Irony! Mel Gibson sues Christian firm for "cleaning-up" his Passion film

[Ian David]

Mel Gibson Sues Over 'Passion' Film

Breaking from NewsMax.com

Mel Gibson's film production company has filed a lawsuit against a Utah firm for editing his movie "The Passion of the Christ."

The suit targets Ray Lines and his company CleanFlicks, which edits the nudity, violence and foul language out of films.

<snip>

The movie is 127 minutes long, and Lines said he edited out only three minutes. He also pointed out that Gibson himself released an edited version of the film.

But Gibson's company Icon Productions maintains that what he did constitutes copyright infringement.

The lawsuit is not asking for compensation, KUTV reports, but rather seeks to shut down CleanFlicks for good.

From the right-wing nutjobs at NewsMax:
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/11/18/105309.shtml

[MADem]

1. But....but...but....it's OK when WE do it, Mel!!!!!!

That is funny as HELL!!!

[TallahasseeGrannie]

2. I can see t heir point

because if I made a movie I would want to be the final editor and make those decisions. God knows there were plenty of scenes that could have been cut out in that movie, however!

I know that at school (where I teach) I am not allowed to "edit" anyone's movie to show, which is a shame because there are some great movies with just one or two things that would get me in trouble.

[Monkey see Monkey Do]

3. How odd - Icon have already released an edited 'suitable for kids' version

called "The Passion Recut".

[Ian David]

4. My guess is Mel just feels he's not getting enough money from it. n/t

[salukidem]

hmmm, Mel fighting with right wing'ers, there's a Mastercard 'priceless'

comercial pun somewhere in that

[Angry Girl]

9. If you slaved for a few years to make a feature film

You'd understand why you don't want some dickwad re-editing your work and then re-releasing it. Do you think it would be fair if you wrote a song or a poem and someone came around and changed it and re-rleased it as your work? I don't think so.

I don't care what the movie's about - it's Gibson's work, it's copyrighted, and it's not for anyone else to mess with it, especially not some twisted Mormon f*ck who is thinks Gaawd has annointed him to be the world's censor.

URGENT! Timing is critical to save earthquake victims before winter!

[Ian David]

12. I agree 100%. But I'm pleased to see the fundies eating their own n/t

[noonwitch]

15. On top of that, Gibson worked very hard on that movie

It was a personal mission for him.
I didn't see the movie, but as soon as I have a tv player that I can plug a DVD player into, I plan to watch it. I am curious as to what the controversy is all about.

[AllegroRondo]

6. Its only 12 minutes long.

[Noisy Democrat]

5. I'm glad

There's no contradiction between being a devout Catholic -- as Mel Gibson is -- and denying that Christians have the right to violate copyright and chop up people's films. I'm glad Mr. Gibson is taking a stand.

[Angry Girl]

7. Clean Flicks needs to be shut down for good (and fast)

What they do is a flagrant violation of copyright law and it is preposterous that these people are still conducting business, when the whole purpose of that business is to alter copyrighted work! About time someone took these Mormons on. Good luck, Mel....

URGENT! Timing is critical to save earthquake victims before winter!

[Ian David]

13. That would be a good thing. Especially if one of their own right-wingers..

was the one to take them down.

[Angry Girl]

14. Here! Here! Beats pro wrestling any day! nt

[Bridget Burke]

8. Mel does have his idiosyncracies....

But he won't fit into the mold of the Religious Right.

[President Jesus]

10. Is Mormonism technically "Christian"?

[thereismore]

11. No. nt

[ToeBot]

18. Well they are almost entirely Republican...

not sure that answers your question though, maybe.

[hyphenate]

16. Good!

I would LOVE to see Cleanflicks wiped off the face of the earth!

The fundies LOVE that company. They can go and get some really great films which have been gutted by that company. They can see it without the benefit of the director's vision, and without the truth and the grit and the function of the whole film.

That's the sad part. The DIRECTOR is the one who makes a movie. He or she has the final say on what a film contains. IF some asshole wants to see it without the graphic violence or sex, they should make their own goddamned version of it, and leave the director's film the way it was intended.

The director has the right of freedom of speech to make a movie in whatsoever way he wants. It should NOT be up to a fucking asswipe editor in some distribution house to change the vision of the original film.

If these fucking fundies don't like the original, too fucking bad. They either live with it the way it was done, or they can go and make their own fucked up vision in their own fucked up way.

I will ALWAYS stand by the original artist in this kind of situation, regardless of whether it's Mel Gibson, Martin Scorsese, Clint Eastwood, or ANYONE who creates a film, even if it's the biggest piece of shit that has ever been created. It's THEIR film. It's not someone else's to mess with.

[Javaman]

17. I love a good "passion" play...

:popcorn:

[robbedvoter]

19. My favorite Gibson quote

" F-- you! I don't mean f-- you; I mean "f-- you" in general. I don't have to answer any of these questions anymore. I'm a hell of a lot wealthier than I once was."
Mel Gibson at DVD sales convention for The Passion