via RelapsedCatholic comes a report that Mel Gibson is looking to do a film about the story behind Hanukkah.
So what’s so offensive? If this sounds, on the contrary, like a mollifying gesture to ADL national director Abraham Foxman, you might want to look a little more closely at what Hanukkah is actually about.
Many Jews grew up thinking of Hanukkah (which in 2004 falls on December 8-15) as an innocuous children’s festival. Actually the Maccabean revolt was deadly serious business, and it recalls one of the great tensions in our own modern American society: the conflict was between what today one might call religious fundamentalists and the secular elite.
I can't wait for the controversey surrounding this one!
It is funny how in Hollywood either thing is done in twos. When Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves was being filmed another Robin Hood movie was rushed into production. There were the forces of nature movies, Twister, Volcano and Dante's Peak. There was Deep Impact and Armageddon. Going futher back, Platoon and Hamburger Hill.
So Mr. Gibson comes out with The Passion of the Christ and it is HUGELY succesful so naturally Hollywood jumps on the bandwagon. I must say that I much preferred Road to Dasmuscus to Peter vs. Paul: Acts of the Apostles. From the Wilderness: The John the Baptist Story was pretty good as well... wait a second that is what would have happened if Hollywood was actually interested in making a buck! So we are left to wait for Mel Gibson's next film.
