This Sunday June 16, 2024 at 11:10 p.m., Arte is rebroadcasting its documentary entitled Mel Gibson: Madly, passionatelydedicated to the Hollywood actor-director with a more than controversial career. Tele-Leisure looks back on an episode in his life which definitively marked his divorce and his withdrawal from Hollywood.
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In 1979, a young man aged 23 was suddenly elevated to the rank of international star when he burst into the spotlight in a film: Mad Max, by George Miller, which would then become the biggest financial success for an Australian production. Her name ? Mel Gibson (who turned down a $530 million role for an astonishing personal reason). It is then difficult to imagine that his career will oscillate between success – in the lethal Weapon Or Braveheart (masterpiece at 5 Oscars) – and controversies of all kinds, making Mel Gibson one of the most controversial figures in Hollywood. This Sunday, June 16, 2024, Arte is dedicating an evening to him with the broadcast of the film The Bounty at 9 p.m., followed by a documentary on the fallen star titled Mel Gibson: Madly, passionately, scheduled for the second part of the evening, at 11:10 p.m. A program also available on the platform Arte.tv.
The passion of Christ : a hot and controversial project
In 2004, Mel Gibson announced that his next production would deal with the last hours of Christ in a film entitled: The passion of Christ. Filmed in Latin and Aramaic, it shows in the smallest details the tortures inflicted on Jesus, played by Jim Caviezel. However, no studio wants to invest in the project because of the controversial potential of such a subject. This is why the director “devotes 30 million of his personal fortune to it”, recalls the documentary. Even before filming began, his script was the subject of strong criticism. He is notably accused of anti-Semitism by certain Jewish organizations. Questioned on the set of Grand Journal in 2010, Mel Gibson admitted to being “surprised by the controversies at the time“. Despite the controversies, the film still arouses the curiosity of audiences around the world. It is a global success. In France, The passion of Christ brings together 1.7 million spectators.
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Mel Gibson’s scandalous remarks towards women and Jews
In July 2006, Mel Gibson was arrested for drunk driving. During his arrest, the actor and filmmaker made anti-Semitic and misogynistic remarks. And among his derogatory statements about the Jews, one is particularly scandalous: “Jews are responsible for all wars“. His public apology on the channel ABC, in front of millions of viewers will not change anything. He definitively signs his withdrawal from Hollywood. His wife Robyn Gibson, mother of his seven children, left him shortly after.
