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The Passion of the Christ


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Since half the studios (or more) own an indie distribution wing (Miramax, Paramount Classics, Sony Pictures Classics, etc.)

 

Miramax is a studio, owned by Disney, I believe.

 

The two indie blockbusters have not been distributed by some studio indie division but by an indie distributor.

 

Passion is right there with LOTR, Spiderman, Star Wars in box office sales; totally new phenomena for these two films, compared to other indies; indies never made that much $.

 

I'm no fan of the studios and if this signals change of the climate, I'm all for it.

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You don't seriously believe that the studios have LESS control over the box office? Indie film companies are more tied up with the studio distribution system and the star system than they ever have in their life. And you can't really say that a company that finances a project like "Lord of the Rings" is very different from a studio.

 

If you end up with a bunch of big-budget mainstream films with high-paid stars and conventional scripts, does it really matter if they are "indie" or "studio" projects??? Nothing has changed other than you've made it harder to raise financing. THAT'S an improvement?

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"The Passion of the Christ" was released by Newmarket Films, which also distributed the Charlize Theron film "Monster." The company was started by the former head of IFC Films, which distributed "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" and "Y tu Mama Tambien."

The Passion was released by Newmarket, but it was produced by Icon Productions....Mel Gibson's production company. Newmarket wasn't the only distribution company he went to to try to get the film released. He tried most of the studios first and they all turned him down very quickly. Not to take anything away from Bob Berney....the guy obviously knows what he's doing, but Newmarket wasn't Mel's first choice from what I understand.

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What is happening is that the studios and their indie distribution divisions apparently turned down one of the most grossing films of last year and this year one of the most grossing film of all time.

 

There were never indies with this type of grosses.

 

The fact that the studio divisions distribute indies is great because they have the expertise and you have a less chance of getting ripped off especially in some foreign market.

 

All this is good for the indie segment. The art theaters used to ran mostly foreign flicks and old movies. Now there is a lot more indies, plus the recent successes and the studios failing to distribute real blockbusters.

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All this is good for the indie segment. The art theaters used to ran mostly foreign flicks and old movies. Now there is a lot more indies, plus the recent successes and the studios failing to distribute real blockbusters.

There is a flip side to this. With the surge in indie film production in the US starting in the late 80s, foreign-language film distribution in the US has become almost extinct. Miramax and New Line cut their teeth releasing these films but then moved into US productions. Both companies are notw divisions of large corporate conglomerates although Miramax still retains a little bit of the indie spirit. But the foreign-language films released each year in the US can be counted on a single hand. So that's not great for film lovers either.

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That is so unfortunate. I'm in the Czech Republic right now and I managed to see some real nice movies with English subtitles that were never distributed in the US. They were distributed in Europe. And you should see all the kids' stuff that is being produced here and shown on TV. Good quality, artistic, and no violance. And we're talking about a country of 10 million. 1/2 of the TV stations are sate owned and there is emphasis on artistic, culturally-enriching and educational programming -- and you will not see any commercials in the middle of a movie. The box office is taxed 10% and that money goes straight to quality film productions. Another thing that is typical is that nudity is OK but blood is not. Most people in this country are atheists and very well educated. I have not come accross any feminist type women, which suits me fine. It's all very eye opening.

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The fact that the studio divisions distribute indies is great because they have the expertise and you have a less chance of getting ripped off especially in some foreign market.

Some would argue that you have a much greater chance of getting ripped off if you distribute though a studio because their deal will favor the studio more than the filmakers. There is also the issue of "creative accounting".

But if by "ripped off" you mean never getting paid at all, then you're probably correct.

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Hi,

 

I noticed a couple of things in The Passion, which I just got back from seeing, and was wondering what you guys would have to say about them...

 

First, I noticed that in the opening scene, the fire of the torches looked very pale in wide shots and much warmer in close ups... could it be that during the D.I. they cooled down the image further which would make the fire paler, but in the closeups because the faces were lit probably by another source and the torches are less prominent, the genral warmth on the face made me perceive the torches as warmer too, even though they actually were the same??

 

And then, near the end, when thunder starts to threaten the people up in the mountains, when Jesus is in the cross, in one cut, the colors were suddenly totally different, much greener and desaturated, it looked great, but it seemed a bit abrupt... i was wondering if it was the print or, since I read in AC that they were working on matching the skies still, maybe it was a choice made in the DI suite.

If it was the print, why does this happen so often... I noticed it in KILL BILL as well, and I saw that in different screens (the cut is in the begining when it goes from the shot from inside the cops car with all the sunglasses to him getting out of the car)... And it happened in FRIDA as well, but that was for sure the print, because it happened in the middle of a scene (She is in a bathtub I think, I can't remember exactly).

 

Thanks for your comments.

 

regards,

 

-felipe

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And then, near the end, when thunder starts to threaten the people up in the mountains, when Jesus is in the cross, in one cut, the colors were suddenly totally different, much greener and desaturated, it looked great, but it seemed a bit abrupt... i was wondering if it was the print or, since I read in AC that they were working on matching the skies still, maybe it was a choice made in the DI suite.

If it was the print, why does this happen so often... I noticed it in KILL BILL as well, and I saw that in different screens (the cut is in the begining when it goes from the shot from inside the cops car with all the sunglasses to him getting out of the car)... And it happened in FRIDA as well, but that was for sure the print, because it happened in the middle of a scene (She is in a bathtub I think, I can't remember exactly).

Same thing happened to me, but during a different part of the movie. It was exactly as you described (greener and desaturated).

 

My problem was with the reel, though, as I could see the reel-end frame marks before the colors went weird, and it was in the same scene, too.

 

I did not see color shifts during the part at which you mention, so I would guess it was just a problem with that reel.

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  • 4 weeks later...
-Steve

Also, in the courtyard when Jesus is standing with Pilot above the crowd, it seems to have been focused to the crowd (who aren't facing us) instead of Jesus/Pilot (who are facing us). It seemed like a strange choice.

Not if his intent was to portray the emotion of the crowd,moreso than Jesus.We saw what he was thinking and feeling in earlier scenes.Perhaps the intent was to bring out the crowd's hatred and mob atmosphere.

 

I haven't heard anyone else mention this stuff, so I was wondering if it might have just been a problem with the projection? Is that possible? >

 

 

Yes it's possible.The film is anamorphic and if the lens was out of whack,you'll get uneven focus on projection.I just saw it at a drive in (big mistake for a movie like that but I used to work there in the projection booth and I still get in free)and what bothered me was the use of blue light in the Garden of Gethsemene scenes.That seemed a bit of over theatrics to me.Too unrealistic for a film that went to the trouble of having the actors speak Aramaic for realism.

Marty

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