Having gone from star status to pariah status, Mel Gibson embraces his beliefs, even the most politically incorrect. Uncompromising portrait of a Hollywood actor and filmmaker as tormented as he is controversial. June 19 at 5:45 p.m., June 23 at 8:10 a.m. on arte and from June 9 to July 15 on arte.tv.
When Mel Gibson found himself, at the age of 23, propelled to stardom for his role in Mad Max (1979), nothing seems to predict that he will become one of Hollywood’s most controversial actor-directors. The young American, who lived in Australia with his ten brothers and sisters, reveals in this action film that has become cult an obvious talent as an actor, enhanced by his azure eyes. Quickly exhausted by filming and this dazzling celebrity, “Mad Mel” took refuge in alcohol, then on an Australian ranch where he raised cattle for two years. On his return, he abandoned vigilante roles to play vulnerable men with whom he identified, such as that of the solitary and unstable policeman of The lethal Weapon (1987).
Desecrating Hollywood in a hilarious video diary kept for the HBO channel, Mel Gibson moved away from the studios to create his own in 1989 and take his first steps as a director. His second film, Braveheart (1993), won five Oscars. But no producer wants to invest in this traditionalist Catholic’s next project, The passion of Christ, due to a more than sulphurous scenario. Despite the violence of the feature film – which reflects the inner struggles of this director diagnosed with bipolar – and the accusations of anti-Semitism, the public flocks to the cinemas.
Boycott
In the 2000s, Gibson was less talked about for his films than for his misconduct (suspicions of domestic violence, drunk driving, etc.). While part of Hollywood boycotts him, his loyal friends (including Jodie Foster) help him return to the forefront. Thus, in 2017, he was nominated for the Oscar for best director of the film You will not kill. Made up of archives and interviews, this documentary paints an uncompromising portrait of an artist with a tortured personality, who accepts his contested opinions and cinematographic choices, to the point of preparing a sequel to The passion of Christ…
