I was very surprised that Mel Gibson’s movie The Passion Of The Christ was as good as it is. The last A grade movie I saw that used subtitles was Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (A grade).
There was an English dubbed version of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon that came on TV a couple months ago, which felt weird since I saw it twice in the movie theaters with subtitles (I think its better with subtitles). Believe me, if I sit through a subtitled movie then it is pretty good in my opinion. I must say ‘hats off’ to Mel for a job well done. I was surprised.
Is the movie anti-Jewish? Well, If you are Jewish I can see how you could come to that conclusion. The Jewish priest and the majority of the Jewish community are shown as wanting Christ dead no matter what for his blasphemy and pretensions. From what I have read in the New Testament and from what many Christian leaders (including the Pope) have said this is a portrayal of the death of Christ that stays true to the Gospels. In other words, that is what the narrative says happened. What are you going to do?
Let me say that I am not anti anything. I respect all cultures and love many different cultures. The Jewish culture is one of the longest surviving of the human community (I think it is the third longest lasting culture on Earth). The very diverse Jewish communities in the country I live in, for the most part, are an inspiration to all.
In general, the most prominent traits I’ve noticed in Jewish citizens in the country I live in are the strong belief in education, the strong desire to participate in civic life, and strong drive at self-expression and the desire to be heard (which is very democratic). I think all of these characteristics are admirable and I believe in them too.
Critics say the movie is too bloody and violent. The movie is bloody and violent, but the crucifixion of Jesus was bloody and violent. In the past many have decided not to literally show the extent of the beating and suffering that Christ might have went through but again according to the New Testament this is what happened. From what we know from the historical record this is how brutal crucifixions were. The Passion Of The Christ is a movie about the crucifixion of Christ. One should expect that it might be bloody and violent.
I guess it is almost insulting to tell Christians that the sacrifice of their Lord and Savior was too bloody and gory. Every Christian knows that the beating, lashing and scaring suffered by Jesus were due to the sins of man.
The cuts on Christ were caused by man’s sins. The pain Christ experienced was due to man’s sins. Christ suffered and died so that man could live and that is why Christians believe that the only way to salvation (all others are damned- sad I think) is through Christ.
Showing the mangling of Jesus serves a purpose. It shows how sinful man (not only the Jews) was before the birth of Jesus and how sinful man still is. No offense should be taken and the bloodiness (I can’t believe people are complaining about the gore or bloodiness of a movie post slasher movie era) of the movie is understandable. One must also not forget that it is only one man’s vision.