The Passion of the Christ

Say what you want about Mel Gibson, but when he is making a serious movie, he knows what he's doing. I thought "Apocalypto" was not very good, mainly because of its ridiculous violence and its quite one-dimensional portrayal of an entire culture. What was the point? Mel Gibson seemed to be saying "boy, these people were violent and wrong." But this sort of unipolar viewpoint, which did not serve "Apocalypto" at all, fits this film to a tee. Gibson is clearly a committed Christian of the Catholic stripe, and he has created pretty much the ultimate cinematic portrayal of the story of Christ's crucifixion. I can't imagine a film which would better indicate the depth of the physical suffering that Jesus of Nazareth must have endured, and the emotional pain this would inflict upon his relatives and best friends. The sets are all very detailed and ring quite true to the period. The actors in lead "good guy" roles are perhaps a bit too European looking, but given the film's production in Italy, some of this is forgivable. Either way, people have cast these characters with their own ethnicity for eons, so I'm willing to give that a pass. I kind of wish some of the more mystical elements had been left out. Jesus heals a roman soldier during his capture. Judas is attacked (in his mind at least) by little hobgoblin demon children. Christ is also tempted by Satan - who is played and visualized quite well by a spooky-looking actress, but nonetheless this feels like a bit of a tacked on element, despite mentions in the Gospels at various points. These elements are at worst a minor annoyance, but they strain credulity, which probably runs counter to Gibson's purposes. I guess I would have preferred that the human elements of the story stand on their own, because, frankly, that's all we have access to at this late date. We simply can't trust miracle stories and talk of mystical happenings. We don't have access to them. But by meditating on the human aspects of the story, we have something we can relate to and which may inspire faith in the other, less tangible things. To display them openly is to assume their existence before we are faithful. But this is just my opinion, I suppose, based on my reading, studies in philosophy, and my general skeptical bent. I've never seen a miracle, and no one I've trusted has ever reported one to me. Things handed down from 2000 years ago, re-translated dozens of times, do not strike me as reliable sources for amazing stories, none of which seem to happen in modern history and with the benefit of all the technology we have available to us to record such events. I mean, given all the cell phone cameras out there, where are all the indubitable miracles? Anyhow, I digress (my apologies to David Hume...). Even with its mystical trappings, this film in its immediacy and its viscerality certainly succeeds in forcing the viewer to ponder the human aspects. The mystical stuff is a sideshow, so to speak. For those with faith, this film should offer a potent meditation on a story which has been ingrained into the psyche, practically since birth. For a non-believer, this film offers a valuable insight into the passion that believers have for this story and for the man himself. Like a Socrates, Jesus of Nazareth seems to have been a singular man, the like of which is rarely seen. Contemplating this can deepen a non-believer's appreciation, if not deliver them into a completely faithful orientation to the material. To put it briefly, it's a brilliant film. Each shot is lovingly composed, and the visual impact and beauty of the images can't be faulted. The performances all feel very real and there is no actor who takes the viewer away from the time period. Gibson, similar to some of the other great directors such as Kubrick, Scorsese, Stone and he like, excels at creating "scene." You really feel like 'you are there.' ******* The Blu-Ray: The picture is quite beautiful. Black levels are solid, detail is quite good (though perhaps not the absolute best, I would say "Dark Knight" and "Alexander" top it), and color is very naturalistic. There is a bit of "posterization" in some shots of the sky (i.e. a sort of digital distortion or dot-crawl), but it only intrudes on 10 or 20 seconds of the film, and is probably in the source material. The DTS audio mix offers some nice directional effects, with crowd taunts and bird chirps in the rear sound field. Technically, it's about as good as I can imagine it looking. I did not see the film in the theater, so I cannot compare the level of fidelity. Extras include commentaries, and a "recut" version, which apparently is actually a bit shorter than the theatrical release. This version also cuts a bit of violence. A word to parents - cutting five minutes of gruesome violence leaves about, oh, 120 minutes of gruesome violence remaining in the movie. So plan accordingly insofar as your children can tolerate these kinds of things. Other extras: There are several commentaries on the main disc. The extra disc has many short documentaries on both production issues and historical context, though none are in HD, unfortunately. ********* So should you buy it? Well, that's a tough question. If you're a devoted Christian who enjoys pondering these mysteries, and you also have a good HD setup, then sure, I can't see any reason not to. If you are not a Christian but are curious about what the hub-bub is about, then this is definitely worth at least a rental. Fans of historical fiction/docudrama will certainly find much to appreciate. Whether or not you buy it, this is definitely a film everyone should see at least once. It is a great film, like it or lump it. It is a vivid and very impactful telling of one of the very few central stories of our global culture. Keep in mind I do not want to put a Christian gloss on humanity here - if there were comparable films on Mohammad (a bit of an issue given the icon prohibition), Buddha, etc., I would recommend seeing those as well. On the whole, by any standards, this is a five-star release. It may not be for everyone's permanent collection. But those who add this Blu-Ray title to their shelf will not be disappointed.

Honestly, this is my first time watching this important religious film. For so many years I could not bring myself to watch this movie, because of the graphic violent detail of the torturing of an innocent man, The Lord Jesus Christ. Isaiah 53:5 - He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 52:14 - Just as there were many who were appalled at Him - His appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being and his form marred beyond human likeness. John 19:1-25 - Jesus brought before Pilate and flogged. He is then crucified and dies on the cross, is taken down from the cross and buried. Hebrews 13:8 - Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. I finally had the courage to watch it on (Fri 5.10.24). I felt that it was time to watch it and learn more about the final hours of what happened to Jesus before He was crucified. Something compelled me to watch it and I think it was courage and spiritual insight. Yes, it was graphic especially during the scourging of precious Jesus. The Roman soldiers who beat Him got carried away and nearly killed him, until Abenader (the Centurion) stepped in and basically said that's enough we want to punish him not nearly kill him. Pilate was disgusted at what they did to Jesus. He tried to free Him but was unsuccessful. They did the same thing when Jesus was carrying the cross. Those same soldiers were hitting a weak man, and causing him more pain, and blood loss. This time it was Simon of Cyrene that stepped in and said, enough he's weak. Yes, of course from severe blood loss, Jesus was weak. He was offered water by Seraphia and she wiped his face. Jesus was grateful for the help along the way to His crucifixion from Seraphia, Simon of Cyrene and Mother Mary. The crucifixion scene and the scourging scenes were hard to watch, especially when Jesus cried out, in Aramaic, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" He was bloodied and in agonizing pain. I cried when Jesus gave up his spirit and when He said why has His Father has forsaken Him? Especially when his Mother Mary held His bloodied body, I cried. The other heartbreaking scene was when she was wiping Jesus's blood after being scourged. The Roman Soldier Cassius had a high respect for Mother Mary to let her see and be with Jesus on the cross. He took great pity on her. Also, when he pieced Jesus to make sure He was dead, blood and water sprayed on him, curing him of an ailment and believing that Jesus is the Son of God. One touching and happy moment was when Mother Mary called out to Jesus and asked Him, "Are you Hungry?" He didn't hear her. So she asked him again, but approached Him. With His smiling eyes and gentle tone, He says "I am." They have gentle conversation of the tall table He made. She asks Him to remove His apron, and washes His hands, and she pours water on his hands, and He playfully splashes her and kisses her. That was my favorite part of the movie. But yes, I would recommend to anyone wanting to know more about the final hours of Jesus, to watch The Passion of the Christ. It's detail oriented and well made. An A+ for all actor and actress portrayals. Jim Caviezel played the best portrayal of Jesus Christ.

Una obra maestra. Hecha desde la fe y el profundo sentimiento, remueve profundamente al espectador, sin caer en lo desagradable, pero manteniéndose en el limite. La época, las lenguas muertas tratadas con la mayor intencionalidad de fidelidad... todo ello la convierten en una obra maestra de los anales del cine. Una joya para tener en casa.

Prima, snel geleverd en gesealed.

聖書の内容をよく再現されていたと思います。主イエスの受難がリアルに伝わってくる素晴らしい映画でした。 磔刑の本質とは、神とサタンとの戦いであったことが分かります。主イエスの死と復活をもって、神はサタンに勝利したのですから、主イエスを信頼する者に、もはや怖いものはありません。

I bought this for my brother as a present.

Per molti punti di vista condivido quello che altri utenti hanno commentato. Non ho nulla da togliere al maestro Zeffirelli (che comunque ha un modo diverso di dirigere e uno stile completamente diverso), ma in questa opera cinematografica Mel Gibson ha davvero superato se stesso. Credo che sia il film che più di tutti rispecchia il momento della morte di Gesù Cristo, caratterizzato da tutti i suoi momenti di estrema sofferenza (come credo fermamente che sia andata nella realtà). Negli anni ho letto molte critiche, sia positive che negative, su questo film. Io lo trovo comunque magnifico e grandioso. Non è per tutti, non per la comprensibilità del fatto accaduto nè tanto meno per la lingua originale utilizzata nel film (che dona molta più credibilità); non è per tutti per le scene molto violente. Personalmente non mi impressiono facilmente, ma una persona dallo stomaco debole potrebbe avere una reazione poco piacevole. Non ho parole per commentare il cast eccezionale del film, persino la Bellucci (che personalmente non ritengo bravissima nella recitazione in generale) è stata davvero eccezionale nella sua parte. Tutto questo contornato da una colonna sonora da brivido!!! Parlando invece del Blu ray, anche qui solo punti positivi: qualità video sublime, con colori contrastati ma non troppo saturi. immagini definitissime e di forte impatto visivo (in tutti i sensi!). Audio meraviglioso, a parte qualche sbalzo improvviso tra toni alti e bassi. E per finire, un intero DVD a parte interamente dedicato ai fantastici contenuti extra!! Insomma, il miglior film sulla passione di Cristo mai realizzato (secondo me) che è stato capace di farmi piangere letteralmente. Amazon fantastico come sempre! Scene violente a parte, lo consiglio a tutti!!