Last Tuesday I hitched my way to Robinson’s early in the morning to watch THE PASSION. I have been really excited to watch it ever since I first read in the net that MEL GIBSON was doing a CHRIST movie.

I have seen tons of biblical movies. They’re my personal favorite. Anything that has sword sandals and togas. Most of them are historical or biblical stories and then theirs the occasional RAY HARRYHAUSEN VARIANT that would have GIANT BRONZE MEN and monsters! COOL!

Some of my friends already warned me to bring a Kleenex or two. I told them that are what the long sleeve is for.

The screening ended at around 1:30. It ‘s not a film that I recommended that you start the day with.

But I love the movie.

It’s a SPLATTER PUNK JESUS CHRIST flick!

But what would you expect when the director of the film is MAD MAX.

And the best part is that its earning hundreds and millions in the box office. Leaving the film executives scratching their heads because they refuse to distribute the film or produce it and declared that it won’t make a penny.

The problems in Hollywood now are that the film executives are running the studios. They based the marketability and the decision of producing a movie on …what else, MARKET RESEARCH.

Your idea must have a pre-cursor or hit film that grossed millions to ensure the go-signal.

So when you pitch you do something like this.

FLIM: “ OK this is an action adventure movie that has a strong supernatural flavor.”

FILM EXECUTIVE: “ Uhm…I don’t get it.”

FLIM: “ its RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK MEETS THE EXORCIST.”

FILM EXE: “ Hey that’s good. Raiders is one of the top grossing films of PARAMOUNT and has big revenue in the DVD market and the EXORCISTS. That baby went thru the roof even after the seventh re-issue!”

So its no wonder that when you watch Hollywood films they have a factory look and they have factory directions and a factory ending.

There was a time when film studios were run by filmmakers. Producers like DAVID O SLEZNICK were very gifted and talented individuals who knew inherently if a film is good not because of the money it would generate but by the substance and the story. He was the one who was personally responsible for bringing in ALFRED HITCHCOCK from ENGLAND

SLEZNICK created pictures that were classic gems like REBECCA, GONE WITH THE WIND and DUEL IN THE SUN.

The invasion of lawyers of marketing people into the higher echelons of Hollywood started around the late 70s. That coupled by the seeping in of television executives and mid management level people started the creative stranglehold of Hollywood produced movies.

So imagine how difficult it is to pitch a film when the bottom line is that it should gross 100 million in the domestic release alone.

For every trashy A-1 movie concept that was released, there were twenty great and original films that were trashed and thrown in the waste bin.

When Lucas pitched STAR WARS NED TANEN of UNIVERSAL pictures rejected it because there was no precedent and claimed it wont make any money.

I wonder how he is holding up right now. It’s amazing how things work. You pitch an idea and the studios would predict that it wouldn’t make any money and show you to the door. So you opt and produce it on your own. Then it becomes a box office hit because it’s unique and not the dime a dozen products out there. So you know what happens next? The studios that refused and damned your idea would now rush and climb over each other to duplicate and copy your film.

That’s what happened to STAR WARS. Universal initially passed it off and when it made money they created BATTLESTAR GALACTICA even going as low as getting JOHN DRYSTRA, STAR WARS special effects supervisor to make their product more STAR WARISH.

PATHETIC.

And that’s what’s going to happen to THE PASSION. In a few months there will be several biblical films on the production slate.

PETER’S PASSION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE

THE ADVENTURES OF MARY MAGDALENE IN THE CITY OF SODOM

PILATE’S HYGENE

And the unauthorized sequel to THE PASSION, which of course would be entitled THE RESURRECTION.