benchmark that defines "blockbuster"? Many studio-distribution chiefs don't think so. With 470 movies released last year, the 29-member top group "is still a pretty club to get into," says Dan Fellman, head of distribution at Warner Bros. The $100 million benchmark is still good, concurs Sony Pictures Vice Chairman Jeff Blake. One unstated benefit to the status quo: Hollywood can boast it has more "blockbusters" than ever before.

But Bruce Snyder, distribution chief at Twentieth Century Fox, thinks the times-are-a-changin'. "If you're not looking at $150 million, pay no attention to it as a blockbuster," he says. "We shouldn't be looking at 20 to 25 blockbusters a year."

[Armine3773]

Anyone remember what scenes they played the duduk in?

[allarmeniangirl]

Anyone remember what scenes they played the duduk in?

Duduk played in a lot of scenes during the movie(i.e. the beginning of the movie), but the one in particular was when they were taking down Jesus from the wooden cross toward the end of the movie.

[Armine3773]

Duduk played in a lot of scenes during the movie(i.e. the beginning of the movie), but the one in particular was when they were taking down Jesus from the wooden cross toward the end of the movie.

Thanks cuz

[allarmeniangirl]

Thanks cuz 

Welcome Mida

[gurgen]

Damn it, I'm jealous. You can't even download the movie here yet.

[Nané]

I finally saw it and it really touched me. But the movie mainly concentrated on Jesus's physical suffering and did not really touch upon his emotional suffering (which, IMO, is more significant).

[armjan]

I finally saw it and it really touched me.  But the movie mainly concentrated on Jesus's physical suffering and did not really touch upon his emotional suffering (which, IMO, is more significant).

that made me remember one of my favorite scenes from the "passion", it's where...

Mary(mother) and John scurry through the narrow streets in an attempt to see Jesus. Christ appears from behind the buildings ahead. His body weakened by scourging and the crown of thorns; he bends under the weight of the cross and falls to the rocky street. Mary stops short of the scene. She slumps on a doorstep, sighing in grief, immobilized by shock and fear. She knows that her son is divine. She knows that this was to be his earthly fate. But she remains a human mother watching her child suffer.

She is brought back to action by a flashback in her mind. It is an image of Jesus as a little boy, falling and calling for his mother. Stirred by that memory, she runs to her son weighed down by the cross and comforts him.

Jesus replies, "See, mother, I make all things new."

Edited by armjan, 26 February 2005 - 06:07 AM.

[lara-chan]

i thought the passion was way overrated. it looked beautiful in the previews and everything, but it was complete garbage on the big screen.

even my mom thought it sucked. it was just one big shockfest of fake blood and hate. now, that's ALRIGHT if you were making movies like "the toxic avenger" or "eraserhead", but mel gibson relying on shock value is hilariously tacky.

sure jesus went through a helluva lot of suffering, but i don't understand how people felt more spiritual by watching this film. there are many prophets and not-so-prophets who were subjected to pain and suffering for believing in humanity or simply doing miracles. haven't you seen that man in india who stood standing up for 7 years? he also rolled down the streets for half of the country of india. he is also suffering for our "sins".

i think the movie should have portrayed jesus' message a lot better and it shouldn't have made the film 80% of violence. people were taking their kids to see this movie.. THEY COMPLAIN ABOUT FREDDY KRUGER BEING TOO VIOLENT YET THEY FAIL TO SEE HOW TRAUMATIZING IT CAN BE TO BE 5 YEARS OLD, WATCHING THE PASSION. /rant

[Anoushik]

Well, Gibson did say that it was specifically about the passion Personally, I didn't gain much from that movie. I was just reinforced to think that human beings have the capability of being really evil.