"The Passion of the Christ" deemed too violent for Quebec's under-16 set

Mel Gibson's controversial new film "The Passion of the Christ," which hit box offices here Wednesday, has been reclassified in Quebec for viewing by people aged 16 and above, with the warning "Violent," the provincial film board announced.

The film initially had been classified for viewing by children aged 13 and above. But "long scenes marked by brutality, cruelty and violence," and "the accumulation and intensity of these images, could offend the sensibilities of young adolescents," Quebec's film board noted in reclassifying the film.