In Praise of Mel Gibson

In Praise of Mel Gibson
by Reginald Firehammer

In Praise of Mel Gibson

Mel Gibson is a hero. I do not mean he is my hero, or a hero to any particular group, but symbolically, he is an American hero. There is another symbolic American hero named Howard Roark, who, though a fictional character, is the same kind of hero as Mel Gibson.

The author of the book in which Howard Roark appears is another of those same kind of heroes. Her name was Ayn Rand, and the name of the book is The Fountainhead.

Ayn Rand would not have liked Mel Gibson's movie. Ayn Rand was an atheist. Mel Gibson may never have read Ayn Rand's book, and certainly would not have agreed with her atheism; Mel Gibson is a staunch Roman Catholic.

Moral Courage

Nevertheless, these three, A Roman Catholic, An Atheist, and a fictional architect are all heroes of the same kind. They all chose to do what they believed was right to do, in the face of all opposition and criticism, risking their effort, their time, their reputation, and their resources to pursue what they believed, refusing to be dissuaded from their pursuit or discouraged by the opinions or scorn of the experts, the authorities, or even their peers.

From the beginning, the experts, the, "movie moguls," and the critics opposed Mr. Gibson. Every possible criticism and prediction of failure was publicly launched against his project. Unable to obtain financing from any other source, he invested his own money, and who knows how much time and effort in the pursuit of his vision.

And he succeeded. Marvelously, wonderfully, and victoriously, he succeeded; like Rand, like Roark, he succeeded by doing what he believed in.

Of all the things for which the product of Mel Gibson's efforts, The Passion of the Christ, has been praised, the most important one, the one that makes him a true hero, his moral courage, has all but been ignored.

The Reward

Oh, he will be rewarded for that success, but not by those who discouraged him, not by those who refused to support him, and not by those who criticized him. He will be rewarded by those who enjoy the product of his efforts, as he ought to be.

According to Penelope Patsuris' article, (Forbes 03.03.04) What Mel's Passion Will Earn Him: "At the close of its fifth day in theaters, the movie officially grossed $125.2 million, and industry experts anticipate that the international box office sales could hit $650 million by the end of its run."

"Gibson and his Icon Productions outfit provided the film's sole backing," spending a combined total of $45 million on production and advertising. Combined world returns of $650 million are predicted, meaning, a conservative 40% minus his investment should net Mr. Gibson about $215 million. Since he will also receive a percentage of "Passion" merchandise, the ultimate share of the Christian retail market of $4.2 billion dollars should be considerable.

When I said at the end of an article criticizing the movie, "There is one fact about the movie I like very much. I am delighted that Mr. Gibson is going to make a bundle ... There are few things a free-market lover enjoys more than to see someone's investment and efforts make a profit. I am delighted Mel's efforts and money have produced something that so many people find of value," I was criticized by the same individuals who otherwise praised the film, because I only found value in the movie's profitability.

The idea that something is of real value unless it makes money is the opposite of all American values. Nothing proves the value of anything like the profit that represents the voluntary payment of all the individuals who freely choose to buy it.

While I personally would not pay a dime to see The Passion of the Christ and have not been reticent about my reasons (A Passion for Pain | Brutal, bloody and thin-skinned | Passion Prattle | A Catholic Passion | Not A Bible Story) I know how to objectively evaluate Mr Gibson's work.

Is The Passion of the Christ really worth the millions of dollars Mel Gibson will make? According to all those who are willing to shell out hard cash to watch this movie, it is worth every penny. Who else should decide? What other measure would truly reflect what this film is worth to those who actually pay for it?

An American Success

Whatever else The Passion of the Christ is, it is one of the most controversial movies ever. Everyone is saying something about this movie, and everything is being said, from calling it "Sublime" to saying, "I Detest This Film With a Passion".

America is one of the few counties in the world where a film with this level of controversy can still me made without coming under the review of some government agency or another. More importantly, America is probably the only country left where the kind of controversy found in our press and media is possible, where virtually anything can still be said, and has been. More importantly than that, it is a country where none of these opinions matter except to those who choose to consider them. No matter what anybody says about this film, anyone who chooses to can and will see it, and nobody who chooses not to will be required to see it.

While the pundits argue about the surprising (to them) success of this movie [it gets free advertising by the Christian leaders, it appeals to those who love violence, it appeals to the religious] if any, all, or none of these are true does not matter. The success of The Passion of the Christ is attributable to one thing, the efforts of one man, investing his utmost ability to produce what he envisioned, investing his resources to produce it with the best technical quality possible, and advertising that product faithfully. That success (or failure) is manifested by how many Americans freely decide it is a product they want and will find of value to them. (Ultimately, that probably determines its success on the world market as well, because, had it flopped here, it is unlikely it would have succeeded greatly elsewhere.)

Is the The Passion of the Christ a great movie? That is a question to be answered elsewhere, and in time, it will be. What is without question is that the The Passion of the Christ a great human achievement by a great American hero, who cannot possibly be rewarded too much.

Biographical Note:

Mel Gibson was born in Peekskill, New York, on January 3, 1956. His father, Hutton Gibson, moved the family from New York to Sydney, New South Wales, Australia in 1968. He married Robin Moore on June 7, 1980. They have seven children: Hannah, twins Edward and Christian, William, Louis, Milo and Tommy.
Earnings history:
Mad Max (1979) $15,000 (Australia)
Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981) $120,000 (Australia)
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985) $1,200,000, (Australia)
Lethal Weapon 3 (1992) $10,000,000
Ransom (1996) $20,000,000
Conspiracy Theory (1997) $20,000,000
The Patriot (2000) $25,000,000 (USA)

�Reginald Firehammer (3/5/04)

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