Mel Gibson is rich enough to finance his own movies, including the 2004 blockbuster "The Passion of the Christ" and the upcoming release "Apocalypto." But although riches can buy a certain freedom from creative interference, no man is an island in the movie business.
Gibson, who apologized Saturday for making "despicable" remarks in what was described as an anti-Semitic tirade after a drunk driving arrest, in some ways now finds himself at the mercy of a Hollywood establishment that may or may not be inclined to extend forgiveness.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Thursday August 03, 2006 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 2 inches; 72 words Type of Material: Correction
Mel Gibson: An article in Monday's Business section about the effect that Mel Gibson's remarks could have on his career said that Newmarket Films, which had helped release Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" in 2004, was now part of Time Warner Inc. Although Time Warner's HBO Films and New Line Cinema hired Newmarket's Bob Berney and bought his shares in Newmarket in 2005, Newmarket remains an independent production and distribution company.
His most immediate issue is with Walt Disney Co., which is distributing "Apocalypto" and which also, through its ABC television network, has a development deal with his company to make a miniseries about the Holocaust.
Several prominent critics of "The Passion" have stepped forward to suggest that Gibson, who denied there was an anti-Semitic undercurrent in his movie about the last hours of Christ's life, has now shown his true colors.
"Mel Gibson's apology is unremorseful and insufficient," said Abraham H. Foxman, the national director of the Anti-Defamation League, who added: "His tirade finally reveals his true self and shows that his protestations during the debate over his film 'The Passion of the Christ,' that he is such a tolerant, loving person, were a sham."
Foxman called on Hollywood executives to "realize the bigot in their midst" and "distance themselves from this anti-Semite."
Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, urged Gibson to drop the Holocaust project, saying it would be "inappropriate."
Gibson's spokesman declined to respond.
Disney executives would not comment Sunday about the future of either project, but the company has shied from controversy before, most notably when then-Chairman Michael Eisner declined to release Michael Moore's anti-President Bush documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11." That ultimately found another distributor, but Hollywood's shrinking landscape of such unaffiliated companies makes it increasingly difficult for filmmakers to go the non-corporate route.
Ordinarily, Hollywood distribution deals call for the studio to handle marketing for the movie -- a potentially difficult proposition given Gibson's arrest in Malibu and the ensuing controversy about remarks he allegedly made, including: "The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world."
