The Passion of the Christ

The Passion of the Christ (2004) is a film about the last twelve hours of the life of Jesus Christ. It is directed by Mel Gibson. The film’s dialogue is in Latin, Hebrew, and Aramaic, which was Jesus' mother tongue. The movie was released with subtitles. It was filmed on location in Matera, Italy and Cinecittà Studios, Rome, Italy.

After months of interest and controversy (primarily over alleged anti-Semitism and the film's heavy gore) that led to record pre-release sales, the movie opened in the United States on February 25 (Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent), 2004. Taking $370m in the U.S., it became the highest-grossing R-rated film ever made, and had, for a time, the eighth highest all-time domestic gross (it has since dropped to tenth place). It is also one of the few movies to lose and then regain the #1 box-office ranking (it regained the top spot, as expected, on the 2004 Easter Weekend).

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 terribly 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 to not show unrated films. Others simply passed on The Passion Recut because the original version was already available on DVD and VHS.

Critics were polarized over the film. According to the website RottenTomatoes.com only 51% of critics praised the film but 76% of users loved it [1]. Similarly, critics rate it a B− [2], but users of Yahoo! rate it a B+.

Making of

Mel Gibson played many crucial roles in getting The Passion of the Christ made, and it has been called “Mel’s labor of love.” Gibson personally committed an estimated $40m to $50m of his own resources to finance and advertise the film. In addition to directing, Gibson co-produced and 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.

In addition to the attacks of anti-Semitism from many Jews and liberal Christians, Gibson’s traditionalist Catholic beliefs were also a frequent target by critics. 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, Jewish Romanian actress Maia Morgenstern (who played Mary), who is 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 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". Dictated to a writer by a sickly, stigmatic, and virtually illiterate German Augustinian nun named Anne Catherine Emmerich (1774–1824,) the book chronicled Emmerich's visions of Christ’s Passion, which sometimes depicted the Jews as even more vicious and bloodthirsty than the oppressive Romans who ruled Judaea at the time.

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 Augustinian nuns, and were a tribute to Emmerich.

But, arguably, the strongest criticism directed at Mel Gibson was due to his refusal to denounce the views of his father, Hutton Gibson, who espouses doubts concerning the number of Jews killed during the Holocaust. 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 even labeled the Second Vatican Council a Masonic plot launched by the Jews 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 critics 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 wanted.

There was a traditional Catholic priest on set during the entire filming, and sources state that there were a number of non-Christians in the cast and crew who converted to Christianity. Jim Caviezel, the American actor playing Jesus, is, like Mel Gibson, a devout Catholic.

Caviezel suffered numerous injuries and ailments during the production, including pneumonia. He separated his shoulder while filming a scene in which Jesus falls and the cross lands on his back. During the scourging scene, Caviezel was actually whipped twice and still bears scars. 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.

Australian photographer Ken Duncan was invited by Mel Gibson to be present during filming and offers limited edition prints [3] and a book full of photography shot on location.

Cast and crew

Cast:

• James Caviezel - Jesus, the Christ
• Maia Morgenstern - Mary, the mother of Jesus
• Monica Bellucci - Mary Magdalene
• Hristo Naumov Shopov - Pontius Pilate
• Mattia Sbragia - Caiphas
• Rosalinda Celentano - Satan
• Hristo Jivkov - John
• Francesco DeVito - Peter
• Luca Lionello - Judas
• Claudia Gerini - Claudia Procles

Crew:

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

The film was shot at Rome’s Cinecitta Studios and various locations in Italy, much of it in Matera, on a budget of U.S. $25 million, financed entirely by Gibson.

Details of the film

Details in the film not present in the New Testament

(Where possible, the source of these details is indicated in parentheses after the entry.)

• During Jesus’ distress in the Garden of Gethsemane, Satan is shown speaking to him. (In Luke 4:13, it is said that the Devil left Jesus “for a time”, and many theologians reason that Satan’s moment was in the Garden, but this encounter is not recorded in the Gospel.)
• In the Garden, Jesus crushes a serpent's head. This was a reference to Genesis 3:15, the Protoevangelion.[4]
• 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.) What happened here is that Judas went and hung himself and then his body later fell down and split open.

• 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 the historical record regarding 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 not official Catholic dogma. It has been a matter of contention between some traditionalists 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.)
• During the scourging scene Jesus is nearly flayed alive, back and front, by a variety of whip implements, some with embedded shells, glass and nails. The Gospels state only that he was scourged (see flagellation), though they do state that Christ was "almost unrecognizable" after that day.
• 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 flip the cross and Jesus over. When they are flipped face-down, Jesus and the cross seem to levitate above the ground, and when flipped back-down, both land with high impact on the ground. (Reportedly a mistake in the filming that Gibson decided “looked good”.)
• 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’ll never catch on.”
• The devil is shown carrying an “Ugly Baby” during Christ’s flogging. No mention of this is in the Gospels, and 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.” Another interpretation held by some viewers was that the baby was actually the Antichrist, symbolically being nurtured on the hatred of Jesus by the crowds. Yet another interpretation holds that the baby is representative of original sin (the curse Jesus came to remove by his sacrifice). Cf. James 1:15 "Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death."
• 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.
• 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)

Most of these details have been taken from Roman Catholic Tradition and the visions of Anne Catherine Emmerich, who vividly described Jesus’ Passion in the book The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to the Meditations of Anne Catherine Emmerich (Sulzbach, 1833). For Catholics, the visions of Anne Catherine Emmerich are not considered part of the oral Apostolic Tradition and therefore Roman Catholics are not compelled to accept them as true lest they be outside the faith. (Emmerich received beatification in 2004, though her visions were not considered as material for the process, since they were written down by another, who appears to have elaborated on them.) Details beyond primary textual sources are to be expected in dramatizations of historical events, but the trend and tenor of non-source material can assist in understanding the general tendencies of the creators.

Other controversial historical points

• Jesus is shown working as a carpenter, specifically as an independent craftsman (making tables). Whether he actually was a carpenter (and if so, what kind, and for what employers) is a point of current discussion among historians. In any case, his workshop is tidier than real-life establishments of this nature tend to be.
• 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 are no direct facts supporting the view, but however the depiction is not unrealistic. Pilate and Jews had had several fierce disagreements, and Jewish authorities had also complained of Pilate to Tiberius in Rome.
• Jesus' route follows the Fourteen Stations of the Cross of Catholic tradition, despite the fact that some claim that many of them are not historical.
• Many details of the crucifixion fail to incorporate the last century's worth of research. Various modern scholars would claim Jesus should have been entirely naked, as described in the Gospel of John (19:23-24), where the undergarment remains and the soldiers, unable to divide a single article of clothing, cast lots for it. The nails should have pierced his wrists or entered at an angle through the crevice in the palm next to the thumb and extending through the bones of the wrist, which the Greek diction of the Gospels allows. Jesus should have carried only the crossbeam, not the entire cross (as the vertical part would have remained permanently in place, ready for future victims). The multilingual sign should typically have gone around his neck, etc.
• In general, the people are too clean, and have too many teeth.

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

The Jewish community was concerned with the charge of deicide, which was the cause of many pogroms in history, and a number of other issues:

• Many Jews who do not follow Jesus, such as the High Priest, Caiaphas, are portrayed as physically ugly, perhaps drawing on stock anti-Semitic stereotypes of Jews. However this is also true of the Roman soldiers.
• The High Priest is shown as if he a were a member in good-standing of the Jewish community; historians note that the High Priest at the time was in the service of the Roman government, having been appointed by the Roman-client King Herod.
• 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. However, historians hold that Pilate was known for his rough treatment of Jews in general, and was responsible for crucifying hundreds of Jews during his reign.

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 Jews cruelly push Jesus off of a bridge is in Emmerich's work, but not in the Gospels. 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 Magdelene, Mary, Peter, Veronica (the woman who gives the cloth to Jesus), and of course Jesus himself.

When asked himself whether or not his movie would be offensive to Jews today, Gibson replied, “It’s not meant to. I think it’s meant to just tell the truth. I want to be as truthful as possible. But when you look at the reasons Christ came, he was crucified — he died for all mankind and he suffered for all mankind. So that, really, anyone who transgresses has to look at their own part or look at their own culpability.” This only added to the controversy, though Gibson tried to avoid it by filming his own hands driving the nails into the cross. Some were also skeptical of Gibson's intentions because of his ambiguous statements regarding the Holocaust and his father's allged denial of it.[5] [6]

However there two problems with Gibson's statement:

1. Because Jesus is popular with the people at large, he is arrested clandestinely at night to avoid a riot (Mk. 14:2).
2. Caiaphas fears that a riot could provoke the Romans to destroy the Temple (Jn. 11:48). [N.B. the opposite of the film's claim he could lead a revolt.]
3. Jesus is arrested by Temple guards and Roman soldiers (Jn. 18:3).
4. Jesus is questioned by Annas and Caiaphas about his disciples and his teaching and then taken to Pilate (Jn.18:19, 24, 28) [No Sanhedrin trial or question of Jesus' divinity].
5. Pilate was known to use violence to enforce Roman rule (Lk 13:1).
6. Jesus was scourged as part of the Roman crucifixion procedure once Pilate ordered his execution (Mk. 15:15, as against Jn. 19:1-8 ff.).
7. A great multitude of the people (Lk. 23:27) and all the multitudes (Lk. 23:48) of Jews are sorrowful about Jesus' crucifixion.
8. Jesus' execution was done in haste (Mk.15:25; Jn 19:31).

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.

However, others argue that the Church did not explicitly repudiate the deicide charge and anti-Semitism until the Second Vatican Council in 1965, and note that Gibson's father has spoken out against Vatican II, and that he has never spoken against his father's statements in the past (though he has not spoken out for them, either).

Another controversy concerns the line "His blood [is] on us and on our children!" (Matthew 27:25[7]]), 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; however, the Aramaic dialogue is still audible; only the [[subtitle] was removed. [8]

CNN reported that Pope John Paul II had a private viewing of the film shortly before its release. [9] 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.

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 — an unusual worry in a religious film. Roger Ebert, who awarded the movie four stars out of four, said in his review:

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

Gibson said in his interview with Diane Sawyer:

Criticism by Fundamentalist Protestants

Passion has been criticized by some Protestant Christian spokesmen for departing from New Testament storylines. A significant number of scenes and details in the movie are ideas from traditional passion plays and Anne Catherine Emmerich's book The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ [10]. 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.

DVD Release

Fox Home Entertainment distributed the release of the film on DVD on August 31, 2004. It sold millions on its first day. The film was presented on DVD with absolutely no special features, leaving many to wonder whether Gibson intended to "double-dip," so to speak, by releasing a special edition that Christmas or the following Easter. Neither of those things happened, and to this day there is no word or rumor that Gibson will fulfill what many have predicted he would.

Music

Three CDs were released with Mel Gibson's co-operation: the film soundtrack comprising of John Debney's original orchestral score; Songs Inspired By The Film which contained original collaborations from the likes of Scott Stapp and P.O.D.; and finally the similarly-titled Songs Inspired By The Passion of the Christ.

Trivia

Jim Caviezel, who played Jesus Christ, was struck by lightning during the shooting; while the assistant director, Jan Michelini, was allegedly struck by lightning twice and given the moniker Jan "Lightning Boy" Michelini in the film's closing credits. [11] and [12]. Caviezel, upon rising from the hit without major damage, reportedly said, "I guess He didn't like that take."

Jim Caviezel admitted that he was struck in the back accidentally during the scourging sequence, leaving a significant scar on his back. Apparently one of the actors portraying the Roman Guards was supposed to strike a board on Caviezel’s back to prevent from injuring Caviezel but had missed the mark.

The movie's atmosphere caused a number of crime confessions: a Norwegian neo-Nazi bomber, two burglars, a robber and a murderer (the murder of his girlfriend had been declared a suicide) turned themselves over to the police after having watched The Passion, seeking redemption.

Hellboy saw release in theaters at the same time, prompting some movie theaters- especially those in the south- to simply not play Hellboy at all. Certain other theaters would play the film, but would re-title it in their marquee. According to director Guillermo del Toro's DVD commentary, Passion hurt Hellboy ticket sales as a result.

Gibson/CleanFlicks Lawsuit

In November, 2005, Mel Gibson filed a lawsuit alleging that CleanFlicks, an American Fork, Utah firm owned by Ray Lines, infringed on his ownership of The Passion of The Christ by illegally editing it for profit. According to Lines, CleanFlicks has edited sex, violence and foul language out of 900 films, and has been in a legal dispute with the film industry for the past three years.

According to Lines, he edited only about three minutes of the most graphic footage out, but noted that Gibson himself did the same thing and released it a year later as The Passion Recut.

Gibson is reportedly not looking for monetary compensation. He simply wants CleanFlicks shut down.