I believe you've hit on something very important. It must be more than galling for Gibson to hear people like Abe Foxman contend that the movie is not at all a personal vision, but an ideological handbook of sorts.
Beautiful. Thanks.
What a beautiful testament to your father. I loved it. It brightened my day considerably.
Whoops- missed the Sawyer interview. But by baring his soul, Mel insured that the movie will not only do well at the box office, but spectacularly well. Far beyond the critiques of Abe Foxman or effete liberal theologians. He was man enough to expose his humanity- unashamedly. A lot of us have fathers who communicated mixed messages. Hard and tough in one place, tender in another. Went on that same roller-coaster ride with m own father. Until he passed on almost two years ago. Learning to accept the great good he gave to me. And discard the rest. And hey- isn't that the Passion- a Son wondering My God My God Why Have You Abandoned Me? Mel got it in his bones. Why- among other reasons the movie will do boffo numbers. Magnificent explanation of your own dad, DP. Hit home powerfully.
This was a very beautiful piece. And very necessary... and that's unfortunate.
Very well said, Dale.
My experience of my dad was something of the opposite: harsh at home and everyone’s friend in the world. But he was there for me when it counted the most, and as the twenty odd years since his own passion in the grip of lung cancer ended, I seem to feel his love more and am more grateful to him more.
Beautifully said, Dale.
Wonderful, Dale.
A humbling post. Well said.
Great post, Dale. And the manner in which you described the faith Mel returned to is much appreciated. I heartily agree that dumbed-down liturgies and rubrical shenanigans might send anyone to contemplate the pavement rather than find hope. Eucharistic harems, on the other hand, is an entirely different thing and something I'm still steaming over.
very moving piece. thanks
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!
Your implication that Hutton Gibson's education of his children in the Faith is incomplete (based on you not having all the facts and/or stereotyping based on secular press accounts?) is unfair. What Hutton Gibson has to say about the number of Holocaust victims, Alan Greenspan, or Judaism has little to do with his holding to the One True Faith and his teaching of that Faith to his children (his relating that Mel Gibson called JPII an "ass", however, might -- might show he's taught Mel well!).
Would that other souls got on their knees and worshipped God as Mel and Hutton Gibson worship. Undoubtedly, the graces bestowed on these two men through the True traditional Sacraments and faith in the True Church bolster their Charity towards one another. UIOGD,
Great, Dale.
My Dad was a mixture of a tremedous amount of the good, and some anoying. But he was bedrock in the Faith. He led his family in the practice of the Faith. He could have had a bigger position and reputation, and more money, but he turned it down because he didn't think it would be good for his family.
He died six years ago. Sometimes, and particularly in the last week, I wake up in the morning when it is calm and still and dark, and I feel very close to him, as if he is praying for me, helping to guide me still. He used to guide me with God's help in this life, and now he just does it in a different way more intimately related to God. And to this moment it had never occurred to me to reflect that the reason I still practice the Faith myself is in no small measure due to Dad.
Thanks Dad. All I can do now is to try to be the best dad I can and pass the debt on forward.
Great stuff Dale.
At 91 my dad is still with us, but as I have grown older(now 61) what you say is an expression of how I feel, along with my brothers and sisters, and our children.
Isn't it a paradox - I do not want to lose my Dad, but will rejoice in his life and witness when he is called by our God.
I can only second what's already been said, and say how sorry I am about the sad news given below.
While your point about public and private faces is taken; it is not a good excuse.
I've met folk like your dad at my job. At work, complete jerks. Away from work, they dote on thier family.
But that doesn't cut it. In case you hadn't noticed, Christ wants us to to try to be decent to ALL people who we encounter, not just our families.
Sorry to be so harsh, but there it is.
And I'd have a lot more respect for your opinion, Anon, if you'd had the clockweights to sign it.
You also misread ("complete jerk"?) what I said about my Dad, but that's secondary. Sign your opinions, please.
Or get the boot.
Since I'm off to a funeral at 11:00am, I won't be monitoring this.
Rest assured I'll check back and comment further on the responses. Thanks for the signed thoughtful comments, and for your own experiences. I appreciate it, very much so.
Anonymous:
Upon further review:
Since you called my dad a jerk in the process of shining the light of Christ, you get the boot now. The lack of coffee slowed my judgment this morning.
Contact me at the email for reinstatement.
Jeff who?
Dale, that was beautiful and insightful. My condolences on the loss in your family.
Dale-
I'd like to think that "hardass" meant that your Dad made them take care of equipment, enforced the rules, made sure that business was carried out properly, etc. The older I get the more it seems you get to be the "jerk" by being concientious about your job. I do not see any conflict.
Dale, this is my first visit to your blog, after being directed here by Mark Shea, and I am greatly impressed.
I am very irritated by those who would attacks Mel Gibson's film by attacking his father. Perhaps we should start looking at the families of other Hollyweird illuminaries when they produce a film. The next time they make a film let's dig up some dirt on say Kevin Costner's father, or maybe we could barrage Sofia Coppola with the fact that her father, Francis Ford-Coppola, has embraced communist dictator Fidel Castro.
The attacks against Mel Gibson simply infuriate me. I pray that The Passion of the Christ is a tremendous success. That would be the greatest retort to all these attacks.
Great story. I too think Mel has a private passion for this movie. When we look at Hollywood actors, most of us think they are pretty, rich jerks. Most are, I guess. But sometimes you get to know an actor more intimately, because he does something he believes in that's controversial and might cost him his carreer. But Mel believes in his movie, in his fath. He has something most of us don't have anymore. Guts. I wanna see this movie. I've had enough of these bland, politicly correct, 13 in a dozen movies. I do not have to agree with his vision, but by God he has a vision and has the guts to show it to us.
Greetings from a former Michigan Girl! (Flint)
Nice essay and I loved how you tied the two together. Gave me something to think about. Thanks!
Wonderful, Dale, just wonderful.
Pay no attention to the anonymous creeps.
Dale, what you have written is very moving and eloquent. You are correct in saying that we shouldn't condemn Mel for being Hutton's son, or judge Mel's film negatively due to that.
OTOH, I largely agree with the "Anonymous" to whom you gave the boot above. May I suggest that you don't want to accept your father as he is? I love and revere my own father, but if you suggested to me that he didn't have any flaws whatsoever, you'd be just as wrong as if you suggested I didn't have any flaws.
You wrote, I don't want to hear my dad's a jerk. Others don't know him. Not even a little. You're absolutely wrong about that. If you work with somebody for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, 48 weeks a year, you get to know a lot about them. To say that your father's co-workers don't know him, even a little, is nonsense. I really don't like hearing that people I know are jerks, but sometimes they are.
Incidentally, have you ever asked him about this? (The negative reactions
Bill:
Thanks for the thoughtful comments on the issue--I appreciate the way you approached it. If Anonymous had tried it your way, s/he wouldn't be Blog Bannee #2.
I think Rich Cook's comment, in combination with the lack of similar attitudes from his fellow firefighters kind of answers it for me: Not that Dad was appreciably different between his jobs, it's just that when your work has potentially immediate dire consequences, being no-nonsense is unarguable. Life at the phone company allowed for more griping, I suppose--it almost never rises to the level of life and death, even if you see him 5 days/40 hours a week. And it's important to note that not everybody at PhoneCo disliked Dad--you either loved him or hated him, from what my brother and I could tell. The more time I spend in the working world, the more I tend to apply the disgruntled discount to office complaints. But, you are correct to say that they can't be entirely discounted.
Ctd:
I'm not trying to cast my dad as flawless. For the record, he's not, and I approach a few things in life in a way that is deliberately different. But in this context, I was more interested in the public reputation/private man distinction.
Good point on the not wanting to know flaws--can't deliberately blind yourself. I like to think I haven't done this, but you never know.
Finally: have I discussed it with him? Obliquely, it's come up--mainly in the context of my working with one of his former store employees who moved to a vending job. I got to know the employee reasonably well, and my name preceeded me. 
But, he said he respected my dad and had come to appreciate working for him more after he'd left. He could have been BSing me, but there didn't seem to be a reason for it. My dad seemed thunderstruck when I told him about that. One day, I do intend to ask him about it in some detail.
wow, mr. price. wow.
Nice post Dale. I take a different approach than you do but I think the two complement one another to some extent.
My main beef with Mel's critics are that they are virtually all hypocrites. You can go HERE to read my reason as I will not reiterate at this time the reasons why.
Dale,
Though you don't need me to defend your father, I will add something another poster alluded to. Very often, people who are perceived as "jerks" are often only guilty of being serious. Most workers (admittedly, myself included) have a tendency to be lazy, some wildly so. Thus, someone who is serious is a rebuke to their conscience - obviously more so if they are in a position of authority (since frankly, most people do not like to be told what to do in any circumstance, even by superiors.)
Danial, for the record, it just so happens Kevin Costner had publically defended Mel for making this movie. Will wonders ever cease.
But I do get your meaning.
Thank you for sharing this
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