Mel Gibson's Challenge
December 19, 2006
Mel Gibson gave us a dramatic, drunken tirade against Jews last summer. Following what some thought were anti-Semitic themes in The Passion of Christ, he was pegged as a Jew hater and persona non grata in Hollywood. But now he's made Apocalypto - an amazing movie that is, from what critics are saying, artistically powerful and dramatically engaging. This poses a dilemma for his critics: Do they nominate him for an Oscar?
Ezra Pound, one of the most influential poets of the 20th century, faced a similar problem when he was tagged for supporting Mussolini during World War II. In addition to his fascistic economic views, Pound was also accused of being anti-Semitic (and with reason - his poetry contained slurs.)
The Pound problem was resolved by declaring him insane, throwing him in St. Elizabeth's (a mental institution in Washington, D.C.), and then awarding him the first Bollingen Prize for his Pisan Cantos.
Maybe we can find a similar solution for Gibson. Then we can get to work on that guy from Seinfeld.
posted by M. Masterson @ 10:30 AM,
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