RE: [MLUG - DISCUSSION] The Passion

["Spurling, Shannon" <EMAIL:PROTECTED>]

Now *THAT'S* a movie review!
:-)

Shannon Spurling
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-----Original Message-----
From: EMAIL:PROTECTED
[mailto:EMAIL:PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Stephen
Montgomery-Smith
Sent: Sunday, February 29, 2004 11:00 PM
To: MLUG Off-Topic Discussion
Subject: Re: [MLUG - DISCUSSION] The Passion

Jonathan King wrote:
> 
> Well, if you want to see a very negative review (and I'm not sure 
> that you do) there's this one:
> 


There are a whole bunch of similarly negative reviews here:

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ThePassionoftheChrist-1129941/

I saw the movie on Thursday.  At the time I was significantly impacted,
but 
having thought about it over the last few days, the effect of the movie
has only 
magnified.  I have to say that a lot of the reviewers of the movie just
simply 
didn't get it - my view of the movie is much closer to the list of
opinions that 
you will find at:

http://www.passion-movie.com/english/sharingMar01.html

In my view, what Mel Gibson was trying to do was to create a "thank you"
to 
Jesus.  I really don't think that he was necessarily trying to make
converts, 
neither did I sense that he wanted to make a lot of money, nor did he
seem to 
care what people really thought.

If one enters into the movie with some prior sense of what Jesus did for
us on 
the cross, one comes away with an intense sense of the how enourmous was
the 
sacrifice that he made for us.  Far from the violence seeming
gratuitous, one 
feels Jesus's sacrifice and love for us with each whip of the lash, and
each 
hammer blow to the nails in his hands and feet.

I felt that the movie made no effort to introduce the reasons why Jesus
had to 
suffer so.  There are frequent flashbacks to other Bible stories, and
you have 
to know the stories to understand them, for they are merely reminders.
But if 
one knows these stories, the flashbacks are extraordinarily poignant and
powerful.

Without this prior knowledge, I can see that one could view this as a
kind of 
"snuff movie" and not a very good one at that.  But I have a suspicion
that even 
those who do not understand the story will be made to wonder at what it
is 
about, and years later may yet understand what it is all about.

What is most clear from the review 
http://www.newyorker.com/critics/cinema/?040301crci_cinema is that the
author 
makes one of the more common errors in regard to Christianity.  He
laments that 
the film spends so little time on Jesus's fabulous teachings, and so
much time 
on the grisly details of his death.  But the death and resurrection are 
absolutely central to the Christian message.  There are many movies and
books on 
the market today that consider Jesus's teachings.  This movie was not
about 
teaching the whole gospel message - it had one purpose, and that was to
show us 
how much and how lovingly Jesus suffered for us.

Now let me consider the movie from the "anti-semetic" point of view.
There is 
no doubt that the movie paints first century pharicees in a very bad
light. 
They come across as extraordinarily wicked and mean.  But one also sees
the 
tremendous compassion of other Jews, some of whom try to protect Jesus
from the 
terrible abuse being heaped upon Jesus, not just from the Pharicees, but
also 
from the Romans.  But looking back at it, one is not even aroused in
anger 
towards the Pharicees and Romans.  Although Mel Gibson's remark "we all
are 
responsible for his death" may seem glib, in fact they hold so very
true.  Far 
from feeling angry at those who scourged Jesus so badly, one almost
feels a 
sense of brotherhood with them.  We all participated in his killing, but
also 
equally, we participated in his forgiveness when he cried out "forgive
them, for 
they know not what they are doing."  Far from making me angry with my
fellow 
man, this movie moves me to have more compassion, for we are all
sinners, saved 
only by his grace.

Even those who watch the movie and hate it, will not forget it, and
quite likely 
will "get it" perhaps years or decades later.  I wonder how this movie
will do 
in the oscars next year, but frankly it transcends such considerations.
This is 
a powerful, landmark movie.  It will still be remembered 50 years,
perhaps even 
100 years, from now.

Best, Stephen
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