November 3, 2011

Left/Liberal Criticisms of HollywoodPro-capitalistPro-militaristPatriarchal , sexist, or anti-feministRacistAnti-GLBT bias

Conservative Criticisms of HollywoodAnti-militaristAnti-religionAnti-familyLiberal bias

e.g. Michael Medved, Hollywood vs. America

Religion and HollywoodBible films of the 1950sInherit the Wind (1960)Controversies

The King of Kings (1927)The Life of Brian (1977)Last Temptation of Christ (1988)Dogma (1999)The Passion of the Christ (2004)

Documentary: The Bible According to Hollywood

Inherit the WindSpencer Tracy playsClarence Darrow;Frederic March playsWilliam JenningsBryan in movie about theteaching of evolutionin Tennessee in 1925

Last Temptation of ChristThe film depicts the life of Jesus

Christ, and its central thesis is that Jesus, while free from sin, was still subject to every form of temptation that humans face, including fear, doubt, depression, reluctance and lust.

The book and film depicted Christ being tempted by imagining himself engaged in sexual activities, a notion that caused outrage from some Christians.

Willem Dafoe

Video about protests

Controversy over DogmaThe filmmakers received over 300,000

pieces of hate mail, which Kevin Smith posted on his website. The Catholic League in particular attacked Disney and Miramax, the original distributors, for being anti-Catholic. The film was originally scheduled to come out in November of 1998, but was pushed back to November of 1999 in the hopes the controversy would die down. When that didn't work, Disney sold the film's distribution rights to Lions Gate Films.

News video on protest in New Jersey

Kevin Smithtalks about the protest

Katha Pollitt on The Passion of the Christ"Gibson has violated just about every precept

of the (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) conference's own 1988 "Criteria" for the portrayal of Jews in dramatizations of the Passion (no bloodthirsty Jews, no rabble, no use of Scripture that reinforces negative stereotypes of Jews, etc.)".

Source: Katha Pollitt, “The Protocols of Mel Gibson,” The Nation, March 29, 2004.

The King of Kings vs. The Passion of the ChristCompare portrayal of the Priest Caiaphas in

movie directed by Cecil B. DeMille with that in Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ

Caiaphas was portrayed in The King of Kings as an appointee of the Roman Empire and not a representative of the Jewish people

Caiaphas was portrayed in The Passion of the Christ as a Jewish leader capable of bringing about a successful rebellion against the Romans

Is Mel Gibson Anti-Semitic?DUI arrest in 2006 in

MalibuMade anti-semitic remar

ks to Jewish police officer who arrested him

Later apologized for remarks and sought help for alcoholism Mugshot from the arrest

Hollywood at War with Islam?The Siege (1998)Executive Decision (1996)True Lies (1994)Little Drummer Girl (1984)

Documentary: Reel Bad Arabs (2006)

Hollywood in Love with Tibetan Buddhism?Seven Years in Tibet

(1997)Kundun (1997)Richard Gere (Red

Corner)

See also: Kabbalah, Vedic, and Scientology.