Passion of The Christ

[Adonia]

Ok, I know the movie has been out a long time now, but I saw it for the first time last night. I had heard about how brutal it was and it certainly lived up to those kind of reviews. I had to turn away during some parts of the movie, especially the scouraging. If Our Lord had only gone through half of what was shown here, that would have been plenty. I am a life long Catholic, and until seeing this movie I had only been given the sanitized version of the Passion. This movie really brought it all out. During Mass today the scouraging of Our Lord kept popping into my head. This is what it is all about, the sacrifice that was made for us.Amazing! Truely amazing!!!

 

[Mr.Bee]

Ok, I know the movie has been out a long time now, but I saw it for the first time last night. I had heard about how brutal it was and it certainly lived up to those kind of reviews. I had to turn away during some parts of the movie, especially the scouraging. If Our Lord had only gone through half of what was shown here, that would have been plenty. I am a life long Catholic, and until seeing this movie I had only been given the sanitized version of the Passion. This movie really brought it all out. During Mass today the scouraging of Our Lord kept popping into my head. This is what it is all about, the sacrifice that was made for us.Amazing! Truely amazing!!!

Yes, amazing. I found the brutality frightening as well as appropriate for the story. What it said to me was God willingly put himself in our place, accepting the horrible pain and indignity we are forced to endure because of our sins. He died like a man. That’s how I saw it.

I remember I was told way back in Catholic school about the scourging, that the Romans were especially cruel and efficient. One detail “the Passion” depicted that the nuns told us school kids about was that the scourging was only supposed to be 39 lashes, but the soldier lost count and kept on scourging. This still haunts me.

 

[Lil_M]

I saw it the opening night with my rosary group, and haven’t been able to watch it since. The violence and gore was unbelievable, and everytime Satan showed up in a crowd I freaked out. I had nightmares! After seeing that you are like, “I am NOT going to sin again!” I agree, it sure brings the Passion to life. I should pop it in the DVD player when I’m tempted.

 

[colliric]

Ok, I know the movie has been out a long time now, but I saw it for the first time last night. I had heard about how brutal it was and it certainly lived up to those kind of reviews. I had to turn away during some parts of the movie, especially the scouraging. If Our Lord had only gone through half of what was shown here, that would have been plenty. I am a life long Catholic, and until seeing this movie I had only been given the sanitized version of the Passion. This movie really brought it all out. During Mass today the scouraging of Our Lord kept popping into my head. This is what it is all about, the sacrifice that was made for us.Amazing! Truely amazing!!!

I really think this film had the most stunning cinematography I have seen for a long long time. Whenever I see this film, a well of tears tends to come on when the Virgin Mary turns away from the scourging, not being able to look on as her son’s blood is scattered everywhere. I want to scream out “Stop it” when the roman centurion(in the scouring sequence) and Simon of Cyrene(when he carries the cross) do so, I want to offer Mary a helping hand like Pilate’s wife. When Christ turns to the camera on the cross and we are shown the sympathetic criminal’s perspective, it is like Christ’s words are for all of us who want to try to live in his teachings.

The usage of the flashback technique is brilliant in drawing a link between the relationship of each of the characters(especially between Christ and the 2 Marys, his mother and Magdalene, although Gibson brings his own belief of Magdalene being the prostitute) and the symbolic metaphors of the events and how they relate to Christ’s previous teachings. People who have not read the gospels but are interested in seeing the film are able to understand the context of events due to Gibson’s film making genius.

 

[colliric]

I saw it the opening night with my rosary group, and haven’t been able to watch it since. The violence and gore was unbelievable, and everytime Satan showed up in a crowd I freaked out. I had nightmares! After seeing that you are like, “I am NOT going to sin again!” I agree, it sure brings the Passion to life. I should pop it in the DVD player when I’m tempted.

One moment which scared the **** out of me is the scene where Judas sees that demonic monkey like monster coming out of the darkness and chasing after him. His demons slowly catching up to him.

 

[LilyM]

Certainly takes praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet or the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary to a whole new level in terms of giving you food for meditation. I sometimes start crying when I think of it.

 

[johnnycatholic]

The casting of Monica Bellucci kinda irritates me any more. I’m glad she’s not in it any more than she was because every time i see her, i just want to spit. She posed for some magazine cover in Italy a month or two after the release of the film, i think partially nude, to protest the Church’s teachings on IVF or something. I mean, whatever. “Just because i was in a Catholic movie doesn’t mean i actually believe any of it.” Don’t worry, honey. Your lip implants gave that away from the start.

 

[colliric]

The casting of Monica Bellucci kinda irritates me any more. I’m glad she’s not in it any more than she was because every time i see her, i just want to spit. She posed for some magazine cover in Italy a month or two after the release of the film, i think partially nude, to protest the Church’s teachings on IVF or something. I mean, whatever. “Just because i was in a Catholic movie doesn’t mean i actually believe any of it.” Don’t worry, honey. Your lip implants gave that away from the start.

yeah but this wasn’t her first Christian picture either(she starred along side Paul Mercurio and Ben Kingsley in the tele-movie “Joseph”) so her record’s against her… She likes something about that bible…

People don’t take roles in 2 christian flicks without at least being warm to the religion. She’s definatly anti-rome(or is it really more anti-system? rather than anti-rome?), but she’s defiantly shown interest in the christian faith, even though she’s agnostic.

One thing’s for sure she throws out weird confusing signals. is agnostic and did the horrible film Irreversible(which should be banned), but has also shown she up for a good Biblical epic? WTF?

 

[Wisdom]

yeah but this wasn’t her first Christian picture either(she starred along side Paul Mercurio and Ben Kingsley in the tele-movie “Joseph”) so her record’s against her… She likes something about that bible…

People don’t take roles in 2 christian flicks without at least being warm to the religion. She’s definatly anti-rome(or is it really more anti-system? rather than anti-rome?), but she’s defiantly shown interest in the christian faith, even though she’s agnostic.

One thing’s for sure she throws out weird confusing signals. is agnostic and did the horrible film Irreversible(which should be banned), but has also shown she up for a good Biblical epic? WTF?

Hey you never know John Wayne would do all these catholic themed movies and was never a practicing Christian then on his deathbed he converts. At least she seems to have and inquiring mind about religion most Hollywood or European actresses have dismissed religion altogether, she hasn’t we need to pray for this woman for her conversion, she is around constant secularism in her line of work it obviously has affected her world view but its not to late for her as she seems interested in the subject of Christians whatever her level of Orthodoxy there is potential there.

Is it not ironic there seems to be a condeming of this woman here when she played the prostitute whom Christ does not condemn? We like Christ need to pray and dialogue with the sinners of the world especially those whom have an open ear to what religion has to say even if they sometimes reject the findings. How many St Augustine’s and Dorothy Day’s who rejected teh teachings of the church for alternative world views only to embrace holy mother church in the end. I am afraid the list is very long and maybe this actress is in that long line of catholic converts, reverts etc.

 

[scaron]

When Jesus meets his Mother while carrying his cross. He looks at her and says “Behold, Mother! I make all things new”. Which is I believe a paraphrase from Revelation.

First and only time I have ever cried at a movie.

Stations of the Cross have never been the same for me again.

 

[colliric]

Hey you never know John Wayne would do all these catholic themed movies and was never a practicing Christian then on his deathbed he converts. At least she seems to have and inquiring mind about religion most Hollywood or European actresses have dismissed religion altogether, she hasn’t we need to pray for this woman for her conversion, she is around constant secularism in her line of work it obviously has affected her world view but its not to late for her as she seems interested in the subject of Christians whatever her level of Orthodoxy there is potential there.

Is it not ironic there seems to be a condemning of this woman here when she played the prostitute whom Christ does not condemn? We like Christ need to pray and dialogue with the sinners of the world especially those whom have an open ear to what religion has to say even if they sometimes reject the findings. How many St Augustine’s and Dorothy Day’s who rejected the teachings of the church for alternative world views only to embrace holy mother church in the end. I am afraid the list is very long and maybe this actress is in that long line of catholic converts, reverts etc.

Bellucci’s gripe doesn’t seem to be with the religion itself, otherwise why did she star in Passion? It’s her views about the Catholic Church which seems to be the major obstacle. Hopefully one day she can look past it to the positiveness doing a very Catholic film like “The passion” brought to her life, and she can accept Christ. The first thing which must be accomplished is an acceptance of Christ.

Even if she is eventually a “Death bed convert”, I think she will be looked on favorably because of the inspiring performance of the role in the groundbreaking film.

 

[Marilena]

Is it not ironic there seems to be a condeming of this woman here when she played the prostitute whom Christ does not condemn? We like Christ need to pray and dialogue with the sinners of the world especially those whom have an open ear to what religion has to say even if they sometimes reject the findings. How many St Augustine’s and Dorothy Day’s who rejected teh teachings of the church for alternative world views only to embrace holy mother church in the end. I am afraid the list is very long and maybe this actress is in that long line of catholic converts, reverts etc.

 

[August]

I hope this isn’t getting away from the topic, but I’ve got a question. I have never seen this film. When this movie came out, I was not religious and I had heard (and believed) that it was anti-semetic, needlessly violent and contradicted the biblical account of the events. I also heard it was based on a book written by an anti-semetic nun. I have since decided to enter the Catholic Church, so my perspective has shifted somewhat. However, after Mel Gibson’s anti-semetic tirade, I still am uncertain about the portrayal of Jews in the film. Is this film a negative portrayal of Jews? If not, why not?
Thanks

 

[colliric]

I hope this isn’t getting away from the topic, but I’ve got a question. I have never seen this film. When this movie came out, I was not religious and I had heard (and believed) that it was anti-semetic, needlessly violent and contradicted the biblical account of the events. I also heard it was based on a book written by an anti-semetic nun. I have since decided to enter the Catholic Church, so my perspective has shifted somewhat. However, after Mel Gibson’s anti-semetic tirade, I still am uncertain about the portrayal of Jews in the film. Is this film a negative portrayal of Jews? If not, why not?
Thanks

No, it presents the Pharisees as the murderors of Jesus. But doesn’t blanket that over the entire Jewish religion, Otherwise what was the point of showing there was dissenters in their mists in the scene where Peter denies Christ 3 times? No, it’s the leaders of the religion who persecuted Christ which are the ones portrayed negatively. Not the entire laypeople or the entire leadership(he shows some of them speaking up against the other leaders saying Jesus is innocent).

There’s even a shot of Satan walking amoungst the council members who voted for killing Jesus during the Flagellation scene.

 

[ncgolf]

I hope this isn’t getting away from the topic, but I’ve got a question. I have never seen this film. When this movie came out, I was not religious and I had heard (and believed) that it was anti-semetic, needlessly violent and contradicted the biblical account of the events. I also heard it was based on a book written by an anti-semetic nun. I have since decided to enter the Catholic Church, so my perspective has shifted somewhat. However, after Mel Gibson’s anti-semetic tirade, I still am uncertain about the portrayal of Jews in the film. Is this film a negative portrayal of Jews? If not, why not?
Thanks

I do not think they are portrayed unfairly. No one gets an unfair treatment be it Roman or Jew. Jews had to play a big part in the Passion. Jesus was Jewish, his followers were Jewish and the people who wanted him executed were Jewish. The only non-Jews in the movie were the Romans and they were the ones who tortured and executed Christ.

The overriding sense I got from the film was Gibson makes you feel as if YOU were responsible too. There are pangs of guilt as you walk out as you can see your ownself as a contributor.

Some of the scenes in the film are absolutely beautiful and is well worth your time to see it. There are many layers to this film and scenes that you will not understand the first time. I imagine you will come out talking about the violence but make sure you pay attention to the other scenes.

 

[CNCIBC9]

If you read the Bible, it is pretty darn accurate in its portrayal of the characters. I don’t think any of them are unfair. In fact, the portrayal of Pilate was perhaps too sympathetic.

 

[CNCIBC9]

Just another thing to add:

When this came out, I heard a lot of people complain that this movie didn’t focus on Jesus’ life at all and only on the violence of his crucification. I had to laugh at this because the movie is called “The Passion” and didn’t really know what people were expecting. I attribute this to protestants thinking we Catholics focus too much on the sacrifice of Christ. As far as I’m concerned, that isn’t even possible. Without the sacrifice there would be no rising and I find it VERY humbling to think about what our God did for us. Really puts things in perspective and Gibson, for all his faults, crafted one excellent movie with Passion of the Christ.