After wowing critics at early morning press screenings on Sunday, Mel Gibson’s pacifist World War II action drama, Hacksaw Ridge, had its red carpet world premiere out of competition at the Venice Film Festival last night. The film played to a roughly 10-minute standing ovation — long standing-Os are not as common a happenstance on the Lido as they are at some other festivals. At about six minutes into the ovation, Gibson and the actors were asked to go down into the audience. Check out the photos from inside the Sala Grande below (outside, some fans greeted Gibson with their faces painted blue, Braveheart-style).
In attendance alongside Gibson were stars Andrew Garfield, Vince Vaughn, Hugo Weaving, Teresa Palmer and Luke Bracey as well as co-screenwriter Robert Schenkkan.
Garfield plays Desmond T Doss, the real-life conscientious objector who saved 75 men in Okinawa without ever firing or carrying a gun. The faith-based film and horrors-of-war action drama is about a man who “does something extraordinary and supernatural, really, that inspired me,” Gibson had earlier told the press corps. “A lot of attention needs to be paid to our warriors; they need some love and understanding. I hope this film imparts that message. If it does nothing but that, that’s great,” said Gibson.
This is the first film Gibson has directed in a decade and last night at the gala premiere, he and the actors were “overwhelmed” and “very truly speechless,” I’m told by a person close to the gang. A private dinner followed hosted by Hacksaw‘s Italian distributors, Andrea Leone and Eagle Pictures.
There were emotional toasts, notably by producer Bill Mechanic who worked for 13 years to bring the project to life. While at Fox, Mechanic worked with Gibson on Braveheart and called Hacksaw the director’s “greatest film.” One attendee observed, “It was particularly meaningful.” Also at the event were IM Global CEO Stuart Ford and Brian Oliver of Cross Creek Pictures. Principal financiers were Cross Creek, Demarest Films and IM Global who acquired international rights for about half the film’s $40M budget and essentially sold out in Berlin last year.
Lionsgate releases Hacksaw domestically in the heart of awards season on November 4. Overseas release dates are not yet widely confirmed.
Yeah it’s about time Mel Gibson comes back to Hollywood. Still a fan!
He has an old fashioned directing style. A good storyteller.
Bet his ex wife will be calling now
bravo to all involved!
The film looks solid and Gibson will no doubt be more welcome behind the camera than in front of it going forward. His anger management issues and past intolerant behavior (those enraged voice mail messages were despicable) make him an after thought with no bankability and he is still considered a pariah to many of his prior fans or supporters within Hollywood…
Just like Robert Downey Jr?
It was Mel that bought back Downey with the Singing Detective
maybe you can ask a grownup to explain the difference between Downey’s drug addiction and Gibson’s repeated anti-semitic, racist and abusive conduct to police, women and others.
Ointment for that scold.
Just not a perfect world. Can you explain away YOUR weaknesses and transgressions?
… Probably doesnt have the same scope of problems. What he did and said were awful, if he’s repentant then people should forgive, don’t defend his actions though.
Robert Downey Jr. had sex with underage girls as well, and everyone including hollywood act like thats in vogue or something…Woody Allen…Rob Lowle.
Gibson just the month before going on that rant had lost his son from cancer, and his wife left him all in a really short time. He got drunk and hated the world, and was saying anything and freaking out at the cop to try and get suicide by cop. I’m sure he felt horrible about everything the next day when he sobered up.
He was an alcoholic and his rage and anti-semitism antics were a result of that. Drug addiction and alcoholism are both diseases. Mel Gibson was there for Downey when he was at his lowest, as Downey has been there for Gibson. The latest flick Blood Father with Gibson was fantastic. I’m glad he is back to the road of recovery.
Mel Gibson is a recovering alcoholic which anger and anti-semitism is a result. Downey was a recovering drug addict. Mel and Downey are friends and Mel supported Downey was at his lowest. Mel helped him recovery, as Downey has been there for Mel when he was at his lowest. Mel in Blood Father is fantastic and I am glad he is on the recovery road. I wish him the best.
GET OVER IT Martine! it’s 2016 things change maybe U should too!
Hi Martine ~ I understand the temptation to never allow forgiveness to one who has offended you, but strongly recommend you read Alison Hope Weiner’s 2014 plea (published on deadline.com) on Gibson’s behalf. As an investigative journalist covering Gibson before, during and after his life-crisis/alcoholic breakdown, and having that relationship evolve into a friendship poises her better than any to evaluate Gibson as a person.
If people are honest. Most people could care less a Mel Gibson being an idiot when he’s or in private. All the people that cry and scream about intolerance.seem to be the most intolerant.
Nice cop-out. There’s no justification to be tolerant toward an anti-semite and Holocaust denier.
Shut up Bill. Just shut up.
No, Bill should not shut up. He should keep repeating it loud and clear because it needs to be heard. Mel is an in-tolerant racist and nothing he has done since his despicable tirade will change that. Nothing!
You can go on being recreationaly offended all you want. Not everyone invests so much attention in what others do privately. Most can admit to themselves that they have lost their cool and gotten intentionally hateful at times and cut others some slack when they do the same.
Just leave it with this race card crap. You need to grow up and get a thicker skin. Judaism is a religion, not a race. Religion is a choice, not something you are born with so its fair game to criticize first of all. Second of all, his father is the one that is a Holocaust denier, not Mel. His father is the one that frequently goes on rants, fully sober, about Jewish conspiracy. Mel was in a drunken fit probably imitating his father. There’s not ONE instance of him ever mistreating Jewish co-workers on the set or the typically Jewish owned studios. Actions speak far louder than words and he’s never done anything to suggest that he is anti-semitic through and through. It’s far more common and human than you think to lash out at everyone when people are down. If Mel truly were this bigoted, hateful person then he would NEVER have gotten far in the industry and he wouldn’t have had so many colleagues come out to defend him. And that one lady that married him purely for his money deserved every bit of the anger she got from him. She had been working to manipulate and demolish his public image for months.
Really Bill? and U are the head Rabbi?
Or he’s part of the three demographics offended.
Healthy societies must be intolerant of the intolerant.
to those citing his anger management and voicemails… it couldnt be any more irrelevant to his craft.
you werent there, its pointless to take it all without context, and frankly his personal life is none of our business.
so judge the artist and not a guy leaving a personal private voicemail. like anyone here doesnt have issues.
don’t forget to excuse Mel’s disgusting attack on a police office for being Jewish!
I don’t think you have this right.
Yeah actually Martine has it right. You don’t remember him freaking out on the cop that pulled holiness over for the dui with “Jews start all the wars in the world!!!”
Personally, I couldn’t stomach working with Gibson, or Polanski, or Nate Parker, or Victor Salva, or Donald Trump, but I get why other people would.
They stole his film and tried to get people not to see it. He WAS pissed and I would be too. They tore Mel up, and without reason. Mel said he had resentment toward them for that but apologized. So, yeah, when drunk he said smthg stupid. Don’t live in 2 decade old stories, move on already.
“They” stole his film.
What the f world do you live in? Crawl back in your bunker.
So you have never done anything you regret?
I’ve never done anything like that, maybe you have, but bot everyone has a booze fueled anti Semitic or racist and misogynist freak out in their past.
Well said, sugar tits.
He has admitted to saying other stuff but swears it was another person that said Sugar T. He said and to this day swears it wasn’t him. Mel has been the best when it comes to children’s charities and paying for peoples cancer surgeries. Why don’t you FOCUS ON THAT? Because you are mean, period.
He is incredibly rich and self funds his movies
You are a pariah. He has been a box office stud forever. No one cares what folks’ personal beliefs are? No one is perfect. He made tons with a movie about Crist.
Charlie Crist?
They’re still giving awards to convicted rapists like Roman Polanski, so I think it’s too soon to declare Mel Gibson’s career dead because of a rant he left in a voicemail.
Gibson is a very gifted director. If he can make money (and he’s proven that he can), he’s still got a career.
Leave its in the past where it belongs. I guess you never got angry with a gild digger who wanted to steal half your money and your daughter
I’ll be curious to see the film since it doesn’t seem ‘faith-based’ from the trailers. If anything, I would expect a LARGE number of red-state movie goers to label the lead actor as a coward and a sissy for not picking up a weapon, regardless of the outcome. Think about it this way: if a liberal had made the same movie, the NRA would be spending millions in negative advertising saying the movie is infringing on the 2nd amendment and is actually a piece of anti-gun propaganda likely produced by Hillary Clinton and her nancy-boy colleagues.
I’ll have to wait and see the movie to accurately judge these things, but the trailer sure makes it seem like a leftist propaganda piece that Republicans would hate.
Is the political talk nessicary?
Nonsense.
Wicked, you really are ignorant of those that you disagree with. It’s likely because your disagreement of other humans, reaches a more hateful emotion of disapproval of them as people.
A bit of cleaning of your mirror with windex may need to be order.
It was an observation…calm down. Note that I didn’t say whether I was a liberal or a conservative and that I didn’t insult either party. It was an apolitical observation.
Didn’t have to say.. It’s OBVIOUS by your language!
Since you know me so well, want to buy me a drink?
Yeah, Christian and gun loving has never really made sense to me.
Lots of weird & distorted assumptions there.
Don’t assume that your lack of knowledge of the subject matter applies to the “red staters” you are othering with that label. (Big military community in San Diego, for instance … not exactly located in a red state.)
The audience demo most likely to see this movie is either already familiar with the name Desmond Doss (my father was a Marine who fought on Okinawa; I have a 2004 documentary on Desmond Doss in my WWII library), or will read the three most critical descriptive factors (WWII drama, Medal of Honor recipient main character, film directed by Mel Gibson) and decide that the movie is worth seeing.
Welcome Back Mel!!
I am so happy to see Mel is back.
Guys, why do you insist upon calling this picture “faith-based”? It’s a movie about people and beliefs and war and stuff. It’s not PASSION OF THE CHRIST or NOAH’S ARK or a Hallmark movie.
Malibu, it appears that you have limited understanding of the term Faith Based.
Yet everyone has nailed Nate Parker to a crucifix for a crime of which he was found not guilty. Smh
They are nailing him to a crucifix, as you put it, because he raped an unconscious woman and invited his friends to join him and then was let off on a technicality in a time period when the general public considered getting black out drunk as consent. What he did is despicable and though he escaped jail time, he hasn’t escaped the consequences of rape that ultimately lead to the suicide of the victim.
Are you still “shaking your head?”
Largo, what the hell are you talking about? He raped an unconscious woman?? This is a thread about Mel Gibson, not Roman Polanski. Get with the program before you make anymore horrible accusations!
I believe Largo comments were about Nate Parker, not Polanski.
Oh please, Mel has been blacklisted for over 10 yrs and hasn’t been able to direct until now. It’s only been 3 wks for Nate and he’s hardly been “nailed to a crucifix”. Fox didn’t dump his movie, he’s going to TIFF next week and his film will probably still be nominated for BP. If Nate’s not allowed to direct for the next 10 years, then come back and complain
Hope they kill it at the box office to hush all these critics.
Oh oh, this does not fit the Liberal Hollywood narrative.
Ant-gun violence? Ummmm…think again.
Hopefully the guy has dealt with his demons. Gibson is a lot better as a filmmaker than as a bitter drunk. Now looking forward to a steady release of Gibson films.
Hell yeah! Mel rocks
Can’t quell the Mel
i like that one!
Mel has his issues but he’s a hell of an actor and filmmaker. Welcome back Mel!
I would never see anything that, that anti-semite does. Same on anyone who sees his movies.
That’s okay, Susan Frank.. I’ll go in your place.. several times, if you don’t mind.
Your joke would have worked better if you’d posted under the name Anne Frank.
You think that s funny…so sad. Are you also voting for Trump
@susan frank. But he’s not an anti-semite. And I’m guessing you don’t know him personally.
He’s only an anti Semite when he’s drunk, honey.
He’s not an anti-Semite. Go sling your mud elsewhere.
He is, his father is a known holocaust denier and he won’t repudiate that.
Yeah, he obviously struggles with it and he works with the “good” Jews–I know a lot of people who have worked with him, but the booze Taka off his mask.
Go Mel! Agree on Mel’s return. One must remember that this man’s “transgressions” were all private moments, and admittedly he has dealt with demons that go back to his childhood. One of the ways artists deal with demons is through their work. And there is no denying that Gibson has a passion for film both as actor and director, and I for one enjoy his work. Looking forward to this film. Oh, and Andrew Garfield is a very talented actor and deserves the success he’s worked for.
Nice to see Andrew getting work again.
Mel Gibson is one of my all time favorites.
Saw the trailer and Hacksaw Ridge looked phenomenal..
I’m especially thrilled for Mel Gibson..
Love me a good comeback ❤️
hurrah! happy for them
Its about time! Now let Pete Rose in the HOF!
I have always been and will be a fan of Mel. I feel for those in the public eye that say and do the wrong things. All of us have at one time or another. He is a great actor and director.
No reasonable person would ever condone or explain away Gibson’s excesses. Nor, I suspect, would Gibson expect them to.
But those transgressions have now been milked dry by those who abhor him, denying him a decade of mainstream work. Time to allow the man the career he has earned.
I enjoy looking forward to more output, as actor or filmmaker.
Very well put ,Mel Gibson. Is and always will be OK in my book!!so what if a made few off color remarks get over it ,,let it go
I’m just really happy for Bill Mechanic, or any producer for that matter, who quietly fights the good fight for years and years, trying to get good projects made. More super heroes, zombies, and remakes we don’t need.
Great to hear about an adult drama I’m looking forward to, with a pacifist stance no less. How it took so long for such an obviously intriguing story with a talented director to get made is probably another epic story. A sad commentary on Hollywood’s weird obstructionist ways with adult fare.