“The Passion Of The Christ” is, technically, a work of film art, a profoundly engaging and sometimes stunning account of the final twelve hours of the life of Jesus. Although there certainly are elements of the movie that are demonstrative of cutting-edge film-making, the movie itself is not really a piece of entertainment. The real entertainment of “The Passion” has come from the film studio executives who swore, before the movie’s release, that they’d never work with Mel Gibson again. After the movie made $26 million on its opening day, the same execs retracted their statements, saying they had been “misquoted”. While “black-balling” of politically incorrect artists certainly happens in Hollywood, I don’t think it will happen to Gibson - not yet, at least - since he’s still at the pinnacle of his stardom. As long as he continues to put asses in seats, his phone will continue to ring.
Where is all this anti-Semitism? The only Jews portrayed negatively are the Jewish high priests and their cronies; it seems as if the majority of the Jewish characters either directly help Jesus through his ordeal, or at least beg the Roman soldiers to have mercy on him. Let’s not forget, of course, that Jesus Himself was a Jew, as were most or all of His disciples. White South Africans took a worse rap in “Lethal Weapon 2”, another Gibson movie. (Racial or sexual intolerance appears to be the only thing that’s considered a “sin” in show business; it’s also considered permanently unforgivable, and to be accused is to be automatically guilty.) I felt no hatred of Jews when the movie ended, although upon walking out of the theater, I did feel an overwhelming urge to beat the daylights out of the first Roman soldier who crossed my path.
There are frequent flashbacks to Jesus’ earlier life, from an almost whimsical, carefree moment with His mother to the Last Supper to the Sermon on the Mount. In my view, these flashbacks are a little too brief, and some viewers who may not remember all their Sunday School lessons might be wanting for a little more background. Gibson was clearly betting that most of the audience would get the gist of it; I can’t say whether that bet has paid off.
Many reviewers have a problem with the violence. The movie is extremely graphic in its depiction of His suffering, from the arrest to the actual crucifixion. I personally wished they had cut the flogging scene by about five minutes; it was not only brutally difficult to sit through, but after a while it got redundant. On the whole, however, the violence does serve a purpose; it shows the enormity of the agony Jesus endured, and more importantly, that He walked into it willingly.
I seriously doubt that the movie will get any Oscar nominations due to its politically incorrect narrative, as well as the charges of anti-Semitism (the Oscar folks usually steer clear of controversy). It should, if there were any justice in the world, get at least two: one for the brilliant production design by Francesco Frigeri, and another for Jim Caviezel’s raw, breathtaking performance as Jesus.
I’m curious as to whether Gibson auditioned any men to play the part of Satan. I don’t criticize him for having a woman play the Devil, since evil, of course, comes in all forms. Nevertheless, an interesting choice (and the actress who plays Satan, Rosalinda Celentano, is gloriously creepy in the role).
It’s fairly ironic that Gibson’s movie should be released four days before the silly, mercilessly boring Academy Awards telecast. While showings of “The Passion” were still selling out on Sunday night, all of the Hollywood darlings, many of whom criticized or even mocked Gibson’s effort, were as self-important and disingenuous as ever, still trying to convince themselves that what they do actually matters. I find it amusing that with all their vast thespian talents, the one trait these spoiled millionaires can never convincingly fake is humility. The difference is that Gibson apparently realized a few years ago that all that glitter was a dubious prize, and he set forth (spending anywhere from 25 to 30 million dollars out of his own pocket) to tell the world about the thing that had become of utmost importance to him. He has produced, for the most part, a remarkable achievement.
One last note: when the end credits began to roll, the audience gave the movie a round of applause. With today’s lethargic audiences, I don’t think I’ve heard applause at the end of a movie in at least a decade (and I certainly haven't heard that much crying). God and I haven't always been on speaking terms, but I felt Him speaking to me through this movie. “The Passion Of The Christ” has definitely made an impact.
THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST depicts the last 12 hours of the life of Jesus of Nazareth Jim Caviezel beginning with his betrayal by Judas Iscariot Luca L...More at Family Video
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