THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST - OUR REVIEW
The
power and the agony
- RUSS
BRAVO gives his verdict on the film of the moment, following
a press preview last week in London’s Leicester Square (see
below for resources your church can use)
The
Passion of The Christ (18)
This astonishing film is a landmark in cinema history. Whether it marks a turning
point in the history of the Church remains to be seen.
Mel Gibson has managed to put together more than two hours of absolutely gripping
cinema which is both tremendously powerful – and extremely brutal. The
way the story of Jesus’ last 12 hours is portrayed – moving from
trial scenes and harrowing violence to flashbacks of his early life and later
ministry – brings Jesus to life on the big screen in an intensity no other
film has ever managed.
Yet the extended scenes of flogging, scourging and torture are more than I
could bear to watch at times. From a cinematic point of view, Gibson could
have shortened these sequences by a good 10 minutes and not lost the impact.
That said, I took a fresh look at Isaiah 53 the day after the screening, and
it made me think that perhaps the film had it right – is there any way
Christ’s suffering can be overemphasised?
The language used in Isaiah 53 (NIV) is graphic in itself: “he was despised
and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one
from whom men hid their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.” (verse
3). I certainly found myself hiding my face from some of the brutality and
sadistic torture, and some of the language in the rest of Isaiah 53 accords
with the film's portrayal: “stricken”, “smitten”, “afflicted”, “pierced”, “crushed”, “oppressed”, “afflicted”.
Maybe in that context, including so much graphic violence is understandable.
As Gibson told Readers’ Digest in their current edition: “From many
accounts I’ve read, I think it was actually more violent than what you’re
going to see in this film. According to the psalmists, you couldn’t even
recognise him as being human. That’s how bad it was.”
And he goes on to say: “I wanted to impress on viewers the enormousness
of this sacrifice, the willingness – and the horror of it. I wanted to
overwhelm people with it. But it has escape hatches. There are little places
of respite within the film where you can escape from the violence and find
lyricism and beauty.”
This device is something that works particularly well. As the scourging is
taking place, the camera moves to give you Jesus’ view of the blood-splattered
sandals of one of the Roman soldiers doing the whipping. The scene then changes
to footage of Jesus washing his disciples’ feet as he tells them that
the Son of Man came as a servant, to give his life as a ransom for many.
So you are frequently taken from the depths of suffering and brutality back
into Jesus’ ministry – time spent with the disciples, sharing bread
and wine at the Last Supper, teaching about loving your enemies from the Sermon
on the Mount. These episodes help remind you how radical Jesus was, how his
teaching of God’s ways was so diametrically opposed to the world’s
ways and how the religious authorities could consider him such a threat.
One of the most moving moments comes on his journey with the cross to Golgotha – an
extensive part of the film where Gibson’s Catholicism comes to the fore,
including all 10 Stations of the Cross, including three falls, the part played
by Simon of Cyrene in carrying the cross and the cameo of Veronica, the woman
who offers him a cloth to wipe his face. Jesus falls and his mother, nearby
in the crowd lining the route, rushes to help him up. The scene changes to
an episode from his youth – Jesus the boy falls over and Mary rushes (in
slow motion) to pick him up and comfort him.
There is light relief at just one point – a scene where Jesus the carpenter
has just finished a table and Mary comes to examine it. The lighthearted dialogue
and obvious love between mother and son is touching and adds detail – albeit
imagined – to Jesus the man.
Is the film anti-Semitic? I didn’t find it so – in fact I felt it
was well balanced in staying largely true to the New Testament record. When
Jesus appears before the Sanhedrin, there are religious leaders who protest
at what is basically a ‘kangaroo court’ and call it a “travesty
of justice”.
The verse where the crowds demanding Jesus’ crucifixion shout: ‘his
blood be on us and on our children’ (Matthew 27), isn’t included,
and neither is Caiaphas’ statement in John 11 that it would be “better
for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish” (John
11: 50). And Gibson took the significant step of ensuring that his only physical
part in the film was to provide the hands filmed hammering the nails into Jesus’ hands – effectively
saying “It was you and I that crucified him”.
James Caviezel gives a superb performance as Jesus full of compassion, charisma
and raw courage. He suffered numerous physical injuries through filming, and
sometimes 10-hour full body make-up sessions left him with blistered skin.
He was also struck by lightning and found himself praying constantly to get
through the role. He says the experience has changed his life.
The role of Satan in the narrative is represented by a malevolent asexual character
who would give anyone nightmares – tempting, taunting, delighting in Christ’s
suffering; and other figures such as Pilate, Mary and Judas are well drawn.
I had wondered whether having dialogue in Aramaic and Latin would prove clumsy
and distracting, but actually it works very well. You soon get used to the
English subtitles, and having some of the original languages spoken adds to
the authenticity (although some would still argue Greek should have been used).
Viewing the film as a Christian, I consistently found sections of Scripture
popping into my head at certain times and scenes would regularly bring verses
to life in a profound way. I suspect for those less familiar with the Christian
story or with the Bible, many of these will leave questions rather than answers.
The Resurrection – so often left out of other musicals and films on the
life of Christ – wraps things up on a note of profound hope. Understated,
the camera’s lens focuses on the shadow of the stone in the tomb as it
slowly rolls open. A breeze rustles through the graveclothes on the slab, and
we see that they are empty.
A side profile shot of Jesus’ face, healthy and restored, comes into focus.
He stands, and walks out. And the credits roll.
For some Christians, this film will not be something they want to see. That’s
fine – maybe they shouldn’t see it. For others it will be an uncomfortable,
unsettling but profoundly faith-enhancing experience that will change them
and deepen their love for Jesus.
The key thing is: the nation is talking about Jesus and why he died. Even if
we don’t see the film, we can use this climate of debate and openness
to show, live and gossip the Gospel.
- Russ
Bravo is Editor of Christian Herald, and broadcasts regularly
on UCB, Premier and independent commercial radio
CHRISTIAN
RESOURCES for the film:
Two booklets, True or False? and Experience The Passion of the Christ,
plus other resources will shortly be available for order from CPO on 01903
263354 – www.cpo-online.org
Premier Radio will have some downloadable resources at www.premier.org.uk/passion
Christian Enquiry Agency has produced 150,000 response cards which will be
going into cinemas showing the film. Find out more at www.rejesus.co.uk/thepassion
Roger Carswell has a tract called The Passion of Christ available from
15 Stirling Crescent, Horsforth, Leeds LS18 5SJ (carswell77@aol.com)
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