The Passion of the Christ

Say what you want about Mel Gibson, but when he is making a serious movie, he knows what he's doing. I thought "Apocalypto" was not very good, mainly because of its ridiculous violence and its quite one-dimensional portrayal of an entire culture. What was the point? Mel Gibson seemed to be saying "boy, these people were violent and wrong." But this sort of unipolar viewpoint, which did not serve "Apocalypto" at all, fits this film to a tee. Gibson is clearly a committed Christian of the Catholic stripe, and he has created pretty much the ultimate cinematic portrayal of the story of Christ's crucifixion. I can't imagine a film which would better indicate the depth of the physical suffering that Jesus of Nazareth must have endured, and the emotional pain this would inflict upon his relatives and best friends. The sets are all very detailed and ring quite true to the period. The actors in lead "good guy" roles are perhaps a bit too European looking, but given the film's production in Italy, some of this is forgivable. Either way, people have cast these characters with their own ethnicity for eons, so I'm willing to give that a pass. I kind of wish some of the more mystical elements had been left out. Jesus heals a roman soldier during his capture. Judas is attacked (in his mind at least) by little hobgoblin demon children. Christ is also tempted by Satan - who is played and visualized quite well by a spooky-looking actress, but nonetheless this feels like a bit of a tacked on element, despite mentions in the Gospels at various points. These elements are at worst a minor annoyance, but they strain credulity, which probably runs counter to Gibson's purposes. I guess I would have preferred that the human elements of the story stand on their own, because, frankly, that's all we have access to at this late date. We simply can't trust miracle stories and talk of mystical happenings. We don't have access to them. But by meditating on the human aspects of the story, we have something we can relate to and which may inspire faith in the other, less tangible things. To display them openly is to assume their existence before we are faithful. But this is just my opinion, I suppose, based on my reading, studies in philosophy, and my general skeptical bent. I've never seen a miracle, and no one I've trusted has ever reported one to me. Things handed down from 2000 years ago, re-translated dozens of times, do not strike me as reliable sources for amazing stories, none of which seem to happen in modern history and with the benefit of all the technology we have available to us to record such events. I mean, given all the cell phone cameras out there, where are all the indubitable miracles? Anyhow, I digress (my apologies to David Hume...). Even with its mystical trappings, this film in its immediacy and its viscerality certainly succeeds in forcing the viewer to ponder the human aspects. The mystical stuff is a sideshow, so to speak. For those with faith, this film should offer a potent meditation on a story which has been ingrained into the psyche, practically since birth. For a non-believer, this film offers a valuable insight into the passion that believers have for this story and for the man himself. Like a Socrates, Jesus of Nazareth seems to have been a singular man, the like of which is rarely seen. Contemplating this can deepen a non-believer's appreciation, if not deliver them into a completely faithful orientation to the material. To put it briefly, it's a brilliant film. Each shot is lovingly composed, and the visual impact and beauty of the images can't be faulted. The performances all feel very real and there is no actor who takes the viewer away from the time period. Gibson, similar to some of the other great directors such as Kubrick, Scorsese, Stone and he like, excels at creating "scene." You really feel like 'you are there.' ******* The Blu-Ray: The picture is quite beautiful. Black levels are solid, detail is quite good (though perhaps not the absolute best, I would say "Dark Knight" and "Alexander" top it), and color is very naturalistic. There is a bit of "posterization" in some shots of the sky (i.e. a sort of digital distortion or dot-crawl), but it only intrudes on 10 or 20 seconds of the film, and is probably in the source material. The DTS audio mix offers some nice directional effects, with crowd taunts and bird chirps in the rear sound field. Technically, it's about as good as I can imagine it looking. I did not see the film in the theater, so I cannot compare the level of fidelity. Extras include commentaries, and a "recut" version, which apparently is actually a bit shorter than the theatrical release. This version also cuts a bit of violence. A word to parents - cutting five minutes of gruesome violence leaves about, oh, 120 minutes of gruesome violence remaining in the movie. So plan accordingly insofar as your children can tolerate these kinds of things. Other extras: There are several commentaries on the main disc. The extra disc has many short documentaries on both production issues and historical context, though none are in HD, unfortunately. ********* So should you buy it? Well, that's a tough question. If you're a devoted Christian who enjoys pondering these mysteries, and you also have a good HD setup, then sure, I can't see any reason not to. If you are not a Christian but are curious about what the hub-bub is about, then this is definitely worth at least a rental. Fans of historical fiction/docudrama will certainly find much to appreciate. Whether or not you buy it, this is definitely a film everyone should see at least once. It is a great film, like it or lump it. It is a vivid and very impactful telling of one of the very few central stories of our global culture. Keep in mind I do not want to put a Christian gloss on humanity here - if there were comparable films on Mohammad (a bit of an issue given the icon prohibition), Buddha, etc., I would recommend seeing those as well. On the whole, by any standards, this is a five-star release. It may not be for everyone's permanent collection. But those who add this Blu-Ray title to their shelf will not be disappointed.

On Saturday, March 6, 2004, I attended a showing of The Passion of the Christ with a group from Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church. We had decided to make this an evangelism event with a discussion following the movie followed by a chili fellowship. A group of 50 (half guests of Salem) attended the afternoon matinee. Flyers announcing the discussion were distributed and several viewers joined us for the discussion. All in all it was a good afternoon and all involved were able to sort out thoughts and feelings following the watching of this movie. In a word, the movie was breathtaking. Some scenes the audience literally jumps. The theater was quiet-one didn't hear the munching of popcorn! Artistically the movie portrayed the suffering as no one has seen it portrayed before. Many at the discussion admitted that it got to a point where they said to themselves, "Enough already!" One person even left the movie (but did re-join us for the discussion). My advice is to know yourself. If you feel you cannot handle violence or blood, don't go. If you do desire to see it, consider waiting until the movie is released on video or DVD and rent it-you can always stop the tape if the action becomes too intense. Mr. Gibson remained for the most part close to the Gospels. There are some Catholic add-ons, such as I believe Veronica wiping Jesus' face which is not found in the Gospels but is part of the chronology of the Stations of the Cross. Some thought Mary may have played too prominent a role, but she was the mother of Jesus; what mother wouldn't be there to comfort her child? Amazingly, I was able to understand about half the spoken dialogue (all that Latin, Hebrew, and Aramaic training finally came in handy). The scenes with Pontius Pilate were interesting. Sometimes the dialogue between Pilate and the Jewish leaders was in Latin, other times in Aramaic/Hebrew. I will try to watch it again to try and detect a pattern. The subtitles were somewhat close to the Scriptures. Not knowing what translation of the English Scriptures Mr. Gibson used I cannot verify if the passages were verbatim. I did enjoy the opening scene of a black background with a verse from Isaiah in white text. It set the tone for the movie. There was, indeed, violence. How can there not be when a man is whipped and then crucified? Here the movie did disappoint. Having studied the Roman methods of torture and crucifixion I believe Mel Gibson held back in this area. And this might be the right call. The horrific violence that was on the screen was too much for some. Add to that the fact that the mental and emotional suffering Jesus endured weren't portrayed. (If you can stay awake through it, watch The Last Temptation of Christ and keep in mind throughout that this was a temptation as envisioned by the artist. This might give you a taste of what Jesus endured internally in this suffering.) The scene at the cross was a tad short. Mr. Gibson could have had Jesus pushing himself up gulping for breath just to give the audience a taste of the cruel discomfort on the cross. The arm being pulled did add realism to the effect just before the nail being driven through the right hand. The role of Pilate brings a new dimension for Christians who haven't thought too much about this man whom they name in their confessions. Mel Gibson adds a soliloquy by Pilate on truth where he asserts what he believes to be truth as he sees it. His wife, Claudia (not named in Scripture) does play a more prominent role than she does in Scripture. In the Gospels we are told she sends a messenger to her husband; in Passion she is right there through the trial giving her husband disapproving looks. You will not soon lose the picture of the gleeful Romans whipping Jesus. Again, in our discussion it was pointed out that the Roman culture loved blood. All in all, this is not a movie you will enjoy (even if the ticket taker says, "Thank you. Enjoy the movie."). But you will leave thinking about it and pondering it. You will want to talk to someone about it. If you do go to see it, try to go with a group planning to discuss it afterward, or schedule time for reflection afterward. One patron we met took a flyer disappointed she had to go to work. We assured her she could come anytime if she wanted to discuss the movie. Don't cheat yourself of this opportunity!

Una obra maestra. Hecha desde la fe y el profundo sentimiento, remueve profundamente al espectador, sin caer en lo desagradable, pero manteniéndose en el limite. La época, las lenguas muertas tratadas con la mayor intencionalidad de fidelidad... todo ello la convierten en una obra maestra de los anales del cine. Una joya para tener en casa.

Prima, snel geleverd en gesealed.

聖書の内容をよく再現されていたと思います。主イエスの受難がリアルに伝わってくる素晴らしい映画でした。 磔刑の本質とは、神とサタンとの戦いであったことが分かります。主イエスの死と復活をもって、神はサタンに勝利したのですから、主イエスを信頼する者に、もはや怖いものはありません。

I bought this for my brother as a present.

Per molti punti di vista condivido quello che altri utenti hanno commentato. Non ho nulla da togliere al maestro Zeffirelli (che comunque ha un modo diverso di dirigere e uno stile completamente diverso), ma in questa opera cinematografica Mel Gibson ha davvero superato se stesso. Credo che sia il film che più di tutti rispecchia il momento della morte di Gesù Cristo, caratterizzato da tutti i suoi momenti di estrema sofferenza (come credo fermamente che sia andata nella realtà). Negli anni ho letto molte critiche, sia positive che negative, su questo film. Io lo trovo comunque magnifico e grandioso. Non è per tutti, non per la comprensibilità del fatto accaduto nè tanto meno per la lingua originale utilizzata nel film (che dona molta più credibilità); non è per tutti per le scene molto violente. Personalmente non mi impressiono facilmente, ma una persona dallo stomaco debole potrebbe avere una reazione poco piacevole. Non ho parole per commentare il cast eccezionale del film, persino la Bellucci (che personalmente non ritengo bravissima nella recitazione in generale) è stata davvero eccezionale nella sua parte. Tutto questo contornato da una colonna sonora da brivido!!! Parlando invece del Blu ray, anche qui solo punti positivi: qualità video sublime, con colori contrastati ma non troppo saturi. immagini definitissime e di forte impatto visivo (in tutti i sensi!). Audio meraviglioso, a parte qualche sbalzo improvviso tra toni alti e bassi. E per finire, un intero DVD a parte interamente dedicato ai fantastici contenuti extra!! Insomma, il miglior film sulla passione di Cristo mai realizzato (secondo me) che è stato capace di farmi piangere letteralmente. Amazon fantastico come sempre! Scene violente a parte, lo consiglio a tutti!!