That Gibson is a nut case (father or son) should not either surprise anyone, nor be grounds for the ADL's reaction. The only grounds for censorship ought to be what Justice Holmes characterized as "a clear and present danger"--and that comes from a dissentient opinion he wrote on the "freedom of speech" clause of the First Amendment. There have ever been, since the French Revolution, ultramontane Catholics. That one of them (Gibson the Elder) is a conspiracy theorist is only evidence of an ordinary humanity. Stars of the silver screen have ever been motivated by their convictions, and not particularly bright. Bring on all the examples you can of intelligent motion picture actors, and you'll have provided a few dozen examples at the most, which prove the rule that the most of them couldn't find their respective asses with both hands and a wall chart. I believe it was John Huston who remarked that most actors are dumb, and that he liked it that way (saw this on Carson one night). Anyone looking to Hollywood for intellectual stimulation, or philosophical profundity is barking up the wrong tree to begin with.
Tempest in a teapot . . .
The next time somone says "Hollywood liberals", I'm going to point out Charlton Heston, Arnold Schwarzeneggar, Ronald Reagan, and Mel Gibson.
Gibson is a pig. No sense beating around a PC bush. Pig is pig!
While I am not impressed by Gibson, censorship is still not the correct approach.
Considering that he grew up in a household with the lunatic views of his father and I am sure was inculcated with them at an early age. I must wonder how far the apple fell from the tree.
I agree with those who say the man's looney ideas are no reason to censor him. But I did get a kick out of reading some of that Playboy interview. He reads Darwin to get the latest info on what scientists say about evolution?
What would one expect from someone who gets his notions of moral behavior by reading the rambling folk history of nomadic semites written thousands of years ago?
Well, gee, when you put it that way...
After reading that excerpt from the Playboy interview, my estimation of Mr. Gibson which wasn't that high to begin with (I though he was a total minus in "Signs") and now it's at the bottom of the barrel. What a goon. Although I don't believe he should be censored, I would like to see just how much box office he can muster up with yet another telling of the story. There's not much to go on so there has to be some pretty flaky extrapolations -- perhaps even worse than "The Patriot" which was another laughable revisionist view of history. Seems like more and more, this is proving what a crock it is that conservatives present history exactly as it is. Baloney.
Hey, LW!
That was his dad, Hutton Gibson! I'd hate for you to go around ascribing that tripe to Mel.
I stand corrected -- didn't click on the link! Is that tripe far off from what Mel might believe? Anyone know?
"Braveheart" was also revisionist history.
It was Roland Emmerich who gave us the remake of "Godzilla" just before he directed "The Partriot."
"The Greatest Story Ever Told" could be remade with Gibson as the Roman Centurion at the end of the film, taking John Wayne's place and having to utter those almost final (and anti-climatic) words while gazing over the Crucifixion.
That tripe (the interview with Playboy in July 1995; my link) is Mel's tripe.
Hope that clears things up.
Geez, I hope Mel doesn't believe that crap.
LW-- Och! You've besmirched Braveheart!!!
I refreshed and see PDid's entry. I could have sworn it read Hutton Gibson! LW--correction suspended, until I check my eyesight!
Oh crap!
LW-- I was wrong. You were right. I apologize. I misread. (I think my brain rejected it.)
This bears deep consideration. Ugh!
Mel was almost playing above himself in the role of Mad Max--i don't know why anyone would look to motion picture people for any sort of moral or intellectual leadership . . .
Well, I'm bummed. Mel is a lunatic.
Still can't wait to see the movie.
I loved "Road Warrior" but, come to think of it, that's the film that made him famous, right? Well, maybe it was "Mad Max", but the same character. Think of all the junk he's done since then.
I didn't think he was awful as Hamlet, though, of course, Helena Bonham Carter stole the film as Ophelia. She was born to play that role!
Mel is a decent actor if cast in the right role. That he tackled a role Sir Laurence Olivier and Kenneth Branaugh nailed is commendable but the all the actors around him upstaged his performance. I can just take him or leave him. But after appearing in the "Lethal Weapon" series, a hedonistic romp of raw violence, I wonder how he can rationalize that with being pious?
The interviewer at Playboy baited him with one false statement about Darwin saying we were descended from apes and monkeys. Untrue -- it was a common ancestor. Chipanzees are close to 100% similar to us. They also use tools, indulge in homosexual acts, display very disconcerting violence and still seem more civilized than their human brothers and sisters.
I'll go see it.
I'll just bait my right-wing friends by telling them I'm boycotting (like I did with Terminator 3) by saying something like, "That Dixie Chicks crap cuts both ways..." :wink:
