A flick hard-wired for laughs

The Motion Picture Association of America still considers it R-rated.
HARTFORD COURANT
"The Passion of the Christ" is back. But Mel Gibson's epic story about the final 12 hours of Jesus Christ's life will be a less gory, more family-friendly film this time.
"The Passion Recut," as it is now called, opens Friday -- two weeks before Good Friday -- in 500 theaters nationwide.
When the original version opened on Ash Wednesday last year, it had an R rating because of its graphic depiction of a bloody Christ, who is flayed by Roman soldiers after his capture, whipped as he carries his cross through the streets and then dies a slow and agonizing death when he is crucified.
The movie "is the same film in spirit," Gibson explained in a recent statement. "I have toned down some of the more brutal scenes without removing them or compromising the impact of the film. By softening some of its more wrenching aspects, I hope to make the film and its message of love available to a wider audience."
After the film's first release, Gibson said, "I received numerous letters from people all across the country. Many told me they wanted to share the experience with loved ones but were concerned that the harsher images of the film would be too intense for them to bear."
Essential to the story
Covenant Presbyterian Church in Simsbury, Conn., purchased 600 tickets for the congregation to view the film last year, and Robert Cooley, the church outreach coordinator, believes the violence was necessary to the story.
"The violence depicted in 'The Passion of the Christ' is historically accurate and important in terms of understanding the sacrifice," Cooley said. "Mel Gibson was under a lot of pressure the first time around to lessen the violence of the movie, but I am glad he did not back off from it."
But Cooley acknowledged that less violence could bring a wider audience: "To the extent that he can broaden his audience, that would be a good thing."
Many church groups that sponsored theater showings for their members found the movie to be a powerful proselytizing tool but one that was not appropriate for children or sensitive viewers.
"The Passion Recut" is an excellent idea, said Tom Walsh, pastor of Crossroads Community Church in Vernon, Conn. "I'm looking forward to a kinder, gentler version, one that is more mainstream and acceptable," he said. "It's a powerful film, but one that could be off-putting to some who would not be offended by the message of film."
Screening
Walsh saw the original film twice last year to prescreen it for his congregation, he said, "and to tell you the truth, it was difficult to sit through the second time."
The film was a major event last year for churches such as Crossroads. Walsh said the outreach from the screening helped add 25 new members to his small church, which held its first public service on Easter 2003.
Walsh said he would screen the new version of the film to see if it would be appropriate for children or young teens this time around. "I think children from a Christian background could get a lot out it, if they could see it," he said.
According to Icon Productions, the company that distributes both "The Passion of the Christ" and "The Passion Recut," the film has been edited to bring it closer to a PG-13 rating, but is being released unrated because the Motion Picture Association of America, which rates films, decided "Recut" still belonged in the R category.
The movie, which stars Jim Caviezel and Monica Belucci, took in $611.4 million worldwide and is the top-grossing R-rated film of all time. The film won Academy Awards for cinematography and original score.