Faith and Filmmaking: An Interview with Mel Gibson

Everybody Greg Laurie here. You're listening to the Grigori podcast and my objective is to deliver hopefully compelling practical insights and faith culture and current events. From a biblical perspective to find out more about our ministry.

Just go to our website harvest.org so thanks for joining me for this podcast tonight. I have the director of the film Academy award-winning director and actor let's welcome Mel Gibson to the harvest Crusade. Thanks, Greg, your help honored to be here and honored to be here to love you Mel I love you folks. You know, about 12 years ago when I was literally when I made this film. I was literally getting that far kicked out of me and it was you people out there evangelicals who stood up and and supported me and I thank you. At the time but I thank you again okay seventh grade. Thanks so much, you know, first of all Mel like you got some big guns going on there, one arm wrestle right now to go.Braveheart I can't win okay to dedicate.

I try to talk with the backstage. I said no it was the first film that you are in and I chose some companies that know I was in something called mad Max. I said yeah I think I've heard of that somewhere yet. I mean Mel is been in so many films but with this film. In particular, the passion of the Christ you know, as I said it it sort of like going back in time, I felt like I went into a time machine and almost was seen it and you know there's some moments in a very graphic but as you said in interviews.

Maybe your film is is realistic as it is isn't as graphic as it actually was discouraging the whipping the crucifixion itself, but why didn't you make this film. Why think there's a tendency for all of us to take that event and the extent of the sacrum taken for granted and film likely particularly cinematically, I think it's been sanitized so that it becomes effective and effectual nonemotional and I wanted to illustrate the extent of the sacrifice that Christ made so I felt that to do a film like that and my own experience contemplating over the years on the passion my imagination sword and there are readings on the on the matter.

That kind of brought home the dreadful reality of how badly how bad it was and I just wanted to put that on film to give people maybe a new look and so to bring another theological perspective to it. Perhaps they hadn't thought of before they hold the mic just a little closer closer got wind that was very little in there and that's Now Mel, there's a rumor word on the street is to do a follow-up to the passion and it's good to be written by Randall Wallace who, how many of you have seen the film Braveheart using Braveheart okay well Mel directed that film he started in the film is William Wallace and Randall Wallace wrote that film and so you and Randall are talking about writing equal to the passion so that I can really happen. Were talking about that, of course, that's a huge undertaking and you know it's not the passion to I minutes called the resurrection. That's right.

And I of course that's a very big subject and it needs to be looked at because we don't want to just do a simple rendering of it. I mean we can all read what happened but in order to really experience in an explorer. Probably deeper meanings of what it's about is going to take some doing and and Randall Wallace is up to the task. He said, is also as well as a brilliant writer is a great directory director. We were soldiers and have a real and stuff so he's he's a good writer and director testing and you have a new film.

In fact, we've been showing the trailer here at the so-called harvest of the last couple of nights called hacks all writs and that this is coming on the month of November and I've I've seen this film. Mel was nice enough to bite me up, previewing a bed.

This is an amazing film. It's a realistic World War II film some graphic scenes but not gratuitous at all but telling the very real story of a very real man.

Desmond God's I you know honestly when I heard what this is about.

I didn't know who Desmond Doss was why did you decide to make a film about Desmond Dawson who is he exactly will Desmond Doss was.

He received the medal of honor. The Congressional medal of honor for courage under fire and he was singular in that most guys who get the medal of honor they do something in a split second, and it's a decision that no and they do something courageous, heroic Desmond did what he did over and over and over again in different places in the Pacific, but his greatest achievement was in Okinawa where he saved a lot of men and the other interesting thing about Desmond is that he was a conscientious objector and he went into battle without a weapon as a medic as a medic and what he did was supernatural and he only did it through faith. Yes, that's all he was armed only with his faith and this man existed. He was a man of faith, conviction never fired a bullet got the medal of honor for extraordinary feats that he can only achieve through the power of God's right and you made a film about and I would say I would say that hacks all read is best depiction of a Christian in a mainstream film that I've seen since chariots of fire because it's a he's a hero and he was a hero to show him standing up for his faith is shown read this Bible praying taken a lot of abuse from his fellow soldiers to call him a coward, but hey, when it was all said and done, he was far from a coward.

How many men did he rescue out from that place with that hacks all writs was in was more than 100 was in it will. The Army claimed it was 100, and he claimed it was less so they rounded off to 75. But he did that in eight hours all by himself by himself. Unbelievable by his faith. So were looking forward to seeing that film. You know Mel you five, you had incredible success. Of course it were mad Max the lethal weapon films. Of course, Braveheart, the patriot we were soldiers. All these amazing films, but then you go out of your way and you make films like the passion of the Christ and hacks all ridge what motivates you. Mel to make the faith. Films like this films with the faith message. Why do you do it. Faith is a real thing and I think that ofttimes what I made the ultimate superhero film in the passion of the Christ, and so and someone like Desmond Doss is also a superhero and real superheroes don't wear spandex and I don't have a lot of 3D special-effects but but they do operate on a higher level on a supernatural level and they actually look an appeal to something greater than themselves and then they do something superhuman.

Thank you for making these films. Mel and we we appreciate you were glad to hear at the event tonight and just so great to talk with you and hang out with you and and let's think Mel Gibson again for coming and joining us at the everybody Greg Laurie here. Thanks for listening to our podcast in the learn more about harvest ministries. Please subscribe and consider supporting this show. Just go to harvest.org.

By the way, if you want to find out how to come into a personal relationship with God. Go to know God.org that's key NOW GLD.org