The following is taken from the press release I just received from the UP Network.
Please note that the issues of negative Jewish representation in the film remain. Click here to read my article “A Decade Later ‘The Passion Still Raises Questions of Anti-Semitism” .
Meanwhile if you decide to tune in, remember the intense and graphic violence in the film. It is not recommended for young children. The film is rated “R” for this reason.
UP TV PRESENTS
THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST
IN ITS COMMERCIAL TV DEBUT ON PALM SUNDAY NIGHT
Special One-Night Television Event Marks 10-Year
Anniversary of Watershed Film
LOS ANGELES – March 14, 2014 –The Passion of the Christ, Mel Gibson’s blockbuster retelling of Jesus’ final hours, will make its commercial television premiere on the UP television network at 9 p.m. EDT/6 p.m. PDT on Palm Sunday, April 13, 2014. Ten years after it captivated the world and made box office history, an edited-for-television version of the powerful, provocative, three-time Oscar®-nominated and People’s Choice winner The Passion of the Christ will air with limited commercial interruption on UP, presented as part of the faith-friendly network’s two-week celebration of Easter.
“UP is proud to present this powerful, groundbreaking cinematic portrayal of Christ’s death and resurrection as the centerpiece of our extensive Easter programming,” said Charley Humbard, president and CEO, UP. “The Passion of the Christ is a story of unconditional love—the love of a Mother for her son and the love of a Son for his Heavenly Father and for all mankind. This film depicts the story that is at the very heart of Christianity. It truly epitomizes our holiday theme: ‘Easter Lives Here!’”
The release of The Passion of the Christ coincided with the founding of UP a decade ago. Today the network is one of the largest producers of faith-friendly films with 40 original films to its credit and 20 additional original films scheduled for 2015.
First released theatrically during Lent, 2004, The Passion of the Christ took in $612 million at the worldwide box office, becoming the highest grossing independent film of all time. The film remains the highest-grossing religious film in history. Since then, it has never aired on a commercial network. Directed by Mel Gibson (Braveheart, Apocalypto) from a script by Gibson and Benedict Fitzgerald, the film stars Jim Caviezel (The Prisoner, “Person of Interest”) as Jesus and Monica Bellucci (The Matrix Reloaded, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice) as Mary Magdalene.
Spoken entirely in reconstructed Aramaic and Latin with subtitles, The Passion of the Christ focuses on the last 12 hours of Jesus of Nazareth’s life. The film begins in the Garden of Olives where Jesus has gone to pray after the Last Supper. Jesus must resist the temptations of Satan. Betrayed by Judas Iscariot, Jesus is then arrested and taken within the city walls of Jerusalem where leaders of the Pharisees confront him with accusations of blasphemy and his trial results in a condemnation to death.
Filmed in Italy and produced and distributed independently by Gibson and his company, Icon Productions, The Passion of the Christ instantly created a new market for faith-based and faith-friendly films and has inspired filmmakers around the world ever since. A decade later in 2014, the epic films Son of God, Noah and Exodus will all be released theatrically by major Hollywood studios.
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