Firm Under Fire Over ‘Blasphemy’ Claims

A UK film company is under fire over the release of the movieDogma which has been attacked as “blasphemous” by protestersin the US.

Channel 4 offshoot FilmFour, which is distributing the movie,has had about 100 letters expressing anger that it has insultedChristianity.

The film, which opens in the UK on December 26, questions thevirginity of the Virgin Mary and features rock singer AlanisMorissette as God.

“It’s a comic fantasy-horror directed by Kevin Smith, who made Clerks andMallrats. I’m a muse who’s fed up because she inspired all the great brainsof the world – Shakespeare, Mozart, etc. – and was never given credit forit. So she asks God’s permission to come to Earth and find her own fame andfortune as a writer, but she gets writer’s block and ends up doing someholy celestial mission to save the world. Of course, I’m deifinitely notthe missionary type, but she is a fantastic character. And she’s got boobs.

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are two renegade fallen angels trying to getback into paradise and stumble on a perfect return-to-paradise plan. AlanRickman is a heaven-sent messenger called Metatron, who doesn’t have any”parts” – he’s sexless. He serves as the voice of God and has to make achallenging visit to Earth when humanity is threatened. Chris Rock is adisgruntled ancient apostle called Rufus, Jason Lee is a demon calledAzreal and the heroine is the Catholic Bethany, played by Linda Fiorentino,who feels her prayers haven’t been answered. This all happens, would youbelieve, in New Jersey.

Dogma is not a regular kind of movie. It’s very modern and Kevin, who alsowrote it, is probably one of the most important voices of his generation.It’s a very interesting farce. It caused a lot of controversy when itopened in the States. I think maybe Americans are too prudish – wait tillit opens in Mexico, where I come from! Really, it’s very pro-God and it hasa great sense of humanity, but it doesn’t applaud religion very much. Buthey, let’s have a sense of humour.”