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The Passion

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Location: go straight, turn right,

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I haven't failed, I've found 10,000 ways that don't work."
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Gender: Unspecified
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"Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you." --Friedrich Nietzsche

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I haven't failed, I've found 10,000 ways that don't work."
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Yes, the film has no subtitles at this point; Mel said that he's relying on the intensity of the visuals that no subtitles will be needed...

Last I have heard, they are slating the film to be released next April 2004, around Easter, if his company (Icon Productions...he's footing the $25 million bill himself) finds a distributor.

There has been a lot of controversy from both the Catholic and Jewish communities, based on an old draft of the script, as well as speculation, since Mel is a Traditionalist Catholic...However, he maintains the Scriptural accuracy of the film. I'm looking forward to it!

I've been following this enthusiastically since I found out about it, although there isn't much information since Mel is keeping it relatively mum. If you have any more questions, please feel free to post, or email me. I'll let you know if I have any answers.

God bless!

jesusfreak@artlover.com

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"Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you." --Friedrich Nietzsche

Gender: Female
Location: Washington, DC

The film will be in both Latin and Aramaic--the former for the Romans, and the latter for the Jews--which were the languages spoken at the time.

For more detail, see:

(Since I'm new, it won't let me post websites in order to reduce "spam," so I've added some spaces in these addresses so it doesn't recognize them as url's. Anywhere there is a space (not an underscore), just paste it in your browser and delete the spaces)

http: // w w w . crosswalk. com/fun/movies/1195712.html

http: // w w w . christiancinema. com/catalog/newsdesk_info.php?newsdesk_id=16

http: // w w w . christiancinema. com/catalog/newsdesk_info.php?newsdesk_id=20

jesusfreak

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"...Back when I was a kid in Sunday School, Father Mankowski once said, 'Given that crucifixion was a terrible thing for anyone to endure, if you could go back in time 2200 years, would you prevent the crucifixion of Christ?' Well, after heated debate, we all agreed the answer was no--the crucifixion was necessary to redeem the world..." Lt. John Matheson, Babylon 5's 'Crusade,' in "The Needs of Earth"

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New article about The Passion today.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...=2&ncid=600

And thanks Jesusfreak for the sites.

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"Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you." --Friedrich Nietzsche

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Chico23....

Glad to be of service. There are several other articles around, but I found these sites to be the most comprehensive; the others are mainly shortened, redundant versions of these. Hope they shed some light for you and other forum members interested in the movie.

Thanks for the recent update! Things should stay interesting...

Take care. jesusfreak

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"...Back when I was a kid in Sunday School, Father Mankowski once said, 'Given that crucifixion was a terrible thing for anyone to endure, if you could go back in time 2200 years, would you prevent the crucifixion of Christ?' Well, after heated debate, we all agreed the answer was no--the crucifixion was necessary to redeem the world..." Lt. John Matheson, Babylon 5's 'Crusade,' in "The Needs of Earth"

Gender: Male
Location: go straight, turn right,

__________________
I haven't failed, I've found 10,000 ways that don't work."
- Thomas Edison

Gender: Female
Location: Washington, DC

I understand your frustration...it would be nice to know what they're saying, even if we already know the story, since the majority of the audience won't know if the movie is verbally accurate. (We can glean some amount of accuracy from the visuals, and an ancient language scholar translated the script, so I trust the content.) Sometimes subtitles can detract, but it's still nice to know what people are saying. In addition, I believe Greek probably should have been used as well (or instead of Latin), because that was the "universal" language of the Roman Empire in the first century (the New Testament was all written in Greek, so that anyone throughout the Mediterranean would be able to understand it). At least Greek is still in use. Picky, picky...

LOL... about Mel's "pocket change." Sure would be nice... He just built his own church near his property on his bill as well. However, this "benefit" allowed him to produce this project, since it wouldn't likely be tackled by most (or any) film companies. I agree that finding a distributor for the film will be difficult. All he needs is one to step forward. Let's hope and pray someone will.

And the saga continues...

jesusfreak

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"...Back when I was a kid in Sunday School, Father Mankowski once said, 'Given that crucifixion was a terrible thing for anyone to endure, if you could go back in time 2200 years, would you prevent the crucifixion of Christ?' Well, after heated debate, we all agreed the answer was no--the crucifixion was necessary to redeem the world..." Lt. John Matheson, Babylon 5's 'Crusade,' in "The Needs of Earth"

Gender: Female
Location: Washington, DC

The most recent article I found posted re: Mel and the film:

(sorry, posting link problems again...delete extra spaces)

http: // w w w. wnd. com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=33317

jesusfreak

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"...Back when I was a kid in Sunday School, Father Mankowski once said, 'Given that crucifixion was a terrible thing for anyone to endure, if you could go back in time 2200 years, would you prevent the crucifixion of Christ?' Well, after heated debate, we all agreed the answer was no--the crucifixion was necessary to redeem the world..." Lt. John Matheson, Babylon 5's 'Crusade,' in "The Needs of Earth"

Gender: Female
Location: Washington, DC

Hey, everyone! I was sent a link to a blogsite of a film reviewer/critic who saw a rough cut of The Passion. According to her, there *ARE* subtitles...actually, she thought there were too many. Here's what she posted:

[again, the url problems...delete spacing as before... )

(http: // w. w. w. churchofthemasses. blogspot. com)

Friday, June 27, 2003

PROTESTANTS LIKE IT TOO!

Focus on the Family leaders got a screening of The Passion. They sound enthusiastic. I was a little worried how they would react because the film is so very graphic in its depiction of the violence inflicted on Jesus. But, I'm glad to see they are letting a work of art be a work of art.

“It conveys, more accurately than any other film, who Jesus was,” Ted Haggard said based on clips he viewed at New Life. “You can’t help but be upset when you realize the gravity of what Jesus went through.”

“I was very impressed,” said Don Hodel, president of Focus on the Family. “It’s certainly the most powerful portrayal of the passion I’ve ever seen or heard about. The movie is historically and theologically accurate.”
posted by Barbara at 9:40 AM
Comments(12)

Thursday, June 26, 2003

MORE PASSION

I said I would answer questions about my comments on the screening. I will not enter into the frenzied trap of trying to convince people that the Gospel is not anti-Semitic. Nor will I address the specific list of depictions that someone has decided would render the film anti-Semitic. It wouldn't prove anything.

The film is not anti-Semitic. It is beautiful. Think how insane it is to be condemning something without any experience of it. It is absurd and frivolous. No one will even remember this discussion once the film is released. And I only enter into conversations that have the possibility of being thoroughly memorable... But if some of you want to look really foolish, keep on keeping on with the sniping in the darkness.

From the Comments....

Did you discuss problems with getting a distribution company with them? Do you know the status?
No, we didn't discuss this. I don't know the status.

... you mentioned subtitles. Was he ever serious about not having them?
I don't know if Mel was ever serious about not having any sub-titles. If he was, he has moved beyond that now. The version I saw actually had too many sub-titles. We don't need distracting translations flashing on tthe screen when the Roman soldiers are saying obvious things like, "Hey, you, move!" Mel, noted that they were going to eliminate some of the sub-titles in future edits.

And, what was Jim Caviezel like as Jesus compared to, say, Robert Powell in Jesus of Nazareth (the standard for actors, I'd imagine)?
It's hard to answer this. This movie is completely other. I would say that Powell was great in Jesus of Nazareth, and Jim is great in The Passion. It's not really about performance. He embodies the role in a way that makes discussions of performance feel inappropriate.

does the film end with the Resurrection?
I'm going to say wait and see. It is really the only possible suspense left to the filmmaker isn't it? Because we all know what happens on Good Friday. I think it would be ungrateful of me to put this out there. Someone will probably leak it in the next nine months. It won't be me.


posted by Barbara at 10:40 PM
Comments(35)


I SAW THE PASSION

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.

I'll take questions...

posted by Barbara at 8:36 AM


jesusfreak
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"...Back when I was a kid in Sunday School, Father Mankowski once said, 'Given that crucifixion was a terrible thing for anyone to endure, if you could go back in time 2200 years, would you prevent the crucifixion of Christ?' Well, after heated debate, we all agreed the answer was no--the crucifixion was necessary to redeem the world..." Lt. John Matheson, Babylon 5's 'Crusade,' in "The Needs of Earth"

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The trailer for The Passion is out!

w w w. aintitcool .com/ThePassion.mov

(you need Quicktime to run it, and it takes about 2 1/2 hours to download [for 1 minute 45 seconds???]--I downloaded it overnight and watched it the next morning.)

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"...Back when I was a kid in Sunday School, Father Mankowski once said, 'Given that crucifixion was a terrible thing for anyone to endure, if you could go back in time 2200 years, would you prevent the crucifixion of Christ?' Well, after heated debate, we all agreed the answer was no--the crucifixion was necessary to redeem the world..." Lt. John Matheson, Babylon 5's 'Crusade,' in "The Needs of Earth"

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Last edited by Sacrifice on Jul 16th, 2003 at 08:17 AM

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"...Back when I was a kid in Sunday School, Father Mankowski once said, 'Given that crucifixion was a terrible thing for anyone to endure, if you could go back in time 2200 years, would you prevent the crucifixion of Christ?' Well, after heated debate, we all agreed the answer was no--the crucifixion was necessary to redeem the world..." Lt. John Matheson, Babylon 5's 'Crusade,' in "The Needs of Earth"

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