As a devoted fan of Kevin Smith‘s work, I can’t help but admire his unwavering courage and resilience in the face of adversity. The backlash he received for his masterpiece, “Dogma,” was nothing short of unprecedented. Receiving 400,000 pieces of hate mail and death threats over a movie with a rubber poop monster is just mind-boggling! It’s a testament to his creativity and the power of his storytelling that he managed to evoke such strong reactions from audiences.
In a recent conversation, filmmaker Kevin Smith looked back at the strong criticism he faced from religious and conservative circles after the debut of his highly contentious film, “Dogma,” which hit theaters in 1999. The story revolves around Loki (Matt Damon) and Bartleby (Ben Affleck), two fallen angels who aim to re-enter heaven. They discover a loophole that could permit their return, but a determined band of individuals vow to prevent them, understanding that their reentry would lead to the universe’s destruction. Despite now being considered one of Smith’s finest works by his followers, “Dogma” did not receive universal praise when it was first released.
In the lead-up to the premiere of “Dogma”, both Kevin Smith and the film’s team were met with a torrent of hostile letters and some genuine threats against their lives from upset religious groups, who took offense at the movie’s portrayal of God, angels, and its perceived disrespect towards Christianity. The film also features characters like Loki, Bartleby, Rufus (Jesus’ 13th disciple played by Chris Rock), Azrael the demon, and a female representation of god, portrayed by Alanis Morissette. Reflecting on the controversy surrounding “Dogma”, Smith recently shared with Entertainment Weekly his experience dealing with the intense backlash at the time, mentioning the overwhelming amount of hate mail and death threats he received.
“This was my fourth motion picture, and I almost got killed over it.
400,000 instances of hateful correspondence, including genuine death threats. One such threat: “Jewish people, use the funds you swindled from us to buy body armor, as we plan to storm your locations with shotguns.” [Aiming for clarity and a more contemporary tone]
In a manner consistent with what one might anticipate from someone acquainted with his work (whether it’s his films or podcasts), Smith found the moment just as amusing.
Smith remarked, “The film featured a rubbery sewage creature. Can you fathom becoming so upset about a movie containing such a character?
25 years ago, facing numerous death threats would have been an incredibly frightening ordeal. Yet, Smith now hopes that the hostile groups have moved past their bigotry. In a humorous twist, he joked about the nation’s current political climate, remarking, “I hope the one who penned that letter found solace. It seems they decided to run for congress.
Kevin Smith Protested His Own Movie
In 1999, religious groups who were upset staged demonstrations outside showings of the movie “Dogma“. During these protests, signs with messages like “Dogma is wrong!” were displayed. One such protest made it onto the news during the movie’s run in theaters, and the broadcast featured a very recognizable face.
You may come across as fashionable, yet you’ll never embody the level of coolness that Kevin Smith demonstrated by protesting his own film. In 1999, Smith participated in a protest in New Jersey, where he went unrecognized among the protesters. During an interview with News 12 NJ back then, Smith poked fun at the protesters, pointing out they were objecting to a movie they hadn’t seen and were merely echoing others’ opinions about it. Smith stated, “I don’t think it stands for anything positive.” When asked what the film truly represents, Smith responded, “I’m not sure, but I’ve been told ‘not good.’
Unfortunately, it seems that “Dogma” is not yet accessible for streaming on any platform. Nonetheless, you can find some of its director’s other films available for streaming on services such as Max, Apple TV, and Amazon Prime Video.
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2024-09-17 16:31