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.
Whew, lots of strawman false arguments you have there. Yep, there were three Mary's there at the cross, according to John, one being the mother of Jesus. I never claimed otherwise. You need to read my post and the biblical passages you cite again, I still can't find where Mary cradled her dead son in any of them, nor did I read of the "really super creepy Satan character, who is also a woman."
I belive that in your zelous worship of Mary (whom I agree was blessed)you are unfairly criticising my desire for accuracy concerning the biblical account of Jesus.
Yeah, well, it always seems worse in church too. Because you don't expect to find unethical acts and tempers. Nevertheless they are just people.
Sometimes you might need a break. But that's why I suggested ignoring it for now and seeking out discipleship training. That will equip you to deal with it better.
I agree to a point. My parents were old enough to be my grandparents when I was born. My father, having been in the Army and then a postal worker, was more attuned to society in general, while my mother chose to hide behind attitudes that were learned back when Irish Catholicsm was treated harshly and with predjudice. I am very disappointed with the Catholic Church. I no longer attend. The only thing I can do is do my best to keep to the Ten Commandments and The Golden Rule.
I have a lot of things on my plate right now; how I worship God is indeed my personal business...
Good idea. I'll remember to bring some too.
The books which were candidates for inclusion were scrutinized carefully to make sure they were genuinely written by the disciples or those extremely close to the disciples (Mark for example.)
The reason it was so important to have works emanating from the disciples' era was that they had first-hand experience of Jesus and were filled with the Spirit. Because these early men foresaw that a period of heresy was about to begin (with people claiming all sorts of things about Christ), they knew the importance of including works only associated with those near Christ.
The more I learn about the formation of the Bible, the more I know it it trustworthy.
That said, I want to say to others on this thread:
ISLAM, Satan and the like are the enemy. We---Pentecosts, Catholics, Protestants, Jews---WE are in this together, believers in God, the one, true God. Compared to the other people in this world---the ones seeking to overrun, rape and destroy Jews and Christians---our differences are INDISTINGUISHABLE. In the broad spectrum, we are shoulder-to-shoulder, while the moslems and other nature-worshipping, animal-worshipping, incense-worshipping pagans are a million miles away, ideologically.
I am Southern Baptist, and my disagreements with Catholices and Pentecostals, etc., are minor relative to what we face. Let's first SURVIVE, defeat and destroy the evil enemies armed by Satan, and THEN we can discuss our canonical and theological and scriptural interpretation disagreements.
(And I would like to see all of us stop dissing Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, the Pope, rabbis, et al. Western civilization---and civilization itself---is at stake in this battle of good versus the most repugnant evil imaginable, the pagan, heathens out to destroy America (yes, this group includes Democrats, abortionists, etc., as well as the moon-worshipping, boy loving, misogynist mohams.)
Maybe one day, you can grasp the implications of that regarding his life and his interactions with others. The Gospels do not record every little thing that happened in his life. It records certain broad events and important discourses. This is why it passes over in near total silence his life from Age 1 to 30. There would also be little need to say that His Mother showed sorrow over His death. What Mother would not feel sorrowful watching her bloved son die in agony on the Cross?
I belive that in your zelous worship of Mary (whom I agree was blessed)you are unfairly criticising my desire for accuracy concerning the biblical account of Jesus.
Who cares about your desires? If you desire an "accurate" film, go make it. Based on the Bible accounts, it should take about 10 minutes total to film, since the Bible gives a broad outline, not an excruciatingly detailed summary of all that transpired. Your remark is uneducated and narrowminded. Do you truly think Jesus and Co. did nothing except what is recorded in the Bible?
Well, St. Luke did not have first-hand knowledge of Jesus. But he did meet (gasp!) Mary.
Yes, I know Luke most likely met Mary. If it weren't for his account, Mary would be even less of a figure than she is in the whole scope of the Bible.
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.