If I can pitch another scene:
1.) Early morning at the city of Yerushalayim. Soldiers are pushing the pilgrims who have once again begun to crowd the streets. We see three men with wooden beams slung over their shoulders. One of these three men is actually just forced to carry the beam for Joshua, who staggers behind Him. Walking before Joshua is a soldier carrying a placard: âKing of the Judeansâ. The three condemned men are horribly beaten: huge wounds and welts cover their entire bodies.
2.) Overhead shot of the procession making their way (a la
The Last Temptation film, albeit without the slow-motion
). The streets are filled with the sound of hubbub, wailing and jeering. Joshua stumbles into the ground. As He struggles to rise up, He looks and sees a group of women near Him. And for a fleeting moment, He seems to glimpse His own mother, Miriam, standing with them. Tears flow from His eyes as the soldiers drag Him up and make Him walk again.
3.) The procession finally reaches an area immediately outside the gates of the city: the âSkullâ. Near the city is an abandoned quarry, and in it, a rocky outcrop which does look like, from a certain angle, a skull. Meanwhile, over the immediate area, near the roadside, we see a literal forest of crosses. In some, we can still see rotting corpses still nailed onto them, with vultures coming and pecking on their flesh. There are already a few soldiers there, some guarding the already-dead victims, some removing the corpses and dumping them off into a corner, where wild dogs chow them down. All in all, this is not a very pretty place to look at (and if we have smell-o-vision, it would have really stank): we can see dung and puddles of urine dotting the area. And swarms of flies.
A small crowd - Iâm envisioning around 20-50 people here - gather and stand by the road to watch the execution. And surely enough, some women disciples are nearby, including Miriam Joshuaâs mother, as well as Miriam of Magdala, and John.
4.) The soldiers finally stop at a âfreeâ spot close to the road, where three vertical posts - barely larger than a man - stand, with ledges on them. The man who carried Joshuaâs crossbeam had finally done His work and was bidden to leave, but not before He took a final look at Joshua. Some women approach the criminals and give them drugged wine to drink, as per custom. They attempt to give Joshua some, but He refuses. Looking around Him, He looks upward (the camera in Joshuaâs POV) and mutters: âForgive them,
Abba.â
5.) What happens next is short and swift. The soldiers strip the clothes off the criminals, leaving them completely naked, thrust them down to their crossbeams and nail spikes with wooden washers down their hands. The screams echo through the area, as we see Miriam weeping, with John staring in horror. After the victimsâ hands are nailed, the team raise their crossbeams up. No fancy contraption here;
they use sheer manpower. Afterwards, the soldiers force the three to rest themselves on the ledges, then use two more nails, driving them at their heels/feet. Finally, one soldier takes the aforementioned placard and fixes it above Joshuaâs cross. It all ends as quickly as it began.
6.) Some of the hecklers standing on and passing by the road begin to taunt the criminals, especially Joshua. Once again, I would use the
filmLast Temptation as a point of reference here (yeah, sorry about that people. Now, I donât like the film itself, but the crucifixion scene - minus the dialogue and the actual âlast temptationâ - is pretty good enough that I feel itâs a shame that Scorsese didnât direct a âstraightâ Jesus film: itâs got this feeling of raw authenticity and realism in it that only a few Jesus films can rival, IMHO). Joshua hears the voice of the hecklers, telling Him to come down from His cross, yet He does nothing save to mutter again that forgiveness be granted them.
7.) Time passes, and Joshua still hangs on His cross, with birds of prey over His head and flies landing on His wounds and biting on His flesh, and with throat racked with thirst due to the scorching heat. His vision is becoming increasingly blurred, and He briefly blacks out before regaining consciousness. Joshua looks, and He sees the executioners who now busy themselves with gambling for the clothes of the criminals. Beyond them is the road: Joshua can see people passing by or standing and weeping or jeering. He sees the faithful women trying to come near, only to be barred by one soldier from getting too close. Joshua entrusts Miriam to Johnâs care, and mother and Son share a last gaze as they walk off to stand in the distance.
Joshua then hears someone - one of the two crucified with Him - shouting to Him, begging Him to save Himself if He is âKingâ - as well as the two of them. The other criminal rebukes the man, and begs Joshua to remember him âin (His) kingdomâ. Joshua draws up some strength, turns to the man, and makes a promise that he will be with Him.
8.) Noon. The scene changes to the still-crowded city, and eventually to the Temple. Priests and pilgrims alike are doing their regular duties. As daily life goes on, a strong wind suddenly hits the city, carrying
a huge cloud of sand and dust with it, so dense and thick that it effectively and quickly obscures the sun. The sandstorm effectively prevents the people on the streets from seeing clearly - a darkness that can be seen and felt, driving everything into near-total silence.
) sees Him off. Cut to two of Johnâs disciples who watch Joshua head off into the wilderness of Judea.
