Szenenphoto aus The passion of the Christ, © Icon Productions, Marquis Films Ltd."The Passion of the Christ" is the most virulently anti-Semitic movie made ì
since the German propaganda films of World War II. - It is sickening, much ì
more brutal than any "Lethal Weapon."
The violence is grotesque, savage and often fetishized in slo-mo. At least in ì
Hollywood spectacles that kind of violence is tempered with cartoonish ì
distancing effects; not so here. And yet "The Passion" is also undeniably ì
powerful. - Because of all the media coverage of this movie and the way it ì
was shown only to handpicked sympathizers until yesterday's screening for ì
movie critics, many questions hang in the air: Is it historically accurate?
Of course not. As with any movie, even a documentary, this one reflects the ì
views of its filmmakers, who are entitled and expected to use their art ì
persuasively. Gibson has been up-front about his own religious agenda. - But ì
is it any good?
"The Passion" - once you strip away all the controversy and religious fervor ì
- is a technically proficient account of the last 12 hours in the life of ì
Jesus of Nazareth. - The movie is sanctimonious in a way that impedes ì
dramatic flow and limits characterizations to the saintly and the droolingly ì
vulgar. - That said, there are many things in its favor - a heroic physical ì
effort by star Jim Caviezel; stunning cinematography by Caleb Deschanel, and ì
the chutzpah to have the actors speak in the dead language of Aramaic (with ì
some subtitles). - Is Gibson devout, or is he mad?
Had Gibson claimed Napoleon helped him direct, instead of divine spirits, the ì
answer would be clear. Even so, a touch of madness is often a good thing in a ì
director. - But "The Passion" feels like a propaganda tool rather than ì
entertainment for a general audience. - Is it anti-Semitic?
Yes. - Jews are vilified, in ways both little and big, pretty much nonstop ì
for two hours, seven minutes. - Gibson cuts from the hook nose of one bad ì
Jewish character to the hook nose of another in the ensuing scene. - He ì
misappropriates an important line from the Jewish celebration of Pesach ("Why ì
is this night different from all other nights?") and slaps it onto a ì
Christian context.
Most unforgivable is that Pontius Pilate (Hristo Naumov Shopov), the Roman ì
governor of Palestine who decreed that Jesus be crucified, is portrayed as a ì
sensitive, kind-hearted soul who is sickened by the tortures the Jewish mobs ì
heap upon his prisoner. - Pilate agrees to the Crucifixion only against his ì
better judgment.
The most offensive line of the script, which was co-written by Gibson with ì
Benedict Fitzgerald, about Jews accepting blame, was not cut from the movie, ì
as initially reported. Only its subtitle was removed. - "Passion" assumes the ì
audience already knows Christianity 101, and plunges right into the aftermath ì
of the Last Supper. Taunted by an effeminate, seductive Satan and ì
anticipating betrayal, Christ suffers. - Oh, does He suffer.
The movie is a compendium of tortures that would horrify the regulars at an ì
S&M club. Gibson spares not one cringing closeup to showcase what he imagines ì
Jesus must have endured. - The lashings are so brutal that chunks of flesh go ì
flying and blood rains like outtakes of "Kill Bill." - The Romans capture ì
their prey with the help of a terminally regretful Judas, then haul Him ì
around to be whipped, beaten, spat upon, mutilated and finally crucified - ì
all with the cheering encouragement of a ghoulish mob of Jews. No one in the ì
crowd speaks up for Jesus, not even, strangely, his mother (Maia ì
Morgenstern).
Religious intolerance has been used as an excuse for some of history's worst ì
atrocities. "The Passion of the Christ" is a brutal, nasty film that ì
demonizes Jews at an unfortunate time in history. - Whatever happened to the ì
idea that the centerpiece of every major religion is love?" (Jami Bernard, ì
New York Daily News, 23. Februar 2004)
"(...) This Son of God is the manliest Jesus in movie history-the Messiah as ì
envisioned by an Oscar-winning action hero who specializes in withstanding ì
punishment and then coming back to kill his punishers. (...)" (New York ì
Press)
"(..) We've heard some of Christ's Sermon on the Mount by then, and his ì
exhortation to the disciples to love one another "as I have loved you." But ì
the naked, risen Jesus who strides forth from the tomb in the last shot of ì
the film, to the solemn thrum of martial music, does not seem very interested ì
in love. Why should he be? He's off to war." (The Boston Globe)
"Welcome, friends, to Medieval Times: jihads, crusades, fundamentalist ì
fanatics of all persuasions, and this week, thundering into your neighborhood ì
mall alongside Welcome to Mooseport and Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, ì
Mel Gibson's $25 million celluloid sacrifice, The Passion of the Christ.
Less reverential than razzle-dazzlin', more an episode in the history of show ì
business than a religious epiphany, Gibson's blood-soaked 126-minute account ì
of Jesus Christ's last hours on earth has been flogged for months with ì
everything from souvenir nine-inch nails and contested papal endorsements to ì
death threats against Frank Rich and bizarre anti-Semitic radio rants by the ì
filmmaker's 85-year-old father. (Where's the White House screening?) They do ì
know what they do?the question is, will it do them any good?
The Passion of the Christ opens on a dark and stormy night in what might be a ì
foggy Scottish glen with the Jewish police arriving to arrest Jesus (James ì
Caviezel). His two-fisted, brave-hearted disciples fight back; in an action ì
montage replete with slo-mo and thud-thud, Peter slices off one cop's ear. ì
Jesus picks it up and reattaches it?a prosthetic miracle that sets the stage ì
for the muscular action and cosmetic wonders to come. Before anything else, ì
The Passion establishes itself in the realm of recent fantasy epics: The ì
Aramaic sounds like bad Elvish, a brief interlude in epicene Herod's ì
degenerate court suggests a minor detour to the Matrix world, the music is ì
straight out of Gladiator, and much of the movie is haunted by the ì
androgynous, cowled Satan (Rosalinda Celentano) seemingly risen from George ì
Lucas's cutting room floor.
Greatly extrapolated from the four Gospels, The Passion of the Christ has ì
Jesus dragged before the Jewish high priest Caiaphas (Mattia Sbragia) to be ì
denounced for blasphemy?then punched, smacked, and spat upon, not for the ì
last time by the scurvy mob. Although Caiaphas fails to convince the stern ì
and skeptical Pontius Pilate (Hristo Naumov Shopov) that blasphemous Jesus ì
deserves to die, the noble Roman does agree to 15 minutes of chastisement by ì
his palace orcs. Jesus is beaten, first with rods and then studded whips, ì
until his back resembles a side of flayed beef. Satan and his mini-me are ì
trolling the crowd as Pilate washes his hands and the unsatiated onlookers ì
cry out for crucifixion. The old blood libel is there, albeit prudently ì
untranslated from the Aramaic. Is this movie anti-Semitic? Let me put it this ì
way: Iconographically, Jesus and his disciples are already Christians; Judas ì
is the only one tasteless enough to call Jesus "rabbi."
With the chastisement serving as visceral climax and without much in the way ì
of dramatic relief, The Passion reaches the point of diminishing returns well ì
before Jesus has to carry his cross through the filthy rabble of Jerusalem ì
and up Golgotha hill. A tilted camera and mega close-ups add to the tumult, ì
but the movie's last 45 minutes are less grueling than one might expect. ì
Filigreed with caramelized blood, Caviezel's skin-crack makeup has by then ì
ceased to be convincing, numerous agonized reaction shots from Mary (Romanian ì
actress Maia Morgenstern) and Mary Magdalene (Monica Bellucci) ì
notwithstanding. Given that a chiropractor is listed in the credits, one can ì
well believe that the actor suffered?was his ordeal worse than De Niro's in ì
Raging Bull?
X-ploitative though it may be, the spectacle of a man beaten and tortured to ì
death seeks to be an object of contemplation. Serious questions are raised. ì
Is there any other religion so rooted in the representation of human ì
suffering? At last, the pain pageant ends?the heavens open, the earth quakes, ì
and Satan's wig flies off. In the final moments, Jesus emerges from his ì
grave, tanned, rested, and ready?accompanied by appropriately kick-ass ì
martial music. Payback time.
Sitting through the film's garishly staged suffering, one might well ponder ì
the millions of people?victims of crusades, inquisitions, colonial conquests, ì
the slave trade, political terror, and genocide?who have been tortured and ì
killed in Christ's name. " (J. Doberman, The Village Voice, 25. Febr 2004)
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