Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” was one of 49 films deemed eligible for a foreign-language Golden Globe. But it was not among the nominees voted on today by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
Catholic League president William Donohue was not surprised:
“Mel Gibson releases the most significant blockbuster movie of the year, but it’s not good enough to make the cut for a Golden Globe. That’s because his film promotes Christianity, and the Hollywood crowd will have none of it. The only movies they like to make about Christianity these days are ones that demean it.
“But one movie that did make the cut in the foreign-language category was ‘The Motorcycle Diaries,’ a film that shamelessly lies about the notorious Cuban communist, Che Guevara. According to the Christian Science Monitor, the movie ‘paints Guevara as an amiable guy who doesn’t appear to have an aggressive bone in his body.’ A.O. Scott of the New York Times concurs, saying the film views Guevara ‘as a quasi-holy figure’ who turns away ‘from the corruptions of the world toward a higher purpose.’ This may explain why Jack Mathews of the New York Daily News says that director Walter Salles ‘comes close at times to posing Guevara as a Christ figure.’
“In other words, because Mel gives us a faithful rendition of Christ’s Passion, he is shunned by the Hollywood elite for doing so. But a movie that whitewashes a ruthless tyrant—making him into a Christ-like figure—gets the nod. The message that is being sent is unmistakable: there is no room for Jesus in Hollywood’s inn, but there is plenty of room for communist thugs portrayed in a Christ-like manner.”
