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Christians: I intend to watch Passion of the Christ tonight for the first time
- Thread starter Watchmen
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misanthropic_clown
Active Member
I think a lot of the members I know actually watched this film, as have I. Generally it is a good film, though the consensus was that there is very little emphasis on the suffering in the garden of Gethsemane, and much more to do with the blood and gore of the whipping and crucifixion.
Katzpur
Not your average Mormon
I'm looking forward to hearing what you have to say. I've already told you -- a long, long time ago -- what my thoughts on the movie were, but I'll repeat them since you may have forgotten.
1. Overall, it had all of the components of an excellent movie. The cinematography, the set designs, the acting, the costumes, the special effects, etc. were really exceptional. In that regard, I can't say enough good about it.
2. There was a strong Catholic influence in the film (obviously) as was evidenced by so much focus being placed on Mary. That really didn't bother me in the slightest. I did feel that had the movie been produced by a Protestant or a Latter-day Saint, Mary would have had a much less significant role (particularly given the fact that the movie only dealt with the last week of Jesus' life and there isn't much in the scriptures about how Mary fit into that brief period).
3. I personally loved the flashbacks to Jesus' childhood and youth. They were one of my favorite things about the movie. Actually, the only time in the movie that I got teary was when Jesus, as a little boy, fell and skinned His knee and Mary came running to help Him. For some reason, that just touched me.
4. I loved the symbolism, which is kind of weird because I generally don't care much for symbolism. Most of it, I believe, dates back to Medieval times, and is again, very Catholic in nature. It absolutely intrigued me, though, and I thought it added greatly to the movie.
5. The gore was not as difficult for me to watch as I had expected it to be. That's actually the only reason I hesitated to see it. I just don't handle gore at all well. I think I was so well-prepared for it, though, that I somehow managed to actually watch every last scene without closing my eyes or turning my head away. I think I kind of subconsciously forced myself to watch it without feeling it. I just kind of tuned it out, as hard as that may be to understand.
6. The events in Gethsemane were minimized greatly, but that is clearly because other Christians don't see them as having the same significance as we do. If I were to have stopped to think about it, I wouldn't have expected it to have been portrayed any differently than it was.
7. I'm always bothered by the fact that, in any movie about Christ, the Resurrection takes up so little of the movie. Somehow, 30 seconds just didn't seen to cut it, but I guess that it can be explained by the fact that the movie was supposed to be about His Passion and not about His Resurrection.
8. The ending was AWESOME! Especially on the big screen, but probably less so on a smaller screen. I just couldn't get over it. It was one of the highlights of the movie to me.
I don't believe the rest of Christiandom shares our beliefs regarding the suffering in the Garden.
The movie was well made, but I think the flogging was over done. If you want to watch a good Jesus movie, I would recommend Jesus of Nazareth- although it is a bit too Anglicized. I am sure that after 32 years, most Christians have already seen it.
zomg
I aim to misbehave!
Bothers me how many of the LDS populations turns their nose up at the movie as if it isn't "good enough" for them. Of course, the R rating keeps most away.
Anyway, I loved the movie. The music is great. As Katzpur said, I loved the flashback scenes. Passion grabbed me in a way no other movie or scripture could at that time in my life. Watching that played out and thinking "He went through that for ME???" made me stop and think.
I need to watch it again.
Anyway, I loved the movie. The music is great. As Katzpur said, I loved the flashback scenes. Passion grabbed me in a way no other movie or scripture could at that time in my life. Watching that played out and thinking "He went through that for ME???" made me stop and think.
I need to watch it again.
Katzpur
Not your average Mormon
I think the R rating is 99% of the reason more members of the Church haven't seen it. While there are a lot of R-rated movies I wouldn't see, there are a lot of PG movies I wouldn't see either. I pay little attention to the rating and just ask around or read reviews of the movies I choose to see.
zomg
I aim to misbehave!
Indeed. I have been Netflixing some old movies from the 70s and 80s with PG and G ratings. Each one has had female nudity in it
Try explaining that to your wife, sheesh.
Katzpur
Not your average Mormon
Okay, you'v got to give us a more in-depth review that that. Specifically, I'd really be interested in your comments on the individual points I mentioned. I don't think you have a heart of stone. When you said you were "detached," that was kind of what I was trying to say. The only time I even got teary was in that one flashback, and it really bothered me that I wasn't bawling -- kind of like I had a heart of stone or something.
Technically, though, I thought it was extremely well-done.
There are a few thoughts about Jesus movies, particularly The Passion:
1. As far as I know, Jesus was not an only child. The Gospels make clear that Jesus had brothers and sisters and they even name some of them by name. Mary and Joseph obviously had a normal marriage (they weren't married when Jesus was born, only engaged) after Jesus' birth. None of the movies ever show that (it may be to appease Catholics, who don't believe Jesus had any siblings).
2. Jesus words and teachings were extremely important, the reason He was killed was because of His teachings.
3. While The Passion was good at letting us know just how much pain and humiliation Jesus went through for us (His followers), it seems to downplay all of His other deeds: healing, feeding, teaching, and so on.
Those are my opinions.
1. As far as I know, Jesus was not an only child. The Gospels make clear that Jesus had brothers and sisters and they even name some of them by name. Mary and Joseph obviously had a normal marriage (they weren't married when Jesus was born, only engaged) after Jesus' birth. None of the movies ever show that (it may be to appease Catholics, who don't believe Jesus had any siblings).
2. Jesus words and teachings were extremely important, the reason He was killed was because of His teachings.
3. While The Passion was good at letting us know just how much pain and humiliation Jesus went through for us (His followers), it seems to downplay all of His other deeds: healing, feeding, teaching, and so on.
Those are my opinions.
EtuMalku
Abn Iblis ابن إبليس
Yeshua was killed to appease the Jews who numbered strong in the Roman Empire.
It was political, as it is now with the corrupt Roman Catholic Church.
From what I recall, I don't believe the movie leaned either way towards any siblings?
The 'Passion' is a term that denotes spiritual, physical & mental suffering while maintaining that faith and God's love is stronger than death.
RND
Seventh-day Adventist
Hey, if you don't mind the Catholic theology purposely used throughout the movie you should be fine! Oh the other hand......
"A serious, scene by scene, in-depth theological study of the Mel Gibson film The Passion of the Christ, Dr. Miller's analysis not only focuses on the more obvious Marian, Eucharistic, and Incarnational themes, but she also discusses and explains the more difficult images and gestures of the movie. Written in a very reader-friendly style, the book also discusses the film's depiction of the Jews and Romans from a theological and cultural perspective and examines the various sources of The Passion, notably the Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ by Anne Catherine Emmerich. One chapter examines how the movie has changed people's lives and an Appendix compares The Passion of the Christ to other movies about the life of Jesus."
The Passion of the Christ
by Mike Gendron
"A serious, scene by scene, in-depth theological study of the Mel Gibson film The Passion of the Christ, Dr. Miller's analysis not only focuses on the more obvious Marian, Eucharistic, and Incarnational themes, but she also discusses and explains the more difficult images and gestures of the movie. Written in a very reader-friendly style, the book also discusses the film's depiction of the Jews and Romans from a theological and cultural perspective and examines the various sources of The Passion, notably the Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ by Anne Catherine Emmerich. One chapter examines how the movie has changed people's lives and an Appendix compares The Passion of the Christ to other movies about the life of Jesus."
The Passion of the Christ
by Mike Gendron
GabrielWithoutWings
Well-Known Member
It's easier explained away in Eastern Christianity than in the West.
In the West, Joseph is shown as a young man, and Jesus' "brothers and sister" are usually explained as his cousins.
In the East, Joseph is a very old man, while Mary is usually around the age of 14. All of Jesus' brothers and sisters are children of Joseph's previous marriage.
Katzpur
Not your average Mormon
I love that show!