The Passion of the Christ

This article is about the film. For the actual Christian Passion, see Passion (Christianity).

The Passion of the Christ
File:The-passion-of-the-christ.jpg The Passion of the Christ theatrical poster
Directed by	Mel Gibson
Written by	Benedict Fitzgerald Mel Gibson
Produced by	Bruce Davey Mel Gibson Stephen McEveety
Starring	James Caviezel Maia Morgenstern Monica Bellucci
Cinematography	Caleb Deschanel
Edited by	Steve Mirkovich John Wright
Music by	John Debney Shankar Gingger Shankar
Distributed by	Theatrical: Icon Entertainment Newmarket Films Equinox Films 20th Century Fox DVD: MGM Home Entertainment Warner Home Video 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Release dates	February 25, 2004
Running time	127 minutes
Country	United States
Languages	Aramaic Latin Hebrew Assyrian Neo-Aramaic
Budget	$30 million USD
Box office	Domestic: $370,782,930 Worldwide: $611,899,420

The Passion of the Christ (2004) is an Academy Award nominated film about the last twelve hours of the life of Jesus Christ, known to Christians as "The Passion". Directed by Mel Gibson, it was nominated for three Academy Awards: best cinematography, best makeup, and best original score. The film’s dialogue is in Aramaic (believed to have been Jesus's native tongue), Latin and Hebrew, with subtitles. It was filmed on location in Matera, Italy and Cinecittà Studios, Rome.

Plot

Main article: Passion (Christianity)

File:Potcposter.jpg

The film opens (in medias res) with Jesus in the midst of an agonizing struggle about whether to go through with the crucifixion in the Garden of Gethsemane, on the Mount of Olives. He temporarily leaves prayers, and finds Peter, James, and John sleeping against a tree. Jesus wakes them and asks why they could not watch one hour with him. They respond with concern, asking whether they should summon the other Apostles. Jesus responds that he does not want them to see him in such a horrid condition and tells them to keep watching and to pray.

Judas Iscariot meets with the Sanhedrin. Caiaphas, the High Priest (see Kohen Gadol), offers Judas, as is their agreement, thirty silver pieces to reveal where Jesus is. Judas accepts.

We return to Gethsemane and Jesus praying, where we see he is being tempted by Satan (portrayed here as an androgynous, albino-like figure[1]) to abandon the idea that one man can redeem the sins of the world. Jesus agonises over his coming death, but resists all temptation by calling on his Heavenly Father. Guards from the temple arrive with Judas so that he can identify Jesus. Jesus tells the guards calmly and unhesitatingly who he is. Judas then steps up and kisses him on the cheek, a signal to the guards that Jesus is the one they want. Jesus berates Judas for betraying the Son of Man with a kiss. As Jesus is being shackled up, Peter attacks one of the guards, Malchus, with his sword slicing off Malchus' ear. Jesus picks it up and holds it against the guard's head, while telling Peter to drop his sword. Peter does so, and we see the guard's face is healed. Malchus is stunned and the Apostles flee in terror. Jesus is then dragged away by the guards, leaving the previously injured Malchus kneeling there, amazed and deeply touched by what has just happened.

Mary, the mother of Jesus, awakes from what seems to be a nightmare. Mary Magdelene is concerned and asks whether Mary is all right. Mary, instinctively knowing something is wrong, responds by quoting from the prayers of Passover, "Why is this night different than other nights?" Mary Magdalene responds, "Because once we were slaves and we are slaves no longer." Suddenly John bursts in, telling them both that Jesus has been arrested.

As Jesus is being taken to the palace of Caiaphas, he is beaten with his chains and is repeatedly beaten about the face, leaving one eye swollen shut. Judas is sitting under a bridge when Jesus is thrown over it by the Temple guards. Judas looks on with agony and shame. A demon appears from out of the air and sends a terrified Judas running away.

File:Medium passion du christ1.jpg

The film begins in media res at the Garden of Gethsemane. Above, Jesus Christ (James Caviezel) is pictured praying while Satan (Rosalinda Celentano) watches at a distance.

At the temple, Jesus sees Mary, Magdelene, and John. Jesus then recalls a tender memory of building a table for a rich man (possibly Joseph of Arimathea) and joking about it with his mother. We then cut back to Jesus standing before the Sanhedrin, including Caiaphas. Mary, Mary Magdelene, Peter, John, and Judas watch from afar as the temple priests denounce every doctrine that Jesus has taught, including that he is the King of the Jews, and the events of the Last Supper. Jesus is asked if these accusations are true, and He says yes, declaring further that they will see him sitting at the right hand of the Father. Horrified by Jesus's "blasphemy", Caiaphas tears his garments and screams in frustration. The infuriated priests beat Jesus and spit in his face. Jesus is then condemned to death.

A horrified Peter attempts to flee, but is seized by several people who point out that he is a disciple of Jesus. Peter denies it each of the three times it is pointed out. As Jesus turns around and bores into him with his uninjured eye, Peter is overwhelmed with guilt and shame. When the Virgin Mary attempts to comfort him, Peter flees, crying that he is unworthy and bewailing what he has done. Judas goes to Caiaphas and pleads with him to release Jesus and take back the money. However, Caiaphas refuses to take it back, declaring that if Judas thinks he has betrayed innocent blood, it is his problem. Judas angrily throws the money on the Temple floor and runs off grief-stricken. As he sits by a fire, two children approach him and ask him what's wrong. When Judas curses them, they turn into demons. They chase Judas, tormenting him as he flees outside the city walls (Satan is visible among them). After they disappear, Judas finds a dead donkey being devoured by maggots. Overwhelmed with despair and unable to live with his shame, Judas takes the rope which was on the donkey and hangs himself from a tree.

Meanwhile, the Temple priests bring Jesus to the court of Pontius Pilate, so that he may be crucified under Roman Law. Pilate angrily demands to know whether they always punish their prisoners before they are tried. After Caiaphas responds that Jesus has declared himself the Messiah, Pontius privately examines him. He offers Jesus a goblet of wine, but Jesus, having vowed to no longer drink the fruit of the vine at the Last Supper, politely declines. Pilate asks whether He is the King of the Jews. Jesus responds that his kingdom is not of this world and that if it were, His servants would never have allowed him to be handed over to his enemies. He further declares that all who hear the truth hear his voice. Pilate cynically retorts, "What is truth?"

Pilate returns to the crowd, tells them that he finds no crime in Jesus and orders the priests to bring him before King Herod Antipas, because Jesus is a Nazarene, and thus one of Herod's subjects. Caiaphas angrily protests but grudgingly obeys. Herod is an effeminate bisexual, deeply impressed by reports of Jesus's miracles. When Jesus remains silent and will not respond to his pleas to work "a little miracle for me", Herod mocks him, laughing that Jesus is just "crazy." When the priests return him to Pilate, he is not pleased. He forces Caiaphas to choose between the release of a "notorious murderer" named Barabbas and clemency for Jesus. Caiaphas cries "Release Barabbas!"

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Pontius Pilate (Hristo Shopov) asks the crowd whom to release: Barabbas or Jesus?

Pilate asks them what they feel a fair punishment would be, and the crowd, bribed by the Temple priests, scream out "Crucify him!" Pilate refuses, fearing that Jesus's followers will revolt and that the ensuing bloodshed will turn the Emperor against him. Instead, he orders Jesus to be flogged, hoping that the sight will make Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin reconsider their desire for the death penalty.

Jesus is shackled to a broken pillar. Two Roman soldiers are to carry out the flagellation. They each pick up wooden switches and commence striking Jesus on the back. He is bruised, bloodied, and beaten, and sinks to his knees. Mary, Mary Magdelene, and John all watch, utterly shattered. To everyone's astonishment, Jesus wills himself back to his feet, even after the beating has exhausted the guards. They angrily put down the rods and each pick up a barbed scourge and continue. Jesus' flesh is further mutilated to the point where his left rib cage is visible. He seems on the brink of death before Abenader, the centurion who will later become St. Ctesiphon, angrily orders the flogging to cease, saying that they were not authorized to scourge him to death. The soldiers grudgingly put down their whips and release Jesus, having to drag him away because his agony is too great.

The Virgin Mary and Mary Magdelene are presented with linen towels by Claudia Procles, Pilate's wife, who is just as crushed as they over what has just happened. They both go down to the courtyard and begin mopping the blood with the linen. Magdelene weeps as she remembers how Jesus saved her once from being stoned to death when she was still a sinner.

Jesus is seen in a barn-like room, sitting against a wooden post. The two Roman soldiers who flogged him drive a crown of thorns into his scalp and spit on him. He is given a red soldier's cloak and mockingly treated with royal homage. "Hail, King of the Worms", laughs one of the guards as he bows. Jesus is then brought back to Pontius Pilate who is disgusted by how badly beaten Jesus is. He asks the rioting crowds if they are satisfied, but Caiaphas still demands that Jesus be crucified. Pilate disgustedly washes his hands of the whole affair and declares, "I am innocent of this man's blood." He orders Abenader to do as Caiaphas demands.

We then see Jesus walking between two other criminals sentenced to the same fate He is. The two beside him are tied only to their cross' uprights -- Jesus must carry his own huge cross. Jesus embraces his cross, prompting mockery from one of the thieves. As He carries it through the streets, He is endlessly beaten and yelled at by the crowds and the Roman soldiers alike. Mary, Mary Magdelene, and St. John follow him.

While struggling down a small alleyway, Jesus trips and falls with the cross. The cross crushes him, Mary runs to her son, flashing back to a time when he fell as a small child. As she reaches him she tries to comfort him, saying, "I'm here." Jesus looks at her, and wills himself to his feet to carry his cross, and, quoting the Book of Revelation 21: 5 declares "Behold, Mother, I make all things new." He rises to his feet and continues on his way. As Jesus keeps walking, He continues to fall under the weight of the heavy cross. The guards mock him and whip him each time. Abenader approaches again and, noting how weak Jesus has become, orders the soldiers to help Jesus carry the cross. Instead of doing this themselves, they find a man in the crowds, Simon of Cyrene, to help. He grudgingly agrees to help.

As the two keep going, Jesus falls without the cross. Simon is shocked at the weight which he cannot carry by himself. A riot breaks out, with groups of people fighting to get a chance at beating Jesus. Guards fight them off, and as that happens, Veronica approaches Jesus with a cloth and a pitcher of water. Jesus uses the cloth to wipe his bloodied face. However, as he goes to take a drink, a soldier walks over and kicks the cup over, and drives Veronica away. As the procession continues the viewer sees that Veronica's Veil has been imprinted with the image of his face.

While the soldiers continue to beat Jesus with whips, Simon angrily threatens to not help with the cross if they do not cease their beatings. They scornfully call him "Jew", but they oblige. The procession continues, headed for Golgotha, or "The Place of the Skull."

Once there, Simon is ordered to leave. As he is driven away, he looks into Jesus's one open eye with love and pity. We see Mary, Mary Magdelene and John again. They all watch as Jesus is stretched onto the cross. They nail both of his hands, dislocating his right arm in order to make his hand reach the pre-drilled hole for the nail. In the midst of his agony, Jesus prays for mercy for all the sinners of the world, crying "Forgive them, Father. They do not know..." They then bind and nail his feet. They flip the cross over on Jesus' front side, however, Jesus is elevated off the ground. After pounding the tips of the nails down, the guards then flip the cross back over and raise it. As the cross is raised, we are taken to a flashback of the Last Supper, considered by Christians to be the first Eucharist. We watch as Jesus elevates the Host.

On the cross, he is mocked by Caiaphas and the Temple priests, and by the thief to his right, who tells him to save them all if he is truly the Son of God. Jesus prays, "Father forgive them, they know not what they do." The thief on his right tells Caiaphas, "Listen, He prays for you." The Good Thief then tells Jesus his punishment is just, and that Jesus would be justified in condemning him, but he says, "Lord, remember me when I come into your Kingdom." Jesus tells the thief "On this day, you will be with me in paradise." As the other thief cackles with laughter over this, a crow comes from the sky and plucks at his face.

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Jesus on the cross

Jesus grows weaker; simultaneously, the skies are turning darker. Mary and John approach Jesus on his cross. Jesus declares, "I thirst!" A sympathetic Roman soldier named Cassius, later to become St. Longinus, puts a sponge on a spear and soaks it in, according to the Bible, vinegar (although whether this is water or vinegar is not specified in the film). Jesus tastes it and then turns his head aside. The Virgin Mary pleads with Jesus to let her die with him. Jesus then tells Mary that John will now take care of her, and tells John that Mary is now his mother. Jesus then cries out in Aramaic, quoting the twenty-second Psalm, "My God! My God! Why have you forsaken me?" ("Eli, eli, lamai sabactani?") Jesus then looks down upon them, saying, "It is completed." Mary Magdelene weeps. Jesus then looks upward and gasps "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit." The pupil of his one open eye dilates, and he exhales his last breath.

God then cries a tear that creates a violent earthquake. All the spectators of the crucifixion flee, and the soldiers are ordered to break the criminals' legs, in order to hasten their deaths. The Roman soldier Cassius breaks the legs of the thieves to Jesus' sides, but when he comes to break Jesus' legs, there is another tremble from the Earth. He tells Abenader that Jesus is already dead. Abenader orders him to make sure. Cassius then drives a lance into Jesus's side. Blood and water pour from the wound as Cassius falls to his knees. It is at this moment that everyone, Romans and Jews alike, realize they have indeed killed the Son of God. Meanwhile, back at the temple, the earthquake has shattered it in half and the Holy of Holies is revealed. Caiaphas, stricken with horror and shock, begins to weep.

In the depths of Hell, Satan screams in impotent rage, knowing that his power has been broken forever.

That night, Jesus is removed from the cross. Mary embraces the body of her beloved son in a manner reminiscent of Michelangelo's Pieta, kissing him one last time. The Virgin Mary stares blankly ahead, her eyes a mirror of her broken heart.

We are then shown the interior of his tomb three days later, on Easter Sunday. We hear a rock rolling and as the morning light slowly streams into the interior, we see Jesus resurrected and his scourging wounds healed. He opens his eyes and stands up, and we see the hole in his hand from the nail. He walks out of his tomb to triumphant music, and there are no credits.

Style

In a departure from previous films depicting the life of Jesus, the dialogue is spoken entirely in Aramaic, Latin and Hebrew. After a lengthy internal debate, Gibson finally decided to include subtitles, except for one controversial line of crowd dialogue: "His blood be upon us" (see blood curse and Matthew 27:25) and a few bits of soldiers' dialogue.

The scourging and crucifixion sequences are exceptionally violent and graphic, earning the movie an R-rating in the United States. These scenes required Jim Caviezel, who portrays Jesus, to endure seven hours of makeup sessions daily, in addition to actually being flogged when the actors portraying Roman flagellants hit him accidentally during the filming of the scourging scene. Reportedly, Gibson called the makeup crew over to examine the whip wounds for more accurate duplication.

In New Zealand, the Society for the Protection of Community Standards, a group who have traditionally opposed and criticised violence in movies, came out in support of the Passion, requesting lower ratings [2]. Critics of the group said these requests, from a group that makes frequent submissions against movies to the OFLC, are highly hypocritical [3].

The Passion of the Christ ends on a hopeful note with the Resurrection. The scene shows the shroud that Jesus was buried in is empty, and the view pans over to Jesus. Except for the holes in his hands (and presumably his feet, though they are not shown), Jesus is completely healed. The final scene shows him walking from the tomb.

In many areas attention was paid to historical detail, such as the traditional clothing of the period and Jewish dietary customs. Gibson's film was produced in Italy, on locations that were selected to evoke Caravaggio's paintings.[4]

Production

Traditionalist Catholic priest Stephen Somerville was on set during the entire filming. Jim Caviezel, the American actor playing Jesus, is, like Mel Gibson, a devout Catholic.

Caviezel suffered numerous injuries and ailments during the production.[5]. He separated his shoulder while filming a scene in which Jesus falls and the cross lands on his back. The complex full-body makeup required the actor to be awake at 2 a.m. to undergo several hours of application of the appliances that would make it look like he had been viciously flayed.

Caviezel also was struck by lightning during the shooting; upon rising from the hit without major damage, he reportedly said, "I guess He didn't like that take." Key production assistant Jan Michelini was allegedly struck by lightning twice and given the name Jan "Lightning Boy" Michelini in the film's closing credits. [6] and [7].

Cast and crew

Cast

Actor/Actress	Role
Jim Caviezel	Jesus of Nazareth
Maia Morgenstern	The Virgin Mary
Monica Bellucci	Mary Magdalene
Hristo Naumov Shopov	Pontius Pilate
Mattia Sbragia	Caiphas
Rosalinda Celentano	Satan
Hristo Jivkov	John
Francesco DeVito	Peter
Luca Lionello	Judas Iscariot
Claudia Gerini	Claudia Procles
Sergio Rubini	Dismas
Francesco Cabras	Gesmas
Toni Bertorelli	Annas
Roberto Bestazoni	Malchus
Giovanni Capalbo	Cassius
Emilio De Marchi	Scornful Roman
Roberto Visconti	Scornful Roman
Lello Giulivo	Brutish Roman
Abel Jafry	2nd Temple Officer
Jarreth Merz	Simon of Cyrene
Matt Patresi	Janus
Fabio Sartor	Abenader
Luca De Dominicis	Herod
Sabrina Impacciatore	Seraphia

Crew

• Mel Gibson - director, co-producer, co-screenwriter
• Benedict Fitzgerald - co-screenwriter
• Caleb Deschanel - director of photography
• Francesco Frigeri - production designer
• Fr. William Fulco S.J. - translated script into Latin and reconstructed Aramaic

Mel Gibson's role

Mel Gibson played a crucial role in getting The Passion of the Christ made; he personally committed an estimated $40m to $50m of his own resources to finance and advertise the film. In addition to directing and co-producing the film, he also co-wrote the screenplay with Benedict Fitzgerald.

Because of the subject, the graphic violence in the film, and, most of all, because the actors in the film spoke Aramaic, Gibson reportedly had difficulty finding a company to distribute it in the United States. In fact, the film was completed before a distributor, Newmarket Films, agreed to release it in the U.S. In Canada, Equinox Films was the distributor. Icon Films distributed it in the United Kingdom and Australia.

In addition to the repeated accusations of anti-Semitism, Gibson’s Traditionalist Catholic beliefs were also a frequent target of attacks. The film was seen by many critics to be nothing less than a modern-day Passion play that propagates the Jews' guilt of deicide. However, Romanian-Jewish actress Maia Morgenstern, who plays the Blessed Virgin Mary in the film and who is also the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, rejects these criticisms. In an interview filmed for the PAX documentary about the making of the film, Morgenstern said that she had read the script with her father and they both found it "beautiful, very poetic, and very philosophical."

Gibson's religious beliefs, which inspired the film, are those of Traditional Catholicism, which rejects most of the changes which followed in the wake of the Second Vatican Council. Gibson intended the movie to be faithful not to the New Testament alone, but rather to the New Testament as viewed through Catholic Tradition.

Mel Gibson said (in The Passion: Photography from the Movie "The Passion of the Christ", ISBN 0-8423-7362-4):

This is a movie about love, hope, faith, and forgiveness. He [Jesus] died for all mankind, suffered for all of us. It's time to get back to that basic message. The world has gone nuts. We could all use a little more love, faith, hope, and forgiveness.

It was me that put him on the cross. It was my sins [who put him there].

Thus Gibson took a cameo role in the film: it is literally his hands that nail Jesus to the cross (seen in close-up only).

But, arguably, the strongest criticism directed at Mel Gibson was due to his refusal to denounce the beliefs of his father, Hutton Gibson. The elder Gibson is extremely outspoken against the post-Vatican II Roman Catholic Church, even writing a scathing criticism of the late Pope John Paul II (Karol Józef Wojtyła,) whom the elder Gibson called "Garrulous Karolus the Qur'an Kisser." Hutton Gibson has labeled the Second Vatican Council a plot launched by the Jews and the Masons to take over the Roman Catholic Church. Friends close to both Gibsons say that although Mel Gibson loves his father dearly and abides by the biblical dictum "honor thy father and mother", they disagree on a number of subjects. One called Hutton Gibson "an old man with strange views." Even ABC's newsanchor Diane Sawyer was sternly rebuked by Mel Gibson during the airing of a special about The Passion of the Christ when she brought up some of Hutton Gibson’s statements, ostensibly to give Mel the opportunity to say "I don't agree with my father on that." Instead, he said "He's my father... I love him... gotta leave it alone, Diane. [You] gotta leave it alone." Many saw this as a missed opportunity for Mel Gibson; Gibson's supporters contend that Sawyer was asking a loaded question and got the response she was expecting.

Title changes

On October 17, 2003, Gibson's film production company announced the title of the film had been changed from The Passion to The Passion of Christ, because the title The Passion had already been trademarked by a different motion picture. This was then further amended to The Passion of the Christ. The following week Gibson announced a distribution arrangement had been reached with the independent Newmarket Films.

Promotion

Gibson departed considerably from the usual formula for marketing a film: a small TV campaign, no press junkets, etc. [8] The film was, however, heavily promoted by many church groups, both within their organizations and to the general public, in some cases giving away free tickets. The controversy in the media prior to release over the film's alleged anti-Semitism also helped raise its profile.

Some evangelical Christians considered the release of the movie to be a crucial moment for evangelism. Marta Poling-Goldenne, Minister for Outreach of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Grand Canyon Synod said in a 2004 email to pastors:

Seize this mission moment, friends! God is providing "the best outreach opportunity in the last 2,000 years" for us to witness about the gospel story to people for whom it may be very unfamiliar or unknown.

Rabbi Skobac from the group Jews for Judaism said:

For the 75 million evangelical Christians the film is the greatest thing they've had in 2,000 years to convert people to their faith...

Some bloggers claim that the film's promotional campaign has used blog spam [9] [10], mainly on LiveJournal, in an attempt to increase the Google ranking of the film's web page.

With the film's successful marketing strategy, Walt Disney Pictures reportedly took a similar approach with their film adaptation of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe with its Christian overtones and symbolism as written by C. S. Lewis.

Statistics

• Production Budget $25,000,000
• Prints and Advertising Budget $10,000,000

• US Gross: $370,800,000
• Worldwide Gross $610,000,000

Commercial success

After months of controversy that led to more pre-release sales than any film in history, the movie opened in the United States on February 25, 2004 (Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent). It earned $25 million per day in its first five days of release and in short order became the highest-grossing R-rated film ever made. In spite of the criticism , the movie grossed US $611,899,420 worldwide ($370,782,930 in the US alone) and is currently is the eleventh highest-grossing film and the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time.[11] Despite this, the film went without any significant recognition by the major American film award celebrations, although it was nominated for Best Original Score (music), Best Cinematography, and Best Makeup at the 77th Academy Awards.

Home video

On August 31, 2004 the movie was released on DVD and video tape in North America. As with the original release in theaters, the release of the movie on DVD and VHS also proved to be very popular. Early reports indicated that over 2.4 million copies of the film were sold by the middle of the day. The film was available on DVD with English and Spanish subtitles, and on VHS tape with English subtitles.

Re-release

An edited version of the film was released on March 11, 2005 as The Passion Recut. Mel Gibson removed approximately five minutes of the most graphic footage in an effort to broaden the audience of the film. However, this version was not as successful (just 950 theaters in North America, averaging just 10 viewers per showing) and was quickly pulled from theaters. Even edited, the Motion Picture Association of America still deemed the film too violent to give a PG-13 rating, so Gibson released it without a rating, which limited it due to policies of some chains and independent theaters not to show unrated films. Others simply passed on The Passion Recut because the original version was already available on DVD and VHS.

"Exhibitors can decide for themselves how they want to handle the situation," Berney said. "Some may choose to still treat it as an R and not let teens see it, unless accompanied by adults. Others may be willing to treat it as a PG-13. The film is still probably too intense for children, but Mel hoped to make it more available for teens."

International box office

Outside of the US, however, the movie has had mixed success. Although as of January 3, 2005, it has the 25th highest all-time worldwide gross ($611.6 million) [12], its non-US ranking is 59th [13].

This is not the result of a lack of interest in countries without Christian majorities, as its success in many Christian majority countries has also been less than stellar. For example, it did not make the top-100 all time UK box office list as of January 18, 2005 [14] and its position as of October 31, 2004 stood at 132nd [15]. Similarly in Australia, as of March 2, 2005 it held the 116th position [16] or the 294th position in the adjusted list [17].

As of November 22, 2004, it was below the 140th position in the German all-time box office [18] and as of August 10, 2004, it was below the 121st position in the French all-time box office [19]. The figures suggest its position in both countries would be quite a bit lower then the lowest listed positions [20].

The movie was reported by the Christian Science Monitor [21] to have been a great success in Middle Eastern countries. For example, it was the top grossing movie for 3 consecutive weeks in Egypt [22], Lebanon [23] and Turkey [24] and also at least 2 consecutive weeks in United Arab Emirates [25]. It also broke the record for the top grossing opening week for a non-Egyptian movie in Egypt [26] and as of 21st February 2005 was number 11th in the all-time Egyptian box office for non-Egyptian movies [27].

The Definitive Edition DVD

Although a strong seller, the original DVD release of The Passion of The Christ included virtually no special features (other than language selection), causing many to wonder when a "special edition" release of the DVD would come out. On January 30 2007, a two-disc Definitive Edition of The Passion of The Christ was released in the US and Canada, with various making-of featurettes, commentaries, deleted scenes, outtakes, as well as the 2005 re-cut version along with the original 2004 theatrical version. The Definitive Edition will be released in the United Kingdom and elsewhere on March 26, 2007

Source material

There is no unique narration of the Passion in the Gospels. According to John, Jesus was arrested by Jewish aides of the Sanhedrin, but then was only questioned by Anas and Caiaphas (no trial), while according to the Synoptics, he was only arrested by the Jewish aides, and condemned by the Sanhedrin.

Gibson intended the movie to be faithful to the New Testament, but did use elements culled from extra-biblical sources to flesh out the screenplay. Arguably, the most controversial of those was The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ from the meditations of the Augustinian nun Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich (1774-1824) as recorded in the journal of Clemens Brentano. Dictated to a writer by a stigmatic German nun of the Augustinian Order named Anne Catherine Emmerich, the book chronicled Emmerich's visions of Christ’s Passion, which sometimes depicted the Jews as even more vicious and bloodthirsty than the Romans who ruled Judaea at the time. The film also incorporates material from The Mystical City of God by Maria de Agreda(1602-1665) (a 17th century Spanish nun). Some scenes, however, are purely poetic license.

Many critics contend that the habits worn by Maia Morgenstern and Monica Bellucci, who portrayed Mary Magdalene in the film, are similar to the habits worn by the nuns of the Augustinian Order, and were a tribute to Emmerich.

Differences from the New Testament

Many religious scholars [28] state that the movie often departs from the New Testament in significant ways. Template:Spoiler

• In the Garden, Jesus crushes a serpent's head. This was a reference to Genesis 3:15 and the Protoevangelion.[29]
• A Jewish Temple guard, sent to apprehend Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, drops him from a small bridge suspended from a chain. (Taken from Anne Catherine Emmerich, The Dolorous Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, chapter 3.)
• Judas is tormented by “children” whose morphing facial features suggest they are demons, driving him to suicide. Matthew reports that Judas committed suicide by strangulation, presumed to be from hanging. Acts states that his body also fell, causing him to burst open and spill out his bowels. (Emmerich reports that he “fled as if a thousand furies were at his heel” and later mentions Satan standing at his side to drive him to despair, chapter 14.) Possibly the rope or branch of the tree broke due to the weight and his body fell down and his bowels spilled out. Matthew 27:3–8 tells us specifically how Judas died, by hanging. Acts 1:16-19 merely tells us that he fell headlong and his bowels gushed out. Acts does not tell us that this is the means of his death where Matthew does.[30]
• The movie depicts some Jews as opposing the absence of the Sanhedrin’s quorum, thereby challenging the legality of the trial and intimating that Jesus was not being treated fairly by Jewish leadership. (Emmerich mentions a similar event in chapter 13.)
• When Jesus is first brought before Pontius Pilate, Pilate beholds his bloody, bruised condition and asks members of the Sanhedrin (the high council of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem) if they always beat prisoners prior to trial. (Emmerich, chapter 17.)
• Herod Antipas is portrayed as a mincing, lisping, effeminate homosexual, complete with a “boy-toy”. Although this was a common caricature of Herod in medieval Passion plays and even in Jesus Christ Superstar, it does not appear in the Gospels and is contrary to Josephus's accounts regarding the womanising Antipas.
• Mary Magdalene is shown as “the woman taken in adultery” saved from execution by Jesus’ famous “let him who is without sin cast the first stone” statement. The identification of Mary Magdalene with the adulterous woman is not explicit in the text, nor is it official Catholic dogma, and modern scholars have contended that the passage about the adulterous woman was not in the Bible originally. It has been a matter of contention between Traditionalist Catholics and other parties both inside and outside the Church.
• Pilate is shown discussing with his wife the fragility of his relationship with Tiberius Caesar, emphasizing orders Caesar gave him to avoid uprisings in Judea. (Cf. Emmerich, chapter 19. The gospel of Matthew only mentions a message from Pilate’s wife delivered while Pilate is hearing the case.)
• Caiaphas is the one to answer Pilate's questions ("What shall I do with this man?", etc) while the Gospels only record "the chief priests", "the crowd", or "the Jews" as answering (never a specific character).
• Barabbas is called a "murderer" in the subtitles, but the Gospels are not conclusive on this. Matthew 27:16 records him as a robber, as does John 18:40. It is in Mark 15:7 and Luke 23:19 that he is in jail for rioting and murder in "the insurrection."
• During the scourging scene Jesus is nearly flayed alive, back and front, by a variety of torture implements, some with embedded shells, glass and nails. The Gospels state only that he was scourged (Matthew 27:26, Mark 15:15, John 19:1).
• After the scourging, Mary wipes up the blood of Jesus with towels provided by Pilate’s wife. (Emmerich, chapter 23.)
• Along the Via Dolorosa, Jesus is repeatedly rope-whipped by a trailing Roman soldier.
• Simon of Cyrene, who helps Jesus carry the cross and puts his arm around him, is debased, treated poorly by a Roman soldier, and called Jew with a sneer. Only Simon’s name, place of origin, and the fact that he helped Jesus carry the cross are in all three Synoptic Gospels. (Cf. Emmerich, chapter 36.)
• Along the Via Dolorosa, the image of Jesus' face is transferred to a cloth given to him by a woman. This event does not appear in any Bible narrative, but is a depiction of the Roman Catholic tradition of Veronica's Veil. (Emmerich, chapter 34, which also includes her offering Jesus a drink.)
• While travelling along the Via Dolorosa, Jesus falls under the weight of the cross three times. Also, Mary goes to Jesus so that she may comfort him. Though these events are traditionally accepted in the Roman Catholic Church as part of the Stations of the Cross, they are never mentioned in the Gospels; however, Simon of Cyrene was compelled to complete the task of carrying Jesus' cross (which is mentioned in the Gospels). (Emmerich describes seven falls and also the encounter with Mary, chapters 31–36.)
• When Jesus’ right arm does not extend far enough to reach a nail hole on the cross, a Roman soldier dislocates the arm at the shoulder by pulling it with a rope until the palm is over the hole. (Emmerich chapter 38.)
• After Jesus is nailed to the cross but before it has been raised, Roman soldiers turn the cross and Jesus over. When they are turned face-down, Jesus and the cross seem to levitate above the ground, and when turned face-up, both land with high impact on the ground. (A miraculous act intended to represent that God is in control of the events; Mary Magdalene is the only one to witness it)
• The names assigned to the thieves crucified with Christ, Dismas and Gesmas (also Gestas), are traditional but are not given in Scripture. (Cf. Emmerich, chapter 43, and the apocryphal Acts of Pilate, also known as the Gospel of Nicodemus.)
• The crucified criminal who mocked Jesus was shown being pecked at mercilessly by a raven.
• In the film Jesus builds a table in a rather modern style — one that one would sit at using chairs, but his mother tells him that it "will never catch on."
• Caiaphas and his aide watch Christ's scourging by the Romans.
• Satan (in the guise of a woman) rouses the rabble to shout, "Crucify him! Crucify him!"
• The devil is shown carrying a Demon Baby during Christ’s flogging. Mel Gibson is reported to have said

  it's evil distorting what’s good. What is more tender and beautiful than a mother and a child? So the Devil takes that and distorts it just a little bit. Instead of a normal mother and child you have an androgynous figure holding a 40-year-old ‘baby’ with hair on his back. It is weird, it is shocking, it's almost too much–just like turning Jesus over to continue scourging him on his chest is shocking and almost too much, which is the exact moment when this appearance of the Devil and the baby takes place.

• The earthquake described by Matthew causes a huge fissure to split the Temple down the center. In the Gospels it is only reported that the curtain at the Holy of Holies was split. It is a deviant version of Matthew, known as the Gospel of the Ebionites, that reports that it was the lintel of the Temple that had split. At the moment of Jesus' death, the power of nature is unleashed and Satan is shown raging in Hell because he has been defeated; the redemptive act is accomplished.
• The final scene of the movie shows Jesus leaving the tomb after the Resurrection. This detail is not present in the Bible — it only tells of the arrival of the women at the tomb, where Jesus is nowhere to be found, though it can be assumed from the later Resurrection appearances where Jesus is described as having "the mark of the nails in his hands". (John 20:25–27). It is, however, semi-present in the apocryphal Gospel of Peter, where two angels drag Jesus' body from the tomb.¨

Historicity

• In the film, Jesus and Pilate converse in Latin. This is historically unlikely, although not impossible. Some Jews, under Roman occupation, would have been able to converse to some extent in Latin. A more likely common language would have been the Hellenistic Greek (or Koine=common) spoken somewhat widely around the Mediterranean, and in the remnant of a former Greek empire. However, the conversation is started in Aramaic by Pilate, while the switch to Latin is made by Jesus.
• Pilate is depicted not only as sympathetic to Jesus (as the gospels maintain) but as fearing the reaction of Rome, should complaints of brutality reach the capital. There is no direct evidence supporting the view, but the depiction is not unrealistic. Pilate and the Jews had had several fierce disagreements, and the Jewish authorities had also complained of Pilate to Tiberius in Rome.
• Jesus' route follows the fourteen Stations of the Cross of Catholic tradition, although some claim that many of them are not historical.
• The Latin used in the film is Ecclesiastical Latin (the official Latin pronunciation of the Roman Catholic Church), which is pronounced similarly to modern Italian, rather than the original Latin pronunciation used by the ancient Romans .
• The phrase Ma nishtana ha-layla ha-ze me-kol ha-leylot ("what makes this night different from all the other nights?") is traditionally said at Pesach seders; but it is written in the Haggadah rather than the Tanakh. Tradition holds that the Haggadah was written after the fall of the Second Temple, or after AD 70. The phrase might have been traditional before the Haggadah was written. It is one of the opening lines (spoken by the Virgin Mary), and one of the few Hebrew lines in the film.

Catholic Imagery

The Passion of the Christ contains many details influenced by or taken from Catholic teaching or traditions.

Mary, Mother of Jesus

Mary is an important figure in Catholic teaching. She is considered to be the perfect follower of Christ, and united herself in a very unique way to her Son's sufferings. This importance of Mary is seen in the film. A great deal of the movie focuses on her experience during the sufferings of Jesus. Specific examples of Mary's role in the movie include the following.

• Simon Peter addresses her as "mother" (not specifically taken from Catholic tradition, but is certainly taken from the Catholic view of Mary as a mother figure).
• In one scene Satan is seen holding a (demonic) "baby", which he shows to Christ. This is probably meant as a parallel and mockery of Mary's motherhood to Christ.
• At one point when Christ falls while carrying the cross, Mary runs to Him. Christ then tells her "Behold, mother, I make all things new." The Gospels do not mention Mary meeting Christ on the way to calvary, but it is part of the Way or Stations of the Cross (see below). Christ's line in the movie is not a specific part of this tradition. It is derived from a similar passage in the book of Revelation in the Bible.
• Before the meeting of Mary and Jesus on the way to Calvary there is a flashback scene. In the scene, the child Jesus trips and falls and Mary runs to Him and holds him. While this is not any specific tradition, it is another instance of Mary's importance in the film and is a parallel to Mary going to Christ when He falls.

The Eucharist

According to Catholic teaching, Jesus' words at the Last Supper, "This is my body" regarding the bread, and "This is...my blood" regarding the wine, are meant to be taken literally. In the Eucharist (the Lord's Supper, Communion), the bread and wine actually become Jesus (the technical name for this belief is transubstantiation). The Eucharist is, further, directly related to Christ's offering on the cross. The Mass is sacrificial in nature; it makes present the sacrifice Jesus offered on the cross (note: it is not a new sacrifice, nor does Christ die again. There is one sacrifice, but it is made present at every Mass, according to Catholic teaching).

• In one scene, Saint John the Apostle remembers the Last Supper and the words of Christ, "This is my body...given [up] for you". Next is shown the cross being lifted up, Christ nailed to it. This is an allusion to Catholic belief regarding the Eucharist.
• In one scene, Mary and Mary Magdalene wipe up (with cloths given to them by Claudia, Pilate's wife) the blood of Jesus after the scourging at the pillar. This event is not a widely known tradition (it is taken from the writings of Anne Catherine Emmerich), and is certainly not a Catholic teaching. However, it could be suggested that this reflects Catholic devotion to the Precious Blood, the wine of the Eucharist (which is no longer wine but Christ's blood).

Mary Magdalene

According to one tradition, although it is not a Church teaching, Mary Magdalene was the woman caught in adultery from the Gospels. The film portrays this as being the case in one flashback scene.

The Stations of the Cross

There is a long-standing Catholic tradition of the Way of the Cross or the Stations of the Cross. These are fourteen events which traditionally occurred while Christ carried His cross to calvary. Not all are found in the Gospels. All fourteen (with the exception of the final one, Christ being laid in the tomb) are portrayed in the film. They are as follows:

• 1. Jesus is condemned to death
• 2. Jesus carries His cross
• 3. Jesus falls the first time (there are three "falls of Christ" in the stations, although this is not meant to suggest that He did not fall more times. The film portrays Him falling more than three times)
• 4. Jesus meets His mother (not specifically mentioned in the Gospels)
• 5. Simon helps Jesus carry His cross
• 6. Veronica wipes the face of Jesus (not specifcally mentioned in the Gospels, but is an old tradition)
• 7. Jesus falls the second time (see above)
• 8. The women of Jerusalem weep over Jesus (the film omits Jesus' words to the women as found in the Gospel, although that is probably just an artistic choice for the film and is not due to any Catholic tradition)
• 9. Jesus falls the third time (see above)
• 10. Jesus is stripped of His garments
• 11. Jesus is nailed to the cross
• 12. Jesus is lifted up on the cross and dies
• 13. Jesus is taken down from the cross and laid in the arms of His mother
• 14 Jesus is laid in the tomb (not shown in the film)

Critical perceptions

Charges of anti-Semitism

This movie is considered controversial by some Jewish and Christian groups. Some Jewish groups have expressed concern that the film blames the death of Jesus on the Jews as a group, which, they have said, could fan anti-Semitism. As much as a full year before the film's projected release, a heated controversy arose over whether it would depict Jews as responsible for the death of Jesus in the same way that previous passion plays have done, which has historically incited anti-Semitism. Members of the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith wrote a number of private letters to Mel Gibson, expressing their concerns that the movie may have unintended consequences for the Jewish community.

The Jewish community was concerned with the charge of deicide, which was the cause of many pogroms in history. Many rabbis in Orthodox Judaism, Reform Judaism and Conservative Judaism expressed fear that any movie based on traditional passion play forms, and especially incorporating ideas of Anne Catherine Emmerich, could only be interpreted by the audience as encouraging anti-Semitism. Similar concerns were raised by leaders in Jewish communal organizations and in Jewish community newspapers. Fr. William Fulco, S.J. of Loyola Marymount University (who translated the dialogue of the film into Aramaic) frequently defended the movie against such charges, stating that the script did not violate the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' 1988 criteria for portrayal of Jews in dramatizations of the Passion so as to avoid deliberate or inadvertent antisemitism.[31]

Gibson arranged for private screenings of the film; this caused more criticism, as his audiences included prominent Christians and Jews known for their political and social conservatism. Requests for a screening by the ADL were declined. American film reviewer, Michael Medved—a Jewish columnist and film reviewer—praised the movie's Biblical accuracy; although a February 16, 2004 Newsweek cover story by Jon Meacham suggests that there are numerous inaccuracies in the movie. Similarly, one statement by the ADL read:[32]

For filmmakers to do justice to the biblical accounts of the passion, they must complement their artistic vision with sound scholarship, which includes knowledge of how the passion accounts have been used historically to disparage and attack Jews and Judaism. Absent such scholarly and theological understanding, productions such as The Passion could likely falsify history and fuel the animus of those who hate Jews.

An early version of the script was leaked by an employee of Icon Productions to a joint committee of the Secretariat for Ecumenical and Inter-religious Affairs of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Department of Inter-religious Affairs of the Anti-Defamation League, who concluded[33] that

it was one of the most troublesome texts relative to anti-Semitic potential that any of us had seen in 25 years. It must be emphasized that the main storyline presented Jesus as having been relentlessly pursued by an evil cabal of Jews headed by the high priest Caiphas who finally blackmailed a weak-kneed Pilate into putting Jesus to death. This is precisely the storyline that fueled centuries of anti-Semitism within Christian societies. This is also a storyline rejected by the Roman Catholic Church at Vatican II in its document Nostra Aetate and by nearly all mainline Protestant churches in parallel documents. ... Unless this basic storyline has been altered by Mr. Gibson, a fringe Catholic who is building his own church in the Los Angeles area and who apparently accepts neither the teachings of Vatican II nor modern biblical scholarship, The Passion of the Christ retains a real potential for undermining the repudiation of classical Christian anti-Semitism by the churches in the last 40 years.

When the movie was finally released, although some Jews were supportive of Gibson, the overwhelming reaction from within the Jewish community was highly negative. Reviewer Katha Pollitt of The Nation observed that "Gibson has violated just about every precept of the (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) conference's own 1988 "Criteria" for the portrayal of Jews in dramatizations of the Passion (no bloodthirsty Jews, no rabble, no use of Scripture that reinforces negative stereotypes of Jews, etc.)". [34] The Jewish community was concerned with a number of issues:

• Many Jews, such as the High Priest, are portrayed as physically ugly. "The priests have big noses and gnarly faces, lumpish bodies, yellow teeth; Herod Antipas and his court are a bizarre collection of oily-haired, epicene perverts. The "good Jews" look like Italian movie stars (Magdalene is actually played by the Italian movie star Monica Bellucci); Mary, who would have been around 50 and appeared 70, could pass for a ripe 35." [35]
• The High Priest is shown as if he a were a member in good standing of the Jewish community, and as having control over the Roman occupation; historians note that the Jews were not allowed to appoint their own High Priest according to Biblical law, and that the High Priest at the time was in the service of the Roman government.
• Pontius Pilate is portrayed as a thoughtful, temperate man who ultimately agrees to crucify Jesus because he does not want to risk a Jewish rebellion on the one hand and a Christian rebellion on the other; but historians, including his contemporary Josephus, describe his savage treatment of Jews in general, crucifying many Jews during his reign.
• Barabbas is described by Pontius Pilate as a "notorious murderer," for which there is little evidence in text. Matthew 27:16 describes Barabbas simply as "notorious," and Luke 23: 19 even implies that his crimes may have been political (noting that he "had been thrown into prison for an insurrection in the city, and for murder.)". He is further portrayed as mad, for which there is no textual evidence whatsoever. Collectively, these editorial choices on the part of the film maker have the net effect of making Barabbas' release more craven than text would support.

When Gibson was asked if his movie would be offensive to Jews today, he responded, "It's not meant to. I think it's meant to just tell the truth. I want to be as truthful as possible."

In an interview in the Globe and Mail, February 14 2004, Gibson said: "If anyone has distorted Gospel passages to rationalize cruelty towards Jews or anyone, it's in defiance of repeated papal condemnation. The Papacy has condemned racism in any form", and, "Jesus died for the sins of all times, and I'll be the first on the line for culpability."

An ADL web page posted on August 13, 2003 provided examples of anti-Semitic responses to the ADL's criticism of this project. [36] Critics of the ADL retorted that it could not have been the film that caused any hateful e-mails to the ADL because the film had not yet been screened in public; rather, it was the ADL's attacks against a film on the life of Jesus that was the motivation. The Catholic League responded to the ADL by accusing the organization of "seeking to poison relations between Catholics and Jews", contending that the "attacks on Mel Gibson have little to do with some off-the-cuff quips and everything to do with waging a frontal assault against all those people—Catholics, Protestants, Jews et al.—who have seen The Passion and love it." [37] Other commentators who have seen the film—such as Cal Thomas and Roger Ebert—have also categorically denied that the film contains anti-Semitic material. [38]

Leon Wieseltier stated in New Republic's March 8, 2004 issue, "In its representation of its Jewish characters, The Passion of the Christ is without any doubt an anti-Semitic movie, and anybody who says otherwise knows nothing, or chooses to know nothing, about the visual history of anti-Semitism, in art and in film. What is so shocking about Gibson's Jews is how unreconstructed they are in their stereotypical appearances and actions. These are not merely anti-Semitic images; these are classically anti-Semitic images." [39]

On July 28, 2006, Gibson was arrested in California for speeding and on suspicion of drunk driving (see: Mel Gibson DUI incident). According to a leaked police report, he was abusive to the arresting officers and remarked "...Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world," asking one of them, “Are you a Jew?” He later issued, through his publicist, two apologies for the incident. In his second statement, he specifically denied being an anti-Semite and apologized to the Jewish community.

Positive views of Judaism

Some Orthodox Jews, such as Rabbi Daniel Lapin and Michael Medved, disagree that the movie was anti-Semitic and have spoken out in support of it. Supporters also point to the many positive portrayals of Jews in the film, such as Simon (who helps Jesus carry the cross), Mary Magdalene, Mary, Peter, John and Veronica (the woman who gives the cloth to Jesus).

A small number of politically conservative Orthodox Jews have rejected the charges that this movie was anti-Semitic, and in fact have publicly supported this film. Rabbi Steven Pruzansky, religious leader of Congregation Bnai Yeshurun in Teaneck, New Jersey, attacked Jewish critics of the film and even referred to them by the word rodef, a term used in rabbinic jurisprudence to describe an assailant who threatens Jewish lives and may be killed to preempt the danger. Rabbi Daniel Lapin, head of the Seattle-based Toward Tradition organization, declared that the ADL and its allies were "dangerous organizations, organizations that are driving a wedge between American Jews and Christians." Referring to ADL national director Abraham Foxman, Lapin said that by calling Gibson's film antisemitic, "what he is saying is that the only way to escape the wrath of Foxman is to repudiate your faith." [40]

Darío Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos, a senior Vatican official who has seen the film, addressed the question at length:[41]

Anti-Semitism, like all forms of racism, distorts the truth in order to put a whole race of people in a bad light. This film does nothing of the sort. It draws out from the historical objectivity of the Gospel narratives sentiments of forgiveness, mercy, and reconciliation. It captures the subtleties and the horror of sin, as well as the gentle power of love and forgiveness, without making or insinuating blanket condemnations against one group. This film expressed the exact opposite, that learning from the example of Christ, there should never be any more violence against any other human being.

Christian criticism

Several fundamentalist Protestant groups have criticized the film for its Catholic and ecumenical overtones.

Passion has been criticized by some Protestant Christian spokesmen for departing from New Testament story lines. A significant number of scenes and details in the movie are ideas from traditional passion plays and the Emmerich book. Additionally, many scenes and dramatic events are symbolic by nature, serving as groundwork, or support, for the storyline, and reflect events found elsewhere in the Christian scriptures or in the Catholic tradition. On the other hand, in New Zealand, the Office of Film and Literature Classification came under fire from the Society for the Promotion of Community Standards, a small fundamentalist Protestant lobby group, for classifying the film R16. The Society argued that persons under that age should be able to see the film's graphic portrayals of Christ's suffering.

The filmmakers defend that this depiction reflects the spirit and letter of the Christian New Testament Scriptures, though others disagree with that characterization. For example, a scene where soldiers push Jesus off a bridge is in Emmerich's work, but not in the Gospels. Some argue that the idea of universal culpability of the death of Jesus Christ is one of the principal underlying doctrines of Christianity, and has been fundamental to Catholic teaching since the 1st century. As expressed in the 1570 Catholic handbook Catechism of the Council of Trent:

In this guilt [for the Crucifixion] are involved all those who fall frequently into sin; for, as our sins consigned Christ the Lord to the death of the Cross, most certainly those who wallow in sin and iniquity crucify to themselves again the Son of God, as far as in them lies, and make a mockery of Him. This guilt seems more enormous in us than in the Jews, since according to the testimony of the same Apostle: If they had known it, they would never have crucified the Lord of glory; while we, on the contrary, professing to know Him, yet denying Him by our actions, seem in some sort to lay violent hands on Him.

Another controversy concerns the line "His blood [is] on us and on our children!" (Matthew 27:25), which has been historically interpreted by some anti-Semites as a curse on the Jewish people. For this reason, various Jewish groups requested that this be removed from the film, which was carried out. However, only the subtitle was removed, leaving the original line spoken in Aramaic.[42]

CNN reported that Pope John Paul II had a private viewing of the film shortly before its release. [43] Supporters of Gibson’s interpretation of the Passion claimed that the Pope allegedly remarked to his good friend, Monsignor Stanisław Dziwisz, "It is as it was." Dziwisz denied that this ever happened, but it was reported widely that the Pope had, indeed, said those words.

Most of the criticism from liberal Jewish and Christian groups and secular liberals has centered around the film's depiction of the Jewish leadership. Other criticisms have centered around Gibson's skewing the last hours of Christ toward his personal views, featuring events that are not purely derived from Biblical references. However, many prominent atheists such as journalist Christopher Hitchens and shock jock Howard Stern (both of whom are of Jewish ancestry), were very vocal in their attacks on the movie and, in many instances, Gibson personally.

Critical reaction

Critics were polarised over the film. According to the website RottenTomatoes.com only 51% of critics praised the film but 76% of viewers enjoyed it [44]. Similarly, critics rate it a B- [45], but users of Yahoo! rate it a B+.

Entertainment Weekly's June 2006 issue named The Passion of the Christ the most controversial film of all time, followed by Stanley Kubrick's 1971 film A Clockwork Orange.

Members of Monty Pythons Flying Circus, described the film as "the same as ours, but without the jokes" referring to their 1979 film The Life of Brian.

The film has been praised by some influential movie critics, including Roger Ebert. He gave the film four stars out of four.

Criticism over graphic violence

Several critics were troubled by the level of graphic violence in the film, and especially cautioned parents to avoid bringing their children to the theatres. Although Jesus' flogging is only mentioned in one sentence in each of three Gospels, and not mentioned in the other, the film devotes ten minutes of detailed scrutiny to the event.

Roger Ebert, who awarded the movie four stars out of four, said in his review:

The movie is 126 minutes long, and I would guess that at least 100 of those minutes, maybe more, are concerned specifically and graphically with the details of the torture and death of Jesus. This is the most violent film I have ever seen.

David Ansen, a critic from Newsweek, calling the film "relentlessly savage" and a "movie no child can, or should, see", said:

I have no doubt that Mel Gibson loves Jesus. From the evidence of "The Passion of the Christ", however, what he seems to love as much is the cinematic depiction of flayed, severed, swollen, scarred flesh and rivulets of spilled blood, the crack of bashed bones and the groans of someone enduring the ultimate physical agony.

A.O. Scott, writing for the "New York Times", stated that, "The Passion of the Christ is so relentlessly focused on the savagery of Jesus' final hours that this film seems to arise less from love than from wrath, and to succeed more in assaulting the spirit than in uplifting it."

Gibson said in his interview with Diane Sawyer:

I wanted it to be shocking. And I wanted it to be extreme... So that they see the enormity — the enormity of that sacrifice; to see that someone could endure that and still come back with love and forgiveness, even through extreme pain and suffering and ridicule.

The television comedy South Park also criticized the film's heavy focus on the crucifixion in an episode titled The Passion of the Jew, having one character claim the film "really guilt trips you into believing".

Music

Three CDs were released with Mel Gibson's co-operation: film soundtrack comprising of John Debney's original orchestral score; The Passion of the Christ: Songs (Original Songs Inspired by the Film), produced by Mark Joseph and Tim Cook, a GMA-Award winning album which contained original compositions from the likes of Lauryn Hill, Scott Stapp (formerly of Creed), P.O.D., Kirk Franklin, Yolanda Adams, MxPx & Mark Hoppus of Blink-182, Steven Curtis Chapman, Third Day, Bart Millard of Mercy Me, and finally the similarly-titled The Passion of the Christ: Songs Inspired by.

A preliminary film score was written and recorded by Lisa Gerrard and Patrick Cassidy, but was not completed in time for the release of the film. Jack Lenz served as primary musical researcher and as one of the composers, and several sound clips of his contributions have been posted from the final score of the movie.

See also

• Films with no title (at the start of the film)
• Dramatic portrayals of Jesus
• Stations of the Cross

References

1. Gibson breaks Hollywood’s 10 Commands - The Hollywood Reporter
2. Official site - The Passion of the Christ
3. Passion-movie.com
4. http://www.adl.org/presrele/mise_00/4275_00.asp
5. http://www.adl.org/anti_semitism/anti-semitic-responses.asp
6. http://www.catholicleague.org/03press_releases/quarter3/030918_adl.htm
7. http://www.townhall.com/columnists/calthomas/ct20030805.shtml
8. http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/comment-gaspari091803.asp
9. Apologetics Index entry on The Passion of the Christ
10. South Park: The Passion of the Jew Episode also on the South Park Single-Disc DVD with the same title.
11. S. Brent Plate, ed. Re-viewing the Passion: Mel Gibson's Film and Its Critics (New York: Palgrave, 2004]http://www.amazon.com/Re-Viewing-Passion-Gibsons-Film-Critics/dp/1403968004/ref=sr_oe_5_1/103-1849967-9771042?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1175044104&sr=1-5)

External links

• The Passion of the Christ at IMDb
• Animated Passion - "Worthy is the Lamb" at IMDb
• Vatican Cardinal praises 'Passion' - CNN
• Two thumbs up for 'The Passion', Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper's take on The Passion —as reported in the Sun-Times.
• Mel Gibson Christ film is branded anti-Jewish - Daily Telegraph
• First-five days box office income at $125.2 million BBC
• Grace-Centered Magazine Christian review of The Passion of the Christ
• Definitive DVD Review by Lethal Death--Drjkyll 17:30, 30 March 2007 (UTC)