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Print I finally saw it. I was channel surfing and stopped at a gripping scene and realized this was a trailer for the much-publicized The Passion of Christ, directed by Mel Gibson. There was so little promotion for this film but so much press, which goes to show that all press is good press. Everyone is talking about this powerful film and most have heard of it without ever seeing a preview or advertisement. I’ve read the articles, I watched the interview with Mel Gibson by Diane Sawyer, and I’ve tried to pay attention to the controversy. I agree with Southampton (February 16, 2004) that the interview was excellent. Gibson said he was inspired by the Holy Ghost to make this film. He said we all killed Christ. He said that those concerned about the graphic violence should not go see his film. He also addressed the anti-Semitic issue by saying it goes against his beliefs to treat anyone differently. I have a Jewish friend who is very concerned about the reaction to Jews this film will produce. I’ve tried to assure him that those who know the story of Jesus and are familiar with the New Testament will not find this surprising. He asked if I would go see it and be honest if I felt the film did not accurately represent the New Testament. I felt bound to do so and lucked into inviting myself to a prescreening of the film tonight, two days before the film’s national release on Ash Wednesday.
The Film The film begins with a scene of Jesus praying in the garden of Gethsemane, depicting the internal struggle of what He knows is about to happen. Yet the scene also shows an external struggle with an evil character—representing the evil in the world—on the side and a serpent slithering from under this character. The serpent makes its way over to Jesus and the scene ends with Jesus stepping on its head. (A nice depiction of Genesis 3:14-15’s, “And the Lord God said unto the serpent, …And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head…”) For the next two hours the film portrays the trials of Jesus with the Jewish priests, then Pilate, then Herod, and then back to Pilate. The reviews of graphic violence are accurate. This film portrays the beatings more realistically than I have ever seen or imagined. This is not your home church Easter drama. There are flashback scenes of Jesus and his mother, Mary, both as a boy and as a grown man. There are also flashbacks of some of Jesus’ ministry and the last supper. Had I not planned to write this review, I’m not sure I would have watched every scene of the beatings and violence—it was that graphic. Jesus’ death on the cross resulted in an earthquake, and there is a scene of the veil in the temple being rent and other destruction in the temple. The final 10 seconds or so of the film shows the stone being rolled away and a resurrected Jesus standing up to walk out of it. No one in the theater moved until every credit had been seen. It was a much different atmosphere than the beginning. Several were crying and no one said a word while we stood to file out. It was a stunned silence. The title of this film was masterfully accomplished. The passion (from the Greek word pathos, which means suffering) was filmed in greater detail than ever before. If Gibson wanted to make a film that depicted Christ’s suffering, he did just that. I’m Apostolic. I’m used to Passion plays at Easter that make the big emphasis on the resurrection and the hope we have because of it. So I had to be reminded that the title of the film was exactly what I saw. Jesus Christ Superstar, a popular rock opera in the 70’s ended with the crucifixion, so at least we did see that there was a resurrection in this film. Also, there were scenes that I didn’t fully understand that must have depicted more of the Catholic faith than I’m familiar with. For example, Pilate’s wife gave Mary some cloths and after Jesus was scourged she went to wipe up His blood; in another scene, a woman comes up to him with a cloth as Jesus is carrying the cross and wipes blood from His face. This film can be a powerful witnessing tool, but only if the person viewing it is familiar with scriptures. If not, a Bible study on the life and ministry of Jesus is imperative.
Talking To My Jewish Friend I left with a deeper appreciation for the sacrifice Jesus made for me. The complacent Christian needs to view this film, for (s)he will be stirred. Backsliders need to see it. For those not serious about living for God, this film is for you. After all, Jesus said, “I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness” (John 12:46). Ordinarily I like a film that removes me from reality for a couple hours, depicting some story that won’t ever happen. This film defied that notion. This was reality not fantasy. It is what life is all about. Jesus Christ is everything and without His sacrifice on the cross, none of us would have any hope. Thank you Jesus for loving me enough to die for me.
ninetyandnine.com © 2004, ninetyandnine.com --------- Anonymous Apostolic reacted differently than expected when viewing this film and is still struggling with how to write a review without more time to fully contemplate what was experienced. (S)he may add more later this week. |
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