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Hi Sultan, just got back in from the movie.

I'm still trying to digest it all - some of the imagery (with the devils etc) was a bit odd for me, and I'd like to think about it a bit and try get a handle on what Gibson was trying to achieve before commenting on that.

Did I think this was a brilliant film? Um, no, probably not. Do I think it's an important piece of work? Yeah, most definitely.

The violence - while brutal - was appropriate in my mind, although it crossed my mind at one point, during the scourging that any other man would have bled to death. (I was actually surprised I could stomach the violence. I'm normally hiding behind my hands at the sign of a nose bleed.)

I thought the depiction of Mary, the mother of Jesus, was exceptionally well done. Indeed, it was moments where Mary featured mainly that left me with tears streaming down my face. I thought the actress who played Mary was absolutely outstanding - her expressions left me mesmerised.

Did I think this film was anti-semitic? No, not at all. Actually quite the opposite. As a Catholic I wasn't going into this film not knowing the story. I ALWAYS thought Caiaphas was a bastard - so Gibson portraying him as one, wasn't shocking to me. I did learn from this movie that some of the Head Pharisees objected to Caiaphas' when he arrested Jesus. (So that's hardly anti-semetic). And the number of Jewish women on the road to Calvary who pleaded with the Romans to stop the scourging, was also far from anti-semetic.

Indeed the only people who appeared vile to me in this were the Roman soldiers - and they 'did not know what they were doing', according to scripture.

Did I enjoy this film? No, not really, but I'm glad I saw it. It's difficult to watch.

Would I reccommend this film? Well, I don't think it's a movie that you can give *stars* to, it's something that a person has to see for themselves, and make up their own mind.

I would say it's hard to come away from this film feeling 'nothing', or apathetic.

It was an interesting night at the flicks.

Thanks for your impressions of The Passion, Happygal. I think the movie was overall very scripturally accurate (with a few liberties taken here and there). Lots of imagery and symbolism woven throughout, especially those scenes with the "devil creature". I agree that it was not a movie to enjoy per se but a movie to absorb.

Where the Bible says "By His stripes were ye healed" and "This is my body which is broken for thee", we now have a better visual image of what that meant.