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The Passion Of The Christ

Starring: Jim Caviezel, Maia Morgenstern, Monica Bellucci, Rosalinda Celentano, Hristo Shopov, Hristo Jivkov, Luca Lionello, Francesco De Vito, Claudia Gerini, Mattia Sbragia
Director: Mel Gibson
Screenwriter: Benedict Fitzgerald, Mel Gibson

"We were in the middle of our first meeting. And it was in this nowhere place in like Central California..."
-Mel Gibson from The Making of the Passion of the Christ

I guess add Anti-Central Californite to the growing list of names Mel Gibson is accused of being. The most doled out lately, of course, has been Anti-Semite. I do not believe this to be true, and I certainly do not believe his movie The Passion of the Christ is Anti-Semitic. What I do believe is that it is one of the most powerful movies you will ever experience.

We often say things like,"Oh, it's just a movie" as if one should never get too bent out of shape by the shades of light and dark flickering across the screen. Yet, any place where complete strangers come together to laugh and cry is more than "just" something. The Passion of the Christ is an experience that both believer and non will find themselves deeply moved by. It hits you in the gut and will leave many questions. How you answer them is up to you. More than"just" a movie, I'd say.

The Passion of the Christ is the most unrelentingly brutal film I have ever seen. How should I put it? Kill Bill, Tarantino's ultra violent chop sockey tribute is to The Passion of the Christ as slicing an apple is to sticking your hand into a blender and flipping the on switch. Is this all necessary? Well,... yes. Perhaps in one of the few times that excessive violence is actually justified in a movie, the true horror Jesus endured is central to the story. To answer for the world's sins, Jesus must walk the hardest of roads. Still, that doesn't mean its any easier to watch (although the film itself is beautifully shot). Jesus is thrown over the side of a bridge, beaten, scourged with such fury chunks of skin are ripped from his body, and that's even before he's sent off to be crucified. In regards to the Crucifixion itself, I defy anyone to make it through this sequence without averting your eyes at least once.

Almost as terrifying are the numerous appearances by Satan Gibson employs throughout the movie. While Satan himself/herself isn't physically too scary and actually kind of looks like the Satan from Bill and Ted's Excellent Journey, the demons in her stead are a completely different kettle of flesh. A gaggle of twisted faced children, a Gollum-esque baby, and a hairy, fanged beast will be making appearances in your humble reviewer's nightmares for quite some time.

And yet amidst all the pain, there are many moments of inspiration. Among the best: Jesus defying his Roman scourgers by standing up after they've repeatedly struck him. Mary running to Jesus stumbling with his cross inter-cut with footage of a younger Mary rushing to help the child Jesus after he has fallen.

I was so taken back by the violence, I almost forgot about the Anti-Semitic claims so prevalent in the press lately. I also forgot about them, because they have turned out to be groundless. Here's the deal- there are good Jews and there are good Romans as well as bad Jews and bad Romans. End of story.

The performances are uniformly excellent. This material would be difficult to pull off in any situation, and the fact that the actors do so speaking solely in Aramaic and Latin is truly commendable. Jim Caviezel rivals Robert Powell's portrayal of Christ in Jesus Of Nazareth. It's a long shot, but I would love to what see Caviezel could do in other chapters of Jesus' life. Maia Morgenstern, a noted actress from Romania, plays Mary and provides the real heart of the movie as she must show the odd mix of tragedy and joy in her son's death.

Any qualms? Sure. The Passion of the Christ has virtually no context. Since the movie focuses on Jesus' suffering and death, we do not hear his ministry, why his ideas were so threatening to the Jewish elders in the Sanhedrin. I was raised Catholic and know relatively well the life of Jesus and his teachings. To someone without much knowledge though of the Gospels, all they see is a nice guy getting arrested and put through the most excruciating physical and mental abuse a person can receive. Jesus' mission, to bring eternal life after death may not be so easily discernible to the Biblically challenged. Gibson tries to compensate for this by inserting short flashbacks during Jesus' torture, but these have little impact on an audience still reeling from the gore.

Context would help in other areas too. For example, if Jesus is so dangerous he needs to be secretly captured at night, why do almost none of his supporters come forward? The Bible tells of the chief priests and elders persuading the people to rally against Jesus, but no such scenes are found here. Also, Judas' betrayal is supposed to be taken at face value. We do not see that Judas' foolish motivation was to force Jesus to reveal his power in front of the temple elders. Oh well...

Does The Passion of the Christ warrant repeated viewings? Despite my assertion that it's an excellent film, I don't know if I want to see it for a second time. Would you be able to watch the Crucifixion again if you had actually been there? Probably not. That is how intensely real this phenomenal movie is.

Even if Mel Gibson thinks Central California is nowhere.

Rating: (3 1/2 out of 4 stars)

Seen The Passion of the Christ? Well, don't keep your fingers crossed for a sequel. However, here's a look at various Jesus movies from years past. So sit back and enjoy SJ Fanboy's take on the true and false prophets of savior cinema.

The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)
	A more apt tile would have been The Most Boring Story Ever Told. TGSET represents the worst of old Hollywood's bloated biblical epics. Max Von Sydow (later to become better known as The Exorcist) has barely enough charisma to pass as one of the extras let alone Jesus Christ. Also, Jesus's robe is so white, you'll think they must have had Tide with Bleach back in 30 AD. About the only good thing about the movie is playing the spot the star cameo game- "Look it's John Wayne as the Roman Centurion!" Best of all is seeing Mash's Klinger Jamie Farr as one of the twelve apostles. Suicide is painless!
	Rating: (1.5 out of 4 stars)
	Buy It!

King of Kings (1961)
	Not as bad as The Greatest Story Ever Told, but that's hardly a compliment. Again producers choose an unworthy actor to portray Jesus. With his blond hair, blue eyes, and pretty boy looks, Jeffrey Hunter epitomizes the historically inaccurate but wildly popular Anglicized image of Christ. C'mon folks, the real Jesus was about as aryan looking as Dustin Hoffman! Also, Hunter looks like he's on some sort of medication throughout the movie which makes for an odd characterization of the Son of God.
	Rating: (2 out of 4 stars)
	Buy It!

Ben-Hur (1959)
	Subtitled "A Tale of the Christ," Ben-Hur actually tells the story of well,... Ben-Hur. The story of Jesus is employed as a parallel to the main plot of a Jewish nobleman (Charleton Heston) betrayed by his Roman tribune best friend Messala. Jesus, shown only from the back, pops up at various points in Ben-Hur's life until their final meeting when Ben-Hur gives him water on the way to his crucifixion. These scenes are very effective and do more justice to Jesus than The Greatest Story Ever Told or King of Kings ever did. Incidentally, the chariot race scene is one of the five greatest action pieces ever filmed.
	Rating: (3 1/2 out of 4 stars)
	Buy It!

Jesus of Nazareth (1977)
	The best Jesus movie bar none. This 1977 miniseries' six hour running time allows for the most thorough re-telling of the life of Jesus yet made. And a very moving and entertaining one at that. Much of the credit has to go to Robert Powell as the best cinematic Jesus going. After watching it, I wouldn't be surprised if his own mother began to think she had had an immaculate conception. He's that convincing. Unfortunately, his road to Calvary didn't turn him into box-office gold, and I swear I was once saw him on The Love Boat in the early eighties. Regardless, Jesus of Nazareth is a worthy addition to anyone's (believer or non) home video collection.
	Rating: (4 out of 4 stars)
	Buy It!

Jesus Christ Superstar (1973)
	What's the Buzz?! JCS adapts the hit rock opera for the screen with all the glitz and cheesiness befitting the 1970s. Shot on location in the holy land, the songs are instantly memorable and the performances are top notch.Ted Neeley is a charismatic Christ, although his high shrieking style can be grating on some ears. If you're the type who can't stand musicals you'd best not grab this one off the Blockbuster shelf. For everyone else, hop on the bus for a fun ride through the gospels, dance numbers, and incredibly bad hairstyles.
	Rating: (3 out of 4 stars)
	Buy It!

The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)
	After all the protests have long died down, this Martin Scorcese movie remains a powerful and beautiful film. The intense hatred toward Last Temptation stemmed from a sequence where Satan shows a crucified Jesus visions of abandoning his quest for a "normal" life with a wife and children. The Bible, itself, tells of Jesus being tempted by Satan with earthly possessions, but that didn't stop people from getting their knickers in a twist. Willem Dafoe may have been an unorthodox choice for the lead role, but he does a fine job in portraying a man who is both made of flesh and spirit. The movie is filmed spectacularly, and after the final shot of a dying Jesus who does NOT give in to Satan, you'll be left with the desire that all good movies should leave in its audience. The desire to discuss what you've just seen.
	Rating: (4 out of 4 stars)
	Buy It!

Life of Brian (1979)
	Quite possibly the funniest movie ever made, as well as one of the most insightful critiques of religion in any medium, this second Monty Python feature film raised its own amount of ire upon release in 1979. Brian never pokes fun at Jesus, as the movie's detractors wrongly claimed, but directs aim at those of Christ's followers who take the Lord's message and completely f**k it up. The plot revolves around Brian who is repeatedly mistaken for the Messiah. In one scene, Brian implores a huge flock of sheep, I mean people, to think for themselves. Their reply in unison is "We've Got To Think For Ourselves!" In customary Python style, Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Michael Palin, and the two Terries, Gilliam and Jones, perform multiple roles and each one will make you hold your gut in laughter.
	Rating: (4 out of 4 stars)
	Buy It!

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