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 “The
way things are going, they’re gonna crucify me.”
John Lennon may have
sung those words in “The Ballad of John and Yoko” back in 1969,
but these days, they could easily apply to Mel Gibson.
That’s because after
months of heated debate among religious leaders, “The Passion
of the Christ,” Gibson’s highly anticipated labor of love, which
depicts the last 12 hours in the life of Jesus, hits more than
2,000 theaters on February 25 (that’s Ash Wednesday). It’s hard
to recall a time when a film was shrouded in so much controversy,
but moviegoers will finally be able to see what the fuss is all
about. Is the film anti-Semitic (as some press reports have indicated),
or is the over-hyped brouhaha much ado about nothing? Well, whatever
the case, “The Passion of the Christ” is an engrossing, powerful
film that’s sure to go down in history as one of the most talked-about
movies of all time.
Shortly after the
Last Supper, Jesus of Nazareth (Jim Caviezel) is arrested in the
Garden of Olives after being betrayed by Judas (Luca Lionello).
He is taken within the walls of Jerusalem to face Caiaphas (Mattia
Sbragia), the leader of the Pharisees, who charges “the Son of
God” with blasphemy. After listening to the accusations, Pontius
Pilate (Hristo Shopov), the Roman Governor of Palestine, is left
to ponder how best to handle the situation. Rather than aggravate
the intense political situation, Pilate gives into the wishes
of the angry crowd and orders the punishment of Jesus through
to his crucifixion. After being whipped, beaten and tortured,
a weakened Jesus carries the cross through the streets of Jerusalem
and up to Golgotha, where he is nailed to it and left to hang
there until his death.
Gibson’s film is based
on the writings of the four Gospels, some of which imply that
the Jews were responsible for Jesus' passion. Four decades ago,
the Second Vatican Council rejected this implication, and therein
lies the focal point of all the controversy. There is no subtlety
here, and if the film is to be taken at face value, then the Jewish
high priests were ignorant, brutal and sadistic politicians, while
the Roman Governor was a noble, conflicted and respected ruler.
If anything, he offers to actually spare Jesus’ life and only
orders his death after further protests from the angry mob. As
a result, the film suggests that while Jesus died at the hands
of the Romans, the Jews pushed for it to happen. Does that make
the film anti-Semitic, or simply a one-sided version of the story?
You be the judge…
On a purely cinematic
level, “The Passion of the Christ” is a punishing film to behold.
After setting the standard for bloody realism in “Braveheart,”
Gibson pushes it to the next level in his third film as a director.
From the moment the first whip is cracked until the final nail
of his crucifixion, every effort is made to capture the brutality
of Jesus’ torture. Watching this extended process (which feels
like it was shot in real time), one can’t help but wonder how
anybody – even the Messiah – could endure so much pain. The problem
is that after a while, the horror diminishes to a more numbing
effect, and you can’t help but feel like you’ve been beaten over
the head by an over-abundance of graphic violence.
There’s no
doubt that Jim Caviezel was put through the ringer here. Aside
from his uncanny resemblance to traditional interpretations of
Jesus, he gives a spiritual performance that’s offset by the obvious
physical ordeal he had to endure during the torture scenes and
the crucifixion. Maia Morgenstern is also devastating as Jesus’
mother, who can only watch helplessly as her son is beaten and
killed, while Rosalonda Celentano gives a haunting turn as Satan.
On the other hand, Mattia Sbragia gives a far too one-note performance
as the Jewish high priest, and Hristo Shopov is far too sympathetic
as the Roman leader who caves into pressure.
Given that Gibson
– a devout Roman Catholic – directed, co-produced, co-wrote and
paid for this $25 million passion project, he has the right to
make any film he wants. There’s no denying that “The Passion of
the Christ” is a well-made film (thanks to the help of Caleb Deschanel’s
amazing cinematography), but if it’s going to inspire debate,
let it be for a good reason. After all, the film is ultimately
about loving and praying for everyone – your friends and your
enemies. These days, isn’t that a more important message for us
all to all be passionate about?
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