Posted on 06/26/2003 7:02:56 PM PDT by Polycarp
I SAW THE PASSION
Barbara Nicolosi
6/26/03
So I was at a private screening at Icon Productions yesterday, and got to see a rough cut of The Passion. There were about twelve people in the room, including Mel Gibson, his producing partner Steve and four or five other Icon staffers. After the screening, we talked to Mel and friends for about an hour. (As cool as that was, the quality of the film was such that the celebrity stuff was completely gone from the moment. I can't explain it really, except that it would be like standing in the Sistine Chapel next to, well, someone like Mel Gibson. Great art is a great leveler....) The rough cut we saw obviously didn't have the final score or special effects, and there were many more sub-titles than they will have in the finished film.
So, here's my take...
The Passion is a stunning work of art. It is a devout, act of worship from Mel and his collaborators - in the way that Handel's Messiah and Notre Dame were artistic acts of worship in previous times.
Let's get the controversy out of the way right at the top. The film is faithful to the Gospel, particularly St. John. It is no more anti-Semitic than is the Gospel. There are at least two members of the Sanhedrin who come forward to protest on Jesus' behalf during the sham trial. The Romans are just as guilty of cruelty and hatred against Jesus in the film. And best of all is a final look right into the camera of Mary, holding her dead Son. She is looking at all of us with a kind of , "Look what you've done"/This is for you" expression. A cinematic Pieta worthy of Michelangelo.
Having seen the film now, I can only marvel that the attacks are pretty much demonic. Hopefully, the devil will end up spitefully biting his own tail on this one-- as he does in The Passion by inciting on the executioners of Christ, and thus being complicit in his own ultimate defeat. The Passion is high art. It is the greatest movie about Jesus ever made. In the discussion following the film, Mel and co. were asking us how mainstream theater audiences would react to the film. I told them, "Who cares? What you have here is so much more than just a product to sell. It will live forever, regardless of whether it is a commercial success for you or not."
For those of us who love Jesus, The Passion is devastating to watch. It is so good, I almost couldn't stand it. There is one moment on the way of the cross sequence, in which the whole tragedy unfolding devolves into a vicious riot of hatred between Romans and Jews with the Savior on the ground in the middle of it getting it from both sides. It was so frenzied and terrible, I wanted to run from the room. But then, the film again finds Mary, Jesus's Mother on the sidelines, and her presence gets us through it. Kind of like how Mary's presence helped Jesus get through it, it seemed to me.
The film is lovingly Marian. Mary is perfectly portrayed here. She is contrasted repeatedly with the really super creepy Satan character, who is also a woman (something for the feminist theologians here? heh heh...).
The film is strongly Eucharistic. There is a beautiful juxtaposition of images that cuts from the stripping on Calvary to the unwrapping of the bread to be used at the last Supper. Fabulous stuff.
Every Christian needs to see this film at least once. Just to remember, in our current comfort zones while evil is closing in, the price that was paid for us. On my way home from the screening, I found myself praying in the car, "Jesus, I'm so sorry, I forgot..." How many films have led you to compunction lately? The Passion is a miracle.
Well stated, s2r.
Sounds like a case of "symbolism over substance" doesn't it? Too much "feel good kum-bi-ya" doesn't do a whole lot for the true soul.
Only when we can adress those ugly nasty things in your heart can God enter into our hearts to do his Work.
Great point.
LOL! Me too!
One of the articles mentioned somwhere in this thread..... (sorry, losing some sleep now, brain cells fading...)...
....Anyway, Mel mentioned that a "mature" 12 year old could possibly watch this movie...but any younger would be a little too violent for them.
That might be a good cue to pick up the DVD and show it at Easter when they are of age.
I disagree. Islam, Buddhism, and much else, are equally valid religions. Islam is not Satan, except to those who want to whip us into war against them.
You bet!
LOL! one of the longer "Mel" threads I've come across!
Actually, my grandmother was a "Deletuski" later shortened to "Dean." So there is some polish blood in me.
However, the handle is short for my nickname "stew"...and I love to ski!
Long thread, yes indeed. I need to go "night night" before my head hits the keyboard, and my posts look like...iieuhrfshfioewtushv8yghgvpashvjeiorhoijwhnp hpehhf9ch....this!!!
That is one terrific insight and one that I have tried to express numerous times but failed to get it down concisely. I hope people note it and think about it.
With his star quality, Gibson will draw audiences around the globe with this film, and Christianity will be exposed to millions. The world will see that this is a faith based upon love.........not one based upon hatred, death, fire, and sword like Islam, or even elephant gods (Hinduism) or other idiotic Eastern religions that are so totally demonic and empty.
This film is like red meat put before a (spiritually) starving world, and for that alone, I thank Mel Gibson.
Too cool. That's a lot harder to make up for than Vulcan.
Believing and being baptized are seperate things. Where are the "unbaptized" Christians in the New Testament? There aren't any. On Judgement Day, you will be among those that cry out "but..but..but..Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and do many good deeds??"
"Not everyone who cries Lord, Lord will inherit the kingdom of Heaven, but only those that DO my Father's will"
Believing is DOING something. Repenting is DOING something. Changing one's ways (i.e. refraining from molesting a child, murdering your enemy, or lying to your boss) is DOING something. And being baptized, as Jesus was, and as he commanded, is DOING something.
Gibson was a fabulous Hamlet, there's not doubt, but I absolutely hated that rendition. I am such a purist when it comes to my Shakespeare. I like my lines in the order that the author wrote them.
I'm flattered, Victoria! (But don't go spreading stories like that about me here! LOL.)
That is about the most ignorant statement yet on this thread. The gospels are nothing but detailed vingettes of Christ's ministry. The gospels are not exhaustive, but they are detailed.
Some details yes, but not a lot. Was it sunny the day of the Crucifixion? What did Christ look like? How about Pilate? How long did it take to nail Christ to the Cross? How many people watched the Crucifixion? How large a crowd demanded Barabbas? What did the soldiers say as the scourged him? What did the disciples say that day, surely they weren't silent?
Yes there are certainly details in the Gospels in the vignettes, such as the famous "And there was much grass there." But don't over do it.
The Gospel accounts of the crucifixion put into a script without embellishment would take 10 minutes to film (unless you just left a camera running for the 6 hours Christ was on the Cross showing Him hanging there). There simply is not much dialogue, and dialogue is what takes time.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.