Troy Krause's Response To My Review Of THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST

Date: 1 Mar 2004 14:34:16 -0000
From: CT_WestchesterCoNYBkxers@yahoogroups.com
To: CT_WestchesterCoNYBkxers@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [CT_WestchesterCoNYBkxers] Digest Number 15
Date: Sun, 29 Feb 2004 09:26:10 -0500
From: "Troy" [troy@rtroyankrause.com]
Subject: RE: THE PASSION - my review


Hello Shlo -

I'm impressed. I'm in no position to really make any comments regarding the specifics of your review since I haven't seen the movie. I also don't come anywhere near your knowledge regarding the subject matter the movie tackles. My knowledge is superficial at best.

Your opening comment regarding the reason you went to see the movie -"I've heard so much about this film, both positive and negative, that I had to see it in order to judge for myself." - are precisely the reasons I'll likely not see it (unless someone, somehow persuades me to the contrary). In my experience when books and movies receive the tremendous advance hype this movie has, I have generally come away feeling very disappointed when I caved into the hype like you have by going to the movie. I guess my expectations from the hype become just too great. I end up presuming that I'll be reading or viewing something extraordinary or unique. It just never seems to pan out that way. Controversy per se never fits into my definition of "extraordinary." Rather it's the exceptional story or an otherwise ordinary story uniquely told which makes a movie or book special for me.

My reading of your review leads me to believe that for those viewers like me, who lack some serious background knowledge, so many parts of the story may be either missing or superficially treated that the storyline itself my be lacking.

I'm also troubled by the extraordinary degree of violence you describe in the movie. As an author, who strives to write realistic fiction, I'm all for sex or violence in my books provided it serves the purpose of furthering the greater storyline. When the sex or violence is either thrown in simply for salacious purposes or becomes so overwhelming that rather than furthering the storyline, it becomes the story itself or only what one is most likely to remember about a book or movie, then I think the constructive use of the sex or violence has crossed the line from being useful to becoming distracting. Your review leads me to conclude that Gibson's use of violence has crossed that line.

As for Gibson, himself, I've always enjoyed his acting, and like you I have no reason to believe that he has any negative biases toward anyone. Quite to the contrary, most of what I've read leads me to understand that he is a respectable man. If this is true, I think that it's sad that his creative attempt has become a basis for otherwise unfounded personal attacks.

As a guy who loves promotion and respects anyone who can do it successfully and honestly, by and large I congratulate Gibson on taking a personal gamble with this film and presumably then intentionally creating the promotional atmosphere which, from all the reports I've read, will now likely reward him with a fine return for his efforts.

This all said, Gibson has gotten your bucks along with many others, but it's unlikely that he'll get mine. But as they say, "Never say never."

R. Troyan Krause
Author - The Works of the Flesh
http://www.rtroyankrause.com


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