The Passion of the Christ website logs 39,000 hits from Malta

Mel Gibson's controversial film The Passion of the Christ, which vividly depicts the last 12 hours of Christ's life and suffering on earth, is set to open in Malta on March 10.

The film, which will be released by KRS Film Distributors, is adapted from a composite account of The Passion assembled from the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

Mr Gibson, who directed and produced the film, went the extra mile to give special care to the authenticity of the culture and the time including clothing and Jewish food.

The film is not in a commonly spoken language; the actors speak only in Aramaic and vernacular Latin. Sub-titles have been added, even though the director resisted them.

This film is Mr Gibson's latest and most controversial directorial effort and it stirred a lot of debate across the globe after a number of people said the film was anti-Semitic.

However, in an interview with the religious television station EWTN, Mr Gibson said this was far from the truth and in no way did his faith endorse hatred, bigotry or anti-Semitism or blame the Jews for the death of Christ.

Romanian actress Maia Morgenstern, who is Jewish and the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, also defended the film and said it was anything but anti-Semitic. She stars as the Virgin Mary in the film.

The film stars American actor James Caviezel as Jesus. Himself a Christian, Mr Caviezel also happened to be 33 when he played the role of Jesus.

During the filming of the violent scourging scene he suffered a dislocated shoulder and was also hit by lightning during production.

The sultry Monica Bellucci, one of Italy's best exports, has been cast in the role of Mary Magdalene.

The Passion of the Christ was filmed entirely in Italy, with the crucifixion scenes shot in the beautiful city of Matera, in the Basilicata region of southern Italy.

The city of Jerusalem was a single mammoth set constructed at the famed Cinecittà Studios on the outskirts of Rome by famous production designer Francesco Frigeri and set decorator Carlo Gervasi.

Though the film contains no nudity or foul language, it was given an R rating in the US because of the graphic violence. In Malta the censors rated it 12.

KRS general manager Charles Pace said that in the US there was a mixed audience while in Malta the audience was predominantly Catholic.

"The scourging of Christ is vivid and violent but this is the story we have always heard. This film leaves you riveted to the seat and some are saying it is a wake-up call to Christians," he said.

"According to information we received from Icon, the website for The Passion of the Christ was hit by nearly 117 million with 39,000 hits from Malta until last Sunday. This is very encouraging," he said.

Mr Pace said KRS was organising a preview of the film, for all the priests in Malta and Gozo, in various cinemas on March 4.

"The film will be released during the Lenten period and it could pave the way for discussion during the Sunday sermon," he said.