Mel Gibson turns from Christ's Passion to Mayan blood rites

The Observer (U.K.) ^ | 10/30/05 | David Smith

[Cicero]

I can't imagine what he's up to, but knowing Mel Gibson it will probably be terrific.

[the invisib1e hand]

remotely related: a friend wrote a book about the Yanomamo tribe. Very eye opening. ("Spirit of the Rainforest," by Mark Ritchie).

[patriciaruth]

Well, now we know what happened to them.

Katrina's mother and Andew's father paid them a visit.

[Lizavetta]

it also carried out savage rituals of human sacrifice to appease the gods.
'Hey, this is for kids with strong stomachs,' said Gibson, 49,

Yuk.

Why do movie-goers like being grossed out/scared/disgusted/etc? Blecch.

[Onelifetogive]

His most recent film, featuring flayings and floggings and with dialogue in Aramaic and Latin, was a worldwide hit. Now Mel Gibson has announced his next project will be set against the bloodthirsty backdrop of the Mayan empire - this time in an ancient dialect called Yucatec.

Mel might find out the hard way that the violence and obscure dialect weren't what drew millions of people to the Passion.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Zoykes. I've toured many an ancient Mayan city in Mexico. Ever stand next to a bottomless pool that was used for sacrificing children? Yeesh! They'd load them down with gold and jewels, then shove them over the edge to sink and drown...in hope of rain!

I get chills just thinking about it, and it was totally creepy standing next to one.

Yeah. People are going to need extremely strong stomachs for this one!

[torchthemummy]

The article says the film grossed 200 million Brit pounds world-wide but in American dollars the gross was $611,899,420 (box office mojo) which I believe is more than the 200 million pounds stated. Either way it is still the most successful indie film ever especially in regards to the subtitles.

[PLMerite]

What's he gonna call this one, "Passion of the Quezelquoatl"?

[CometBaby]

Mel Gibson has made a lot of movies that would not qualify as good Christian movies. He made one that does. It's not a commitment.

[monkapotamus]

"...especially in regards to the subtitles"

And the R rating.

[SuziQ]

I'd go see it. The Mayan civilization is still a mystery to many. They're still finding stuff buried in deep jungle that gives more information about the people.

[cripplecreek]

Mel makes great movies about patriotism and courage. Braveheart and The Patriot were two of the best in my book. And who doesn't love Mad Max as fantasy flicks?

[eleni121]

Mel is fantastic. He will surely not disappoint us with this film.

[Clemenza]

If I were a producer, I would LOVE to make a film about the conquest of Mexico or Peru, based on Prescott's classic accounts. They would be VERY violent and VERY politically incorrect.

[Cicero]

Agreed on all of them.

It would be very, very difficult to top The Passion, so I don't blame him for trying something completely different.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I'm not worried about disappointment. I'm worried about being able to stomach it after personally witnessing where he's filming!

I barely, just barely made it through "The Passion." It was gut-wrenching. And life-changing. I don't think a Mayan story will touch me as deeply. Just a cultural thing, nothing against Mel, who has been entertaining me since his Mad Max days, LOL!

[cripplecreek]

I haven't seen The Passion but I suppose I will some day. Another I thought was good was We were soldiers.

[quantim]

and it was totally creepy standing next to one.

Was it windy?

[Doctor Stochastic]

2000 years seems a bit extreme unless the Toltec, Omec, etc. civilizations are lumped in with Mayan.

Maybe we will see a reenactment of the ball game though. I'm still not sure of the rules (but I did climb the pyramid and run across the ball court.)