austraLasia
1456
Mel Gibson's
Apocalypse
SUVA: 20th February 2006 --
"Of man's first disobedience, and the Fruit / of that forbidden tree whose
mortal taste / brought death into the world with all our woe / and loss of
Eden till one greater Man / restore us...".
If you
know where that line comes from, you win a week on exclusive Mago (pronounced
'mungo'), island in Fiji, all expenses paid. Several things might prevent
you from claiming your prize. Firstly, the Brothers at Don Bosco House in
Suva will probably beat you to it. Secondly, Mago island is not the
easiest place in the world to reach, being in the Northern Lau group in the
Fijian archipelago and only occasionally served by ships. And thirdly, it
is a private island, not a resort. Mel Gibson bought it last year.
There are five and a half thousand acres and two lagoons to the island, making
it one of if not the largest of the private islands in the South Pacific.
If you were looking for anywhere to contemplate the dawn of creation, then Mago
would be it. The international date line takes an eastward bend just to make
sure Mago is on the right side of the dawn! But indications are that Mel
is contemplating creation with a bang.
Mel has decided to
set up a bowling alley on the island. There was one in Suva years ago,
owned and run by a Korean businessman, but it never made any money. Mel
has bought it, and now it is being shipped to Mago. I once read a review
of The Passion of the Christ which compared the appearance of a new and
startling film to a bowling alley: "new films knock down old films as bowling
balls knock down bowling pins in successive frames", the reviewer said.
Mel probably read that review, and may well be reflecting on the success of his
new movie now, a year or two later.
We already know
the title of Mel Gibson's next movie. It will be called
"Apocalypto". The Greek name is deceptive, since the movie will be based
on a Mayan myth and is being filmed in Mexico. It is a 'Fin de los
tiempos' theme, but with a new beginning to follow. Mayan astronomers had
calculated October 21st 2012 as the date of the apocalyptic event when the world
will end in fire but be reborn. The movie will be well completed before
then!
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