Lloyd Grove in the Washington Post: “Movie star Mel Gibson — under fire from Jewish groups and religious scholars for his still-unreleased film that graphically portrays the crucifixion of Jesus — yesterday screened a two-hour rough cut of ‘The Passion’ for a select group of Washington pundits, clergymen, cybergossip Matt Drudge and Hollywood lobbyist Jack Valenti, and at least one White House staffer….
“Yesterday when the lights came up, many in the audience — who were required to sign a confidentiality agreement before being admitted to the screening room — were in tears. Some were sobbing, we hear.
“‘Heartbreaking,’ Michael Novak told Gibson. ‘The Exorcist’ author William Peter Blatty called the movie ‘a tremendous depiction of evil.’ MPAA President Valenti was perhaps the most enthusiastic. ‘I don’t see what the controversy is all about,’ he told fellow audience members. ‘This is a compelling piece of art. I just called Kirk Douglas and told him that this is the movie to beat.’
“Another invitee, right-wing radio host Laura Ingraham, flew here from San Francisco to see the film but arrived too late and missed it. ‘I’m so bummed,’ Ingraham told us. ‘I want to see any movie that drives the anti-Christian entertainment elite crazy.'”
9:55 am on July 22, 2003
