My comments about The Passion of The Christ

[DKW 86 7,439]

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I saw a book on the film yesterday. I was absolutely shook to the core. The Passion likely more correctly portrays the real sufferings of Christ at Calvary. The beatings back then were savage. They often crippled the victim for life. The 39 lashes rule was invoked to lessen the viciousness.

I am not amazed that the reviewers are so clueless about the real value of the film. One said that "For outlandish stories, Harry Potter was a greater challenge to bring to film."

I guess I should not be shocked at all this anyway.

"There are none so blind, as those THAT WILL NOT (to) SEE."

[TitanTiger 20,509]

Roger Ebert has an excellent review on it:

http://www.suntimes.com/output/ebert1/cst-ftr-passion24.html

[Guest AuNuma1]

This is the most violent film I have ever seen.

Kinda weird how ironic that is...movie about Christ is one of the most violent.

[TitanTiger 20,509]

Yeah, I imagine if you depict a crucifixion accurately, it would be extremely violent.

I have to say though, I'm getting a little weary of all the left-wing freak out sessions over this movie. First of all, many who are yapping having even seen it. But beyond that, it appears that the "anti-Semitic" charge isn't sticking. Numerous rabbis who have seen the film have come out and opposed the ADL's critique of the film and say that it is not anti-Semitic nor is it likely to incite anti-Semitism. So now, it appears a lot of the media and critics are beginning to harp (in an odd, seemingly coordinated fashion) about how violent it is.

I guess it sticks out as odd to me because I don't remember a lot being said about the violence in Gladiator, Saving Private Ryan, or Braveheart. I mention those films because I think too often, the media fails to differentiate between violence and senseless or meaningless violence. I think The Passion fits into the same category as the above films as opposed to films with senseless violence like Natural Born Killers or most horror/slasher flicks.

I think the opening scenes of Saving Private Ryan, and the relentless violence they show, are essential to truly understanding the bravery that was involved with the D-Day invasion. By the end of that "storming the beach" scene, I was already choked up. It was hard to watch and I winced and looked away a few times, though I was sort of forcing myself to take it in. I gained a greater appreciation of the sacrifices and courage our soldiers demonstrate to give us our freedom. I felt a similar reaction to the battle scenes in Braveheart. You don't understand how truly brave William Wallace and the Scots were until you witness the cruelty of the English rulers of the time and the brutality that was hand to hand combat in that day.

Likewise with The Passion, I don't think witnessing this crucifixion is senseless violence. Too often, we've sanitized this event, either in our own minds because we're used to seeing the modern version of an execution (lethal injection), or in the re-enactments we see during an Easter cantata at church. We also tend to skip through the tortuous suffering to get to the happy ending of the Resurrection. To really understand the depth of the love that Christ has for us, we need to see what he really went through...at least as much as is possible with a film. I've seen a couple of critics mention that 90% of the movie is the violent beatings and torture. But the film is only 2 hours or so in length. If we really wanted to get down to business and see it for what it really was, it was something like 8-10 (going on memory here) of agony. The point is...it's one thing to simply say that Jesus suffered and died for you and me. It's another to be given a vivid snapshot of exactly what kind of suffering he endured.

As Americans, suffering for our beliefs usually comes in the form of insults or being viewed as zealots or simpletons. Put in perspective, that is not suffering. Christ cared so much about obeying His Father and reconciling us to God, he REALLY suffered. He suffered not just insults and epithets. He suffered an absolutely vicious pounding. He suffered having his beard ripped out and long hard thorns driven into his scalp. He suffered having his flesh ripped to shreds by leather whips with pieces of bone and metal woven into the strands. He suffered dehydration and heavy blood loss. He suffered the physical exhaustion of carrying a heavy wooden cross. He suffered having the equivalent of railroad spikes driven into his hands and feet and having to support the weight of his whole body on those nails, ripping more flesh and tearing blood vessels. He suffered fluid build up in his lungs and had to push up on those nails just to be able to draw a good breath. And He suffered all of this for hour after hour, knowing that a large portion of those He was doing it all for would cast it aside and dismiss it as fantasy or delusion.

THAT is why this movie is violent and why it MUST be violent. It is almost disrespectful to portray it any other way.

[BamaGrad03 0]

Crap! It's scary sometimes how much I agree with ole Titan.

Here's some questions I asked over at TideTalk:

Here's what bothers me:

1.) The media is CONSTANTLY showing images of all these protesting Jews outside of movie theaters...yet they aren't showing the streaming tears rolling down the faces of the THOUSANDS of people who have already been touched. They don't want to show that...because to them, its not good news i guess.

2.) Why is it that Mel's account of what happened (which is seemingly biblically accurate) is SOOOOO offensive to all these jewish protesters? Why aren't they protesting at places where bibles are sold? I mean this IS what is in the bible...so why don't the protest the bible? Why pick this? It's not a slam on jews...its just one man's depiction to what went down.

You don't see tens of thousands of white people out in front of movie theaters every time we retread slavery in movies do you? Or every time a black's civil rights are trampled on in some movie. I wasn't offended by A Time To Kill...it wasn't a stab at ME because I'm white. It was a depiction of somethings that did happen...or could have happened.

[channonc 466]

2.) Why is it that Mel's account of what happened (which is seemingly biblically accurate) is SOOOOO offensive to all these jewish protesters? Why aren't they protesting at places where bibles are sold? I mean this IS what is in the bible...so why don't the protest the bible? Why pick this? It's not a slam on jews...its just one man's depiction to what went down.

Just curious, but I haven't seen any of these dipictions. I have seen the "debates" on the news about whether or not it is anti-sementic, etc. with Rabbis and Priests, but I honestly haven't seen any protests. What news channel are these being shown on?

[BamaGrad03 0]

It was all over CNN (obviously since they would never show the other side of it) and Entertainment Tonight on Monday.

There were HUUUUGE groups of JEWS out in front of NYC movie theaters protesting the movie with signs and stuff. Talking about how horribly the movie depicts jews....

[channonc 466]

Hmmm... I rarely watch CNN, I find it boring. I usually watch MSNBC and I haven't seen any of that on their channel.

[sevenDs 0]

You don't see tens of thousands of white people out in front of movie theaters every time we retread slavery in movies do you? Or every time a black's civil rights are trampled on in some movie. I wasn't offended by A Time To Kill...it wasn't a stab at ME because I'm white. It was a depiction of somethings that did happen...or could have happened.

I'll take it a step further. When a WWII movie comes out, you don't hear the Germans protesting that it casts them in an unfair light. You don't hear the Japanese protesting either. (Although some do when we remember Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7)

At the risk of making a generalization, I believe that the problem is that the Jewish "mafia" which runs Hollywood feels free to produce anything that may cause ill will towards any group, except themselves. They're not happy when the tables have been turned.

I haven't seen the movie and will probably wait till it's on DVD. But I know that the only frustration that I feel towards Jews will come from these protests, not something their ancestors did more than 2000 years ago. As a Christian, I don't feel that what they back then necessarily wrong. It was supposed to happen. Jesus was sent to die for our sins, unfortunately for the Jews they had to play difficult part in making that happen.

Yes, it hurts to see someone suffer so much pain and agony, but it had to happen. I think Mel Gibson wants to make sure none of us take this event for granted.

[stoic-one 1,549]

Guys, I watched this movie last Saturday night (friend works for theater), it is a well made movie but was very gory. I highly recommend it to anyone with even a remote religious background.

That said, I don't recommend bringing the children along. This movie is rated R for a reason.

As a side note, keeping up with the subtitles was a little frustrating. I did however feel like the effect seemed to add to the authenticity of the overall production.

And oh yeah, anti-semetic.....can you say King James.....

[Guest AuNuma1]

Sounds like loads of fun.

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.

The man who plays Jesus

[BamaGrad03 0]

I cannot, in words, convey how powerful this movie is. I cannot, in words, describe how this movie made me feel.

It is unfortunate that CNN did not interview me, tears rolling down my face, 10 minutes after the movie was over.

Yes it is bloody. For a reason. But it is a legitimate depiction of Christ's last hours.

I spent 2 hours (of the 2hours and 15mins) of the movie crying. Because I was touched on a deep level. I've been a christian for 17 years...this story was not new to me....but to see it in this way was absolutley something I needed.

I was touched so greatly because I kept thinking that Jesus went through all of that for me. And you. I kept thinking, while he was being beaten so terribly, that he endured that so I wouldn't have to endure something worse. There is no greater story in the history of the world.

Thank you Mel Gibson. The leftist Hollywood will not thank you...but I will.

Go see this movie. Do not take any kids under 12.

[AUBoggs 0]

I have not seen the movie, yet.

The crucifixion of Jesus is very personal for me. It was my sin He bore on the cross. He willingly gave His life in my place. It was His sacrifice that has saved me. It is His sacrifice that can save anyone.

This is the greatest gift of all.

[CCTAU 3,341]

I have not seen the movie, yet.

The crucifixion of Jesus is very personal for me. It was my sin He bore on the cross. He willingly gave His life in my place. It was His sacrifice that has saved me. It is His sacrifice that can save anyone.

This is the greatest gift of all.

Boggs, You WILL appreciate this movie. It tells the story very closely to the way the new testament describes it. The movie is the "passion" of Christ. Not the life of Christ. So it begins right before his arrest and continues from there. During moments of this, he sees things that cause him to flash back to earlier periods. For instance, when he's first carrying the cross and sees the crowd part before him, it reminds him of when he rode in on an ass with the people throwing palm branches before him. There are several scenes that are from flash back.

I saw it Wednesday during a private screening. I was very moved and touched. the violence shown in this movie is not gratuitous, nor is it anywhere near as bad as i believe really happened. But if Jesus endured even one tenth of that for me, I definitely do not deserve it.

Wonderfully put together movie with the sub-titles NOT being an issue at all, unless you have a vision problem.

Every young person in America should see this and know that God loves them so much that he sent his son to go through this HELL so that they would not have to.

I would recomend this to 13 years and older.

And to EVERY adult in the world.

Anti-jew? No way. It was clear that this was of satan's design and that the world crucified Jesus, not the jews.

[Guest AuNuma1]

So you have to read subtitles the entire movie?

[BamaGrad03 0]

So you have to read subtitles the entire movie?

Yes and I wouldn't have it any other way.

You don't even notice after the first five minutes

[TitanTiger 20,509]

Here's another review. From Joel Siegel at ABC. He didn't think it was anti-Semitic either:

The Passion

[tigerzzman 0]

I saw this movie last night and thought it was great... this is a must see, but not for the younger viewers. throughout the movie, my emotions were constantly changing. you feel really good during scenes about Jesus's teachings and then quickly back to seeing what this man went through for us so that we can be forgiven of all of our sins. i have never had to fight back as many tears during a movie as i did in this great film. i am so proud of mel gibson for using his influence and ablity to reach millions of people. This will open a lot of people's eyes hopefully. another thing, this movie will make Christians' beliefs grow even stronger and possibly peak their interest to learn more about their own religion. I know i want to pick up the Bible and get a better grasp on all of the events and teachings.

[TitanTiger 20,509]

Well, I saw the movie today. I'm having a hard time figuring out what to say. It was disturbing. It really cut me to the quick. I kept thinking while the movie was going, "He did this for you. He took all of that savage beating and excruciating pain for you." And it was killing me to think that. All I can say is, go to it. Meditate on it. Don't be quick to "snap out of it" when it's over and get back to "the real world". Ponder it in your heart. Why did He die? Why did He do it willingly?

As for the technical aspects and the controversy:

1. Anyone who says the film is anti-Semitic isn't paying attention. The chief priests and Pharisees don't come off good, but the Jews as a whole are a mixed bag. Some were directly complicit, some got caught up in the furor, many others wept and called for it to be stopped. The Romans on the other hand, with few exceptions, were absolute savages, delighting in the torture of a man most of them didn't know anything about. It was sickening. And Pilate is a monster. Anyone who could sentence a man to death...especially the kind of death administered to Jesus, believing hiim to be innocent, is a complete abomination to the word "human".

2. The use of Aramaic and Latin with subtitles is brilliant. And this also goes to the anti-Semitism charge. There has never been another film where Jesus was portrayed as more obviously Jewish that I've ever seen. No English accents. No American accents. It felt so real.

3. Based on the acting and cinematography, this should be at least up for many Oscars next year. We'll have to see if Hollywood can put aside it's obvious disdain for all things Christian and allow it to happen.