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http://www.thepassionofthechrist.com/

Mel Gibson says, "I want to show the humanity of Christ as well as the divine aspect. It's a rendering that for me is very realistic and as close as possible to what I perceive the truth to be."

 

THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST is a vivid depiction of the last 12 hours of Jesus Christ's life.
 
Sometime around the year A.D. 30, in the Roman province of Palestine, an obscure Jewish carpenter named Jesus of Nazareth began to teach publicly and to proclaim the coming of a 'Kingdom of God.' For centuries, the Jewish people had expected the appearance of a promised deliverer known as the Messiah --a figure who would restore their ancient dignity, and free their sacred homeland from all evil and despair. In the minds of many, Jesus appeared to be this Messiah. Surrounded by a core group of twelve disciples, Jesus began to attract a massive following from among the common people of Galilee and Judea, who eventually praised him as their Messiah and King. However, Jesus also had many enemies in Jerusalem. The Sanhedrin, a governing senate composed of the leading Jewish priests and Pharisees, conspired to put Jesus to death.

 
With the aid of Judas Iscariot, a member of Jesus' own inner circle, the Sanhedrin succeeded in arresting Jesus, handing him over to the Roman secular authorities on unsubstantiated charges of treason against Rome. Although Jesus consistently maintained that his Kingdom was a heavenly and spiritual one, the Roman procurator Pontius Pilate, faced with the possibility of a riot, ordered that Jesus be taken outside the city and crucified as a common criminal.

Mary Magdaline appears much like a saint the first time we see her. She wears respectable clothing and supports Jesus’ mother. Yet, when the film exposes her past, we see a harlot facing judgment under the law. Beyond her sinful appearance, the shame permeates her eyes. That shame compels Christ to act. He does not act according to the law (which required death at that time), but according to his nature which seeks to protect and redeem the shame-filled heart. He draws a line in the sand and the accusers leave. He extends a hand to Mary, protecting her from death.

Mary the Mother of Jesus is presented as a strong woman, but it seems to defy any mother’s natural ability to endure pain. A woman of few tears, she bears the injustice of her son’s death as if she knows that a greater work is at hand. In this film, Jesus’ words on the road to Calvary remind her of his calling, and inspire hope in her fragile mother’s heart. I wondered at several points how she could endure such pain. Without saying so, the movie implies that Jesus spent a lifetime preparing her for what must eventually transpire. His message of hope protected her from the despair of appearances. His suffering was great, but his cause was greater.

Pontias Pilate, a man who refuses to hear truth, also receives protection from Jesus. Pontias Pilate questions Christ, hoping to be absolved of his requirement to deal justly with an innocent man. Pilate fears that Caesar will kill him if his refusal to condemn Christ results in a Jewish uprising. Jesus responds, “You have no power over me except what is given to you from the Father.” Jesus’ words imply that death is inevitable. In speaking these words, Jesus does not hold Pilate to a standard of justice. Instead, he chooses to protect the unbelieving governor by endorsing his own death sentence.

The Apostle Peter denies Christ amid a frenzied mob of angry people. The people want blood, and Peter is afraid he will endure the same torture and death as Christ. Jesus does not call him out during this mob scene. It would be easy for anyone to be angry and scream, “Yes, you are a follower of mine! I’ve spent months and years with you, and you pledged your allegiance unto death to me just last night!” But Jesus remains silent. He protects Peter from the crowd with his silence. Only his eyes convey a message, one that he had given Peter the night before, a message of courage and perseverance.

Simon of Cyrene, the man who helps carry the cross, also experiences Christ’s protection. At first, Simon tries to avoid the task because he fears being beaten along with Christ. Why wouldn’t the whips fall on his shoulder or the pieces of glass catch his leg? The soldiers do not hesitate to beat Christ when he is down. Simon responds in fear. Christ responds in love. Simon eventually makes a stand for Jesus and protects him from the guards, or so he thinks. He picks up the cross and carries the majority of the weight. However, the last moment of the scene shows Christ laying his arm over Simon’s arm just as the whip comes down. Again, Christ displays his great love and protects a man from what he fears most.

The Thief on the Cross seems to be Christ’s crowning joy throughout the movie. Simon of Cyrene tells Jesus, “It’s almost finished” as they approach the hill of Calvary. When Jesus arrives, more pain awaits him and he is nailed to the cross. But, when they lift the cross, he encounters the prize. The words of the believing thief infuse joy into Christ’s suffering eyes. It is as if Christ’s purpose is made complete in that moment—that moment when one person believes. He replies with great satisfaction, “This day, you will be with me in Paradise.” It strikes me that while man fears death, Christ celebrates it. Death is the place where God makes mankind whole, free from lingering sin and condemnation. It is where we can be protected from all hatred, all evil and all accusations of our unworthiness. This is the prize of Christ!

 

 

"Passion of the Christ" Controversy Builds
By City News Service

HOLLYWOOD,  February  16, 2004 -- Evangelists call it the most effective tool for spreading the teachings of Jesus Christ in 2,000 years.

But Jewish leaders say it's anti-Semitic propaganda that poses the greatest threat to Judeo-Christian harmony in a half-century.

For others who have watched early screenings of Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, it is simply the most graphic and poignant cinematic portrayal ever of Christ's final 12 hours on earth, the Daily News reported Sunday.

Ahead of the film's official debut on Feb. 25--Ash Wednesday--some religious leaders in the San Fernando Valley are scheduling special meetings, sermons and lectures to address questions raised by a film that is bound to stir passions among followers of all faiths.

"Stunned is the best way I can say it," said the Rev. Glenn Kirby of West Valley Community Church of West Hills, who saw the film last month with 3,100 ministers from around the country.

"When the movie was over, there was total silence. These ministers had ... devoted their lives to this and were shocked. They were weeping throughout the entire movie."

The film premieres in 2,000 theaters nationwide --an impressive distribution for a religious film with English subtitles.

Despite its wide release, Christian churches are reserving whole theaters to invite "unsaved" friends to share in its Gospels-inspired message. And ministers who have seen the film are gearing sermons to what they say is the movie's main theme: The torture and crucifixion of Christ, who they believe died for man's sins.

But Jewish leaders have given the movie a different review.

"Many people want to know why we're outraged. They say the film is not accusatory toward Jews, and Jesus died for their sins," said Marvin Hier, founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center of Los Angeles.

"There's only one problem with that theory--it's not the theme of the film.

"The theme of the film is that it was the Jews that did in Jesus."

Of particular controversy is a Bible-based scene in which the Jewish high priest Caiaphas, following Christ's death, utters the curse, "His blood be on us and on our people."

While one news report this month said Gibson had agreed to cut the scene, he has not confirmed its deletion.

The film's graphic violence has drawn as much attention as the religious controversy.

James Caviezel and director Mel Gibson on the set of "The Passion of the Christ"
 

 

 

http://www.hollywood.com/movies/detail/1702952

 

The Passion of the Christ (2004)

Synopsis: A depiction of the last twelve hours in the life of Jesus of Nazareth, on the day of his crucifixion in Jerusalem. The story opens in the Garden of Olives where Jesus has gone to pray after the Last Supper. Betrayed by Judas Iscariot, the controversial Jesus--who has performed 'miracles' and has publicly announced that he is 'the Son of God'--is arrested and taken back within the city walls of Jerusalem. There, the leaders of the Pharisees confront him with accusations of blasphemy; subsequently, his trial results with the leaders condemning him to his death. Jesus is brought before Pontius Pilate, the Roman Governor of Palestine, for his sentencing. Pilate listens to the accusations leveled at Jesus by the Pharisees. Realizing that his own decision will cause him to become embroiled in a political conflict, Pilate defers to King Herod in deciding the matter of how to persecute Jesus. However, Herod returns Jesus to Pilate who, in turn, gives the crowd a choice between which prisoner they would rather to see set free--Jesus, or Barrabas. The crowd chooses to have Barrabas set free. Thus, Jesus is handed over to the Roman soldiers and is brutally flagellated. Bloody and unrecognizable, he is brought back before Pilate who, once again, presents him to the thirsty crowd--assuming they will see that Jesus has been punished enough. The crowd, however, is not satisfied. Thus, Pilate washes his hands of the entire dilemma, ordering his men to do as the crowd wishes. Whipped and weakened, Jesus is presented with the cross and is ordered to carry it through the streets of Jerusalem, all the way up to Golgotha. There, more corporal cruelty takes place as Jesus is nailed to the cross--suffering, he hangs there, left to die. Initially, in his dazed suffering, Jesus is alarmed that he has been abandoned by God his father. Eventually, he overcomes his fear and with his last breaths, tells Mary, his Mother, "It is accomplished." He then beseeches God, "Into Thy hands I command my spirit." At the moment of his death, nature itself over-turns.

A Review of "The Passion of The Christ" by Chris Crain ---

I'm writing this a few days after attending a screening of the new Mel Gibson film The Passion of the Christ. It has taken a little while to `recover' from watching the film so I could write the review. This film is like no other I've ever seen and I doubt there is another anywhere that compares.

By now it's been pretty well documented that Gibson, who directed and produced the film, has been very `passionate' about this project. He was on hand for the screening I attended and admitted he spent $25-$30 million of his own money on the picture. It has been his labor of love since he first thought of doing the film 12 years ago.

You probably also know he was turned down by every major studio before New Market Films came on board. At the screening I attended, he looked like a man who has been working a lot of late hours and flown a lot of miles trying to make this movie happen. So I'll leave those topics alone and just talk about the film. Am I endorsing it? Yes. Is it a film that everyone should see? No.

First of all, the film is rated `R', and rightly so. It contains no profanity or sexual material. This movie got it's rating for one reason: incredibly brutal content. After the first 45 minutes or so (which are not a walk in the park), the film launches into some of the most violent scenes I've ever seen on film. There are several reasons the violence is so shocking. First of all, this is not `Friday the 13th' with anonymous victims dying in ways that seem designed to make an audience roll their eyes. The violence in The Passion of The Christ is focused on one person, who takes a beating so severe it seems nearly impossible to believe it actually happened.

Second, the violence is unflinching. James Dobson of Focus On The Family calls it `gut-wrenching'. The camera does not soften the brutality with various angles and cutaways, but instead stays focused on the scenes until it's nearly unbearable.

Last, the violence is hard to watch because it happened to a real person. This movie is based on a true story. As you watch terrible atrocities happening on screen, you can't help thinking `he really went through that'.

Gibson said that after an earlier screening, someone told him `I'm sorry I forgot'. I think that's what Gibson is trying to do with this movie: remind. Jesus Christ paid a price that day, and the cost was very high. Of course, the good news is, the story doesn't end there (and neither does the movie).

Is the movie biblically accurate? Yes. Gibson does take poetic license at times (for example, Satan appears in the crowd at times), but nothing is anti-scripture. The movie is also based on all four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) and combines elements from all of them into one story. It's a difficult task and Gibson does a fine job pulling it off.

Jim Caviezel (Frequency) plays Jesus and does a fine job as well. With make-up and even digital effects on his eye-color to make him look more `authentic', he's hard to recognize. The film's dialogue is in Latin, Aramaic, and Hebrew with English subtitles. This also gives the film an authenticity rarely seen in previous films about Christ.

The film opens in over 2,000 theatres on February 25th. I wonder how people are going to react to this film. Shock? No question. Disgust? Maybe. Wanting to know more? I hope so. I have a feeling a lot of people are going to want to immediately read the gospels, and that's a good thing! Mel Gibson-thanks for the reminder.

 

 

 

 

 

"The Passion of the Christ"
Production Photos

Here's a gallery of photos from Icon Productions' dramatic movie, "The Passion of the Christ," featuring Jim Caviezel, Monica Bellucci, Maia Morgenstern, and directed by Mel Gibson.

 

 

Click on any thumbnail to view a larger photo.