'Passion' won't tread Oscar trail

Mel Gibson has decided to keep the Oscar advertising campaign minimal for 'The Passion of the Christ.'

Nov 19 2004

In the sort of selfless act of generosity that would make Jesus himself proud, Mel Gibson is giving the rest of Hollywood a chance by refusing to splash out on Oscar ad campaigns for his film 'The Passion of the Christ.'

Gibson and his producing partner Bruce Davey are still screening and sending copies of the movie out to voters, but that will be the extent of their pre-Oscar activity.

'At the end of the day, films should be judged on the merits, not on how big your pockets are or how elaborate the campaign is' Davey told Variety. 'You should make your film available for Academy and guild members who might not have seen it during the normal course of release. It should not be a matter of how many times you’ve seen the ad.'

Gibson previously scooped five Oscars with the historically questionable epic 'Braveheart', and having already succeeded in selling his extraordinary account of the crucifixion to the general public (grossing over $370 million in America alone), 'The Passion of the Christ' is expected to be similarly popular amongst Academy voters.

It may yet struggle to be nominated in the Best Picture category however, following the Foreign Press Association's decision to place the film in the foreign-language category for Golden Globe consideration because of its use of Aramaic.

Davey is circumspect about the situation, saying 'We just decided to let the chips fall where they will fall,' but whatever happens when the nominees are announced, the presence of Gibson's controversial film should help make next year's ceremony one the most intriguing in years.