Comments about the Passions of the Christ!

[sike]

got to see a prescreening on Monday

First of all, it is a beautiful film! Wonderfully acted, directed, shot, and the score was superb!

it is a hard R! the realism is just that: real! I have studied the Gospels and the art of Roman crucifixion, and from what I know, they pretty much got it right....

the scourging scene is brutal while the crucifixion is shot rather artistically...

I saw no anti-Semitism, only a story with a hero who loves his enemies(they are careful to show that many in the Jewish council did not agree with the trial of Christ, and even that many Jews loved him...this is not a racist movie)...this film should not make others angry at Jews, rather it should make them amazed at Christ's sacrifice for both the Jews and the Gentiles...
I was interested to see that the Dallas Morning News reviewer (Chris Vogner...i think) only gave the film a grade of B.....despite being a Christian who is admittedly bias, I am also a great fan of film who knows that this is at least a movie deseriving of an -A.

as you see this film, please add comments to this thread.....

[Chiwas]

I do not know why the Vatican didn't like the movie. Any of you have an idea?

I haven't watched the movie but I am certain that it can help more than hurm the Church in this moment when it has a lot of problems with pederiastrian fathers, abort, homosexuality, birthrate control, and some other issues, not precisely related with the main purpose of christianity: to adore Jesus and follow his teaching.

[dude1394]

This movie seems to me like Saving Private Ryan. I thought that movie was a great piece of art but I've never desired to see it more than the first time. I expect this will be the same.

[Kid California]

Critics are giving bad reviews because they say it is too much blood shed. Was it that bad for them to give bad reviews? I have to wait a couple of weeks to see it, churches around the city are reserving screens for their members.

[Chiwas]

The man who plays Jesus

What James Caviezel went through for 'Passion'
Wednesday, February 25, 2004 Posted: 9:12 PM EST (0212 GMT)


LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Playing Jesus meant a world of torment for Jim Caviezel, who stars in Mel Gibson's ferociously violent "The Passion of the Christ."

Caviezel dangled nearly naked on a cross in bone-chilling winds through weeks of filming. He was struck by lightning during a recreation of the Sermon on the Mount. An actor playing a Roman torturer cut a 14-inch gash in Caviezel's back during scenes of Christ's scourging.

He dislocated his shoulder carrying the cross, caught pneumonia and a lung infection, endured cuts, scrapes and backaches from the chains he bore.

A devout Roman Catholic, Caviezel, 35, would not have had it any other way.

He previously had turned down the role of Jesus in a play and two TV projects but accepted this time because he sensed Gibson's commitment to telling the story without restraint.

"I didn't look at it and go, 'Gee, I'm Catholic, and I'm going to play Jesus,' " Caviezel told The Associated Press. "The other times, I said no, not interested. Not unless you're really going to go there. That's where Mel and I both share the same common denominator. I want the absolute fullness of the truth, or I don't want to do it at all."

Gibson's approach to that truth is a gory rendering that will test the emotional stamina of moviegoers as Roman soldiers sadistically carry out the lashing and execution while Christ quietly endures.

Many days, Caviezel rose at 2 a.m. and spent eight hours in makeup to simulate the wounds: An eye swollen shut from a beating, the crown of thorns, welts and torn flesh from head to toe.

Taking the blows
The prolonged scourging sequence is as agonizing to watch as the Crucifixion, when nails are driven through Christ's hands and feet. Caviezel was chained to a post with a board set up behind him to absorb the blows.

At one point, Gibson instructed the two actors inflicting the beating to hurl their lashes overhand as if throwing a baseball. Caviezel took a blow to his back after one of the actors aimed poorly.

"It just extended over the board and hit me with such a velocity that I couldn't breathe," Caviezel said. "It's like getting the wind knocked out of you. The stinging is so horrific that you can't get air.

"I turned around and looked at the guy, and I tell you, I may be playing Jesus, but I felt like Satan at that moment. I turned to him, a couple of expletives came out of my mouth."

Moments later, Caviezel was struck again, the lash slicing the gash in his back.

A lot to suffer, considering Gibson's camp originally approached Caviezel about doing a surfing movie. Caviezel turned up for a meeting with Gibson's producing partner, Stephen McEveety, and talked awhile about the surfing flick.

Caviezel defends the extremes to which Gibson went on the violence, saying it was necessary to authentically portray Christ's suffering. Likewise, shooting the dialogue in Aramaic, the language of Christ, and Latin lends a visceral effect that heightens the sense that viewers are eavesdropping on the Crucifixion rather than watching a cinematic restaging, Caviezel said.


Caviezel believes the gore in "Passion" was necessary.

Drawing lines

The actor also defends Gibson over criticism from some Jewish and Christian leaders that the movie could provoke anti-Semitism and revive the notion that Jews collectively were responsible for Christ's death.

"The Passion" depicts Jewish elders, backed by a screaming mob, pleading with Roman governor Pontius Pilate to crucify Christ. It also shows Jewish sympathizers of Jesus: Mary Magdalene, Christ's disciples, Simon of Cyrene, who helps carry the cross and is identified in the film's dialogue as a Jew.

"There's no broad brush applied here to any particular group. Mel says this quite frequently, that this film does not play the blame game," Caviezel said. "That crowd standing before Pilate does not condemn an entire race for the death of Christ any more than the heinous acts of Mussolini condemn all Italians or the vicious acts of Stalin condemn all Russians. We're all culpable in the death of Christ. My sins, your sins, all of our sins put him up on that cross. ...

"If anti-Semitism was in any way at play here, I would have said, 'I'm not doing this, Mel. I don't care who you are.' "

The intense scrutiny the film is receiving is a new experience for Caviezel, who has quietly built a solid list of credits in lower-profile movies, mostly with supporting or ensemble roles.

The oldest son in a family of five children, Caviezel grew up in rural Washington and settled on an acting career after a foot injury ended his college basketball days.

After moving to Los Angeles, Caviezel worked his way up from bit parts in "My Own Private Idaho," "Wyatt Earp" and "The Rock" in the early to mid 1990s, eventually landing a solid supporting role in "G.I. Jane."

Terrence Malick then cast him in a pivotal role in 1998's war epic "The Thin Red Line," with the little known Caviezel holding his own in an ensemble that included Sean Penn, George Clooney, Nick Nolte and John Cusack.

The exposure helped Caviezel land major roles in the thrillers "Frequency," co-starring Dennis Quaid, "Angel Eyes," with Jennifer Lopez, and "High Crimes," starring Ashley Judd and Morgan Freeman. Caviezel had the title role in the 2002 update of "The Count of Monte Cristo."

Upcoming films for Caviezel -- who lives near Los Angeles with his wife, Kerri, an English teacher -- include the science fiction thriller "The Final Cut," starring Robin Williams, and the golfing film biography "Bobby Jones, Stroke of Genius," in which he plays the lead. Caviezel also stars in the current murder thriller "Highwaymen," playing in limited release.

[Chiwas]

Aide: Pope did not endorse Gibson film
Tuesday, January 20, 2004 Posted: 1:19 PM EST (1819 GMT)

ROME, Italy (Reuters) -- In the latest twist in a saga involving the Vatican and Mel Gibson's controversial film about the death of Christ, Pope John Paul II's closest aide has denied reports the pontiff had praised the film's Biblical accuracy.

Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz, the pope's long-time private secretary, told the Catholic News Service Monday: "The Holy Father told no one of his opinion of this film."

In the past seven weeks, major world media organizations have written reports based on Church sources saying the pope liked the film and that he told aides that it was an accurate portrayal of Biblical accounts of Christ's final hours.


Mel Gibson directing Jim Caviezel as Jesus in "The Passion of the Christ."

"The Passion of the Christ" is based on Gospel narratives and contains dialogue only in Latin, Hebrew and Aramaic, the vernacular of ancient Palestine. It opens on Ash Wednesday, February 25.

The movie, which covers the final 12 hours in the life of Jesus Christ, has come under fire from some Jewish groups that fear its story could foment anti-Semitism because it portrays Jewish authorities as largely responsible for Christ's death.

Dziwisz issued his denial after weeks of reports that the pope had told aides after seeing the film: "It is as it was."

Dziwisz told Catholic News Service: "The Holy Father saw the film privately in his apartment, but gave no declaration to anyone. He does not make judgments on art of this kind. He leaves that to others, to experts."

Supporters had seen the words attributed to the pope as an endorsement of the film's Biblical accuracy, but some Jews worried that they could harm Roman Catholic-Jewish relations.

On Sunday, columnist Frank Rich of the New York Times, who is Jewish, accused the film's producers of "roping him (the pope) into a publicity campaign to sell a movie."

Vatican spokesmen have repeatedly declined officially to confirm or deny the numerous reports over the past month.

Some Catholic and other Christian groups have defended the film, saying it sticks closely to accounts of the crucifixion as told in the New Testament.

The film has been shown to a select audience of Catholic officials in several private screenings in recent weeks.

Many Vatican officials have seen it in whole or part and have rejected charges that it is anti-Semitic.

Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, head of the Vatican department in charge of priests, said in September: "I would gladly trade some of the homilies that I have given about the passion of Christ for even a few of the scenes of his film."

Gibson reportedly paid $20 million to $25 million of his own money to make the movie, but despite his status as a top box office draw and Oscar winner, Hollywood's major studios shied away from distributing it because of the controversy.

Gibson is a member of a traditionalist Roman Catholic group that rejects some of the reforms of the Second Vatican Council and still uses the old-style Latin Mass.

[Big Boy Laroux]

I haven't seen this yet, but I will. i'm waiting for the buzz to die down so I can see it without having to hear people all abuzz about it.

the commotion this film has caused is crazy. front page news here in nashville. bunches of people were interviewd about the movie. most of them were there on tickets their church bought. positive reviews from all of the christians.

the only jewish people interviewed gave responses like this, "i haven't seen it yet, but I heard it's anti-semitic." now come on, why even print that? if someone hasn't seen it, i think their opinion is invalid. but the whole gist of the article from the anti-semitic standpoint is that the jewish community is concerned that some wackos will see the movie and lash out at jewish people.

another hot topic is whether or not children should see the movie, due to the violence. personally, from what I have heard of the violence, if i had a kid, i would wait until they were older to see the movie. but like i stated above, i have to see it to be sure.

that story about caveizel being struck by lightning is crazy... that would tell me maybe i shouldn't do this film...

[Drbio]

I have heard Jewish scholars speak about it and they all say it is not patently anti-semitic. As a matter of fact, they praised the historical accuracy of teh story. They did have comments about some disclaimers that they felt should have been included though.

[grbh]

I saw it last night and to respond to a couple thoughts on this board:

Doc: I didn't find it anti-semetic, unless one believes the Gospel is antisemetic. It was pretty faithful to it

BBL: Violence. In no way should a youngerster see this movie. It was one of the most violent, goriest movies I have seen. Anyone under 13 has no business seeing it, and they had better be a pretty mature 13 at that.

[sike]

Originally posted by: dude1394
This movie seems to me like Saving Private Ryan. I thought that movie was a great piece of art but I've never desired to see it more than the first time. I expect this will be the same.

you probably only need to see it once dude....

[sike]

Originally posted by: Kid California
Critics are giving bad reviews because they say it is too much blood shed. Was it that bad for them to give bad reviews? I have to wait a couple of weeks to see it, churches around the city are reserving screens for their members.

i cant stand the reviews from reviewers saying "too much blood shed" kid.....what did they want a movie about a scourged and crusified man to look like...the handsome and pretty Jesus with one or two streams of blood like the church windows...this movie was rated R for a reason--the story it is telling deserves a R...the hardest R possible.....and yes, i would say that it probably was a blood bath.....but not one scene did I find pointless or gratuitous....just realistic...it was a blood bath!
and there is no way I let anyone under 13 see either!

[ocelot_ark]

I just saw it...

I think they did a great job portraying Christ's last 12 hours. There were a few things that were kind of iffy, as far as adding stuff in. But, as far as just portraying Christ's suffering...they just did an awesome job.

Now, I would really, REALLY like to see this movie redone - with the periods leading up to and after his crucifiction. I know - it would be a 4-5 hour film, but I'd pay to see it.

[Dooby]

Police: 'Passion' movie prompts man to admit murder
07:42 PM CST on Thursday, March 25, 2004


Associated Press



HOUSTON – The hanging death of Ashley Nicole Wilson in January was closed as a suicide and might have remained so if longtime friend Dan R. Leach hadn't seen "The Passion of the Christ."

Leach's experience viewing Mel Gibson's cinematic depiction of the last hours of Jesus Christ, coupled with a discussion with a religious adviser, caused him to walk into the Fort Bend County sheriff's department earlier this month and confess to killing Wilson, Detective Mike Kubricht said Thursday.

Leach otherwise had successfully tricked authorities and the Harris County Medical Examiner into ruling suicide, Kubricht said.

"He was very, very meticulous," Kubricht said. "It was very well-planned and well executed."

Wilson's body was discovered Jan. 19 in her apartment near Richmond, just beyond the southwest suburbs of Houston. All physical evidence pointed to suicide, Kubricht said, and Wilson had gone off several anti-depressant medications because she was pregnant.

The pregnancy apparently was the motive, Kubricht said, because Leach believed the baby was his and did not want to raise the child.

There was no answer at Leach's residence in nearby Rosenberg on Thursday. He was arrested Tuesday, a day after his indictment for murder, and remained in the Fort Bend County jail on $100,000 bond.

Leach was expected to get a court-appointed attorney, Kubricht said.

"I asked him, 'What nagged at you, what stone did you leave unturned?"' Kubricht said. "He said, 'The only thing I didn't do was rub her hands on the cord.' That's the thing that nagged at him the most, that he didn't leave her DNA on the cord."

Leach wore gloves and left none of his own DNA behind, Kubricht said. Leach decided to confess after meeting with a family friend who acted as a religious adviser.

"Something (the adviser) said, between that and the movie, he felt in order for him to have redemption he would have to confess his sin and do his time," Kubricht said.

Leach faces up to life in prison if convicted.

[dude1394]

I'm still trying to steel myself to endure it. I'm a little bit apprehensive about the truthfulness and reality of it.

[Psychedelic Fuzz]

You should definitely see it, Dude. If you are anything like me, the nausea will quickly be replaced by jaded, cynical resentment at the end of the movie, when the viewer is given but a second to absorb what happens before Mel Gibson's name pops up in big letters.

[Male30Dan]

Ugh...

*Sighs*

I will just leave that alone!!!

[Mavdog]

Mel Gibson: Hanukkah tale next?

Director of 'The Passion of Christ' admits fascination with heroism of the Maccabees.
March 18, 2004: 5:51 PM EST

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Mel Gibson, whose hit film "The Passion of the Christ" was attacked as anti-Semitic by some critics, says he is now intrigued by the revolt of the Maccabees, the story behind the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.

The Passion: Controversial blockbuster
"The story that's always fired my imagination ... is the Book of Maccabees," the actor and director told ABC Radio talk show host Sean Hannity on Tuesday.

"The Maccabees family stood up, and they made war. They stuck by their guns and they came out winning," he said. "It's like a Western."

The Maccabees led a three-year war, some 200 years before the birth of Jesus, against Antiochus, a king who forced the Jews to worship false gods. The war led to the liberation of Jerusalem and rededication of the Temple that is celebrated in the Hanukkah holiday.

Gibson's "The Passion," which depicts the last hours of the life of Jesus, has been a huge box office hit, making $264 million since its Feb. 25 opening.

But several critics and religious leaders have blasted the film, saying Gibson made an unflattering portrayal of Jews and blamed them in the movie for the crucifixion of Christ.

Gibson did not say he was planning another biblical film. But Anti-Defamation League national director Abe Foxman was not pleased with Gibson's interest in Jewish history.

"My answer would be 'thanks but no thanks,"' Foxman said on Wednesday. "The last thing we need in Jewish history is to convert our history into a Western."

"In his hands we may wind up losing," he joked.

[dude1394]

Originally posted by: Psychedelic Fuzz
You should definitely see it, Dude. If you are anything like me, the nausea will quickly be replaced by jaded, cynical resentment at the end of the movie, when the viewer is given but a second to absorb what happens before Mel Gibson's name pops up in big letters.

So you hated the movie right?

Did you also hate Saving Private Ryan?

[dude1394]

A different take on the passion.

[]=Chuck Colson]http://www.townhall.com/columnists/chuckcolson/cc20040408.shtml[/s]

Fiery Darts Are Backfiring
Chuck Colson
April 8, 2004

Surprisingly, theaters in Doha, Qatar, and Amman, Jordan, are showing The Passion of the Christ. A Qatari English-language newspaper, The Peninsula, headlines, “Passion runs full house.” On March 21 three theaters in Doha were sold-out and pre-booked for days ahead. An official of the Qatar Cinema and Film Distribution Board boasts that Qatar is so open that no film was refused permission for showing there last year and that the distributor was amazed when Qatar requested The Passion. Censors okayed it without any cuts, and the official expects the film to run for at least two months.

And some mullahs are encouraging their Muslim followers to see the film. Why such an unexpected endorsement? The false rumors that the film is anti-Semitic have reached the mullahs, and as one missionary explains, “since they hate the Jews, they want to see it.” Muslims recognize Jesus as a prophet, and although they believe Muhammad superseded Him, they still revere and respect Christ. So when they hear of a film which is alleged to show Jews crucifying Christ, some Muslims welcome the opportunity to revel in a depiction of the wickedness of their long-time enemies.

But many Muslims are responding to the film in ways their mullahs hadn’t intended. One viewer recognized, “When they show a story of the Romans . . . in ancient times, it doesn’t mean the present-day Italians are responsible.” By analogy, he reasoned that, even if he construed the film as depicting first-century Jews as instigators of Christ’s crucifixion, that would not be an indictment of modern Israelis.

An even more important consequence shows up in an e-mail from a missionary, who marvels, “In two short hours more Qataris heard the Gospel than I have been able to reach in nearly five years living here. At the 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. showings, the film was running in all three theaters.” He estimated that more than 50 percent of the people in the theater were local Muslims—including completely veiled women.

After viewing the film with a former student, he told him in Arabic, “You think that this film is here because of ‘freedom of speech’ or the new openness of your government, but actually God Himself has sent this film to correct your total misunderstanding about who Jesus is and why He came to earth.” For two hours, the missionary and the student discussed the differences between Islam and Christianity, and the cross—the heart of our message.

The missionary adds, “How interesting that God is using this film to communicate the Gospel [in] the very opposite spirit that might be motivating [Muslims] to see it. The message to love your enemies, and Jesus’ praying for them to be forgiven while on the cross, would hit the Muslim moviegoer in a powerful way.”

With theaters in Jordan and Qatar scheduled to show the film for at least two months, and with videos and DVDs selling briskly, the potential is staggering.

Isn’t God amazing? He is using charges of anti-Semitism to stimulate Muslim mullahs to encourage their followers to see a Christian film during Holy Week—in essence, to make fiery darts backfire.

[dude1394]

Also curious if anyone has seen the southpark "Passion of the Jews" that supposedly was just out? Andrew Sullivan said it was pretty funny but I hadn't caught it.

[FreshJive]

I thought it was pretty funny, but alot of people on this board would probably find it offensive.

Cartman became Hitler, and Mel Gibson was portrayed as a nut with an S and M fettish. Kyle the Jewish guy felt guilty about killing Jesus until he met Mel Gibson.

[Caliente]

Worthy is the lamb that was slain.

[mavsman55]

Everybody has a dumb excuse for not liking this movie. The pope doesn't like it because he probably crapped his diaper watching it. Critics say it was "too violent"... jeez I bet Mel Gibson's sorry he didn't make Jesus' crucifiction look really soft, so people wouldn't be moved by it. How the heck are you gonna get people to believe that unless you actually show them what happened? These critics are absolutely ridiculous. I wouldn't blame Jewish people for not liking it, following the episode of South Park that was a knock-off on it. But no matter what these people think, it was a great movie. Good representation of what Jesus put up with and endured to save all of our lives... taken that he could have killed those men and freed himself whenever he wanted to, but he chose to endure the pain to save all of us from our sins. I was changed after I saw that movie.