The Passion of the Christ

[11] and [12]. An autopsy revealed he died of a cerebral edema and heart failure, and a later coroner's inquest revealed that this was brought on by acute cocaine poisoning. 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. During the early evening of 14 February 2004 Pantani was found dead at a hotel in Rimini, Italy. 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. At that point the chances of him once again being a contender in major races looked slim. 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. Pantani admitted himself into a clinic in northern Italy in June 2003, suffering from clinical depression.

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. He seemed to be back during the Giro of 2003, where he did not win any stage but proved to still be able to compete with the best racers, finishing well-placed in the mountain stages. It sold millions on its first day. After that he raced only sporadically in 2001 and 2002, still morally defeated from doping suspicions. Fox Home Entertainment distributed the release of the film on DVD on August 31, 2004. This was the last race won by Pantani, who left that Tour before its end. 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. In that same Tour, up to Courchevel, he won another stage, attacking and leaving everyone behind him, even Armstrong.

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]. The nickname was derived from Pantani's very prominent ears. Passion has been criticized by some Protestant Christian spokesmen for departing from New Testament storylines. On the final stretch, Armstrong allowed Pantani to pull away, giving him the stage victory, a gesture that Pantani resented, causing bad blood between the two riders, exacerbated when Armstrong referred to his rival as Elefantino (italian for 'little elephant', a nickname Pantani hated. Gibson said in his interview with Diane Sawyer:. Although well off the pace for much of the race, he showed a glimpse of his talent and determination when he matched the seemingly invincible Lance Armstrong pedal for pedal up the fearsome Mont Ventoux, leaving the rest of the field way behind. David Ansen, a critic from Newsweek, calling the film "relentlessly savage" and a "movie no child can, or should, see", said:. Pantani did also participate at the 2000 Tour de France.

Roger Ebert, who awarded the movie four stars out of four, said in his review:. In (2000) he was back on the Giro, without having really prepared for it, and did not seem to be able to compete with the other racers: he lost a lot of time and could not place any attack until the last mountain stage arriving in Briancon, in which he helped his teammate Stefano Garzelli to win the Giro and placed an attack without anyone being able to follow him, but he finished only second on the stage because he could not catch a persistent attacker. 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. Despite the drug allegations, Pantani remained popular with many fans as something of a throwback to the great pure climbers of the past, explosively attacking in the mountains and making the race exciting, rather than grinding his rivals down. [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. After his banishment from the Giro, his pride wounded, Pantani stayed away from the rest of the year's races. CNN reported that Pope John Paul II had a private viewing of the film shortly before its release. He was well on the way to winning, having already won four stages, with all his challengers far away in the classment and only one mountain stage left, when he was disqualified from the race (eventually won by Ivan Gotti) for a suspiciously high red blood cell count which suggested (although could not conclusively prove) use of the banned substance EPO (he was also found to have a hematocrit level of %60 after his crash in 1995 - far above the later adopted %50 limit [1] ).

[8]. Things turned bad for Pantani towards the end of the 1999 Giro. 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. Under those conditions, Pantani, who was not touched by the doping scandal, looked like a saviour for that Tour and for cycling in general. 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. There were two cyclists' strikes protesting the police atmosphere to which the Tour had fallen. 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). The scandal touched not only the Festina team, but all the cyclists: during the Tour there were investigations of numerous teams and many of them left the Tour voluntarily.

However there two problems with Gibson's statement:. Although Ullrich showed his character by going on the offensive on the Col du Madeleine during the next stage to Albertville, Pantani followed him easily and went on to become the first Italian since Felice Gimondi (1965) to win the Tour. 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]. In the Pyrénées Pantani pulled back early time losses to Ullrich from the first week and then delivered a sensational coup by defeating him by almost nine minutes in one epic Alpine mountain stage, from Grenoble to Les Deux Alpes, via the Col de la Croix de Fer and Col du Galibier, under horrible weather conditions. 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. And he was also triumphant in the Tour de France; where he was finally able to crack the resolute and hitherto indestructible Ullrich, who, though wearing the yellow jersey in his first year as team leader, had also showed his lack of experience by becoming isolated from his team-mates several times in the mountain stages. But when you look at the reasons Christ came, he was crucified — he died for all mankind and he suffered for all mankind. For the first time he won the Giro d'Italia, beating Pavel Tonkov and Alex Zülle.

I want to be as truthful as possible. The following year, 1998, was the year of glory for Pantani. I think it’s meant to just tell the truth. Ullrich was then able to recover these losses and more in the individual time trials to which he was far more suited; thus, he ultimately claimed the yellow jersey, with Pantani finishing third overall after Jan Ullrich and Richard Virenque. When asked himself whether or not his movie would be offensive to Jews today, Gibson replied, “It’s not meant to. Because of his slight build and unique ability, Pantani was virtually unmatchable in the high mountains of the Alps and Pyrénées and won two stages, establishing the record time for the climb of Alpe d'Huez, but the bulkier and more powerful Jan Ullrich showed his own determination and limited the amount of time he lost to Pantani during some titanic battles. 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. Remarkably, he returned to action the same year in the Tour and mounted a strong challenge for the yellow jersey.

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. Pantani returned to action in the Giro in 1997, but was felled by a black cat which ran out in front of him during one of the first stages, ending his race. For example, a scene where Jews cruelly push Jesus off of a bridge is in Emmerich's work, but not in the Gospels. He broke his leg in two places and was left facing the end of his career. The filmmakers defend that this depiction reflects the spirit and letter of the Christian New Testament Scriptures, though others disagree with that characterization. Just when he looked set to build on this success, Pantani was in a horrific collision during the Italian Milano-Torino race near the end of the 1995 season. 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:. He preferred this position so much that Bianchi built him a special bike with a very high head-tube to accommodate a higher handlebar position.

Several fundamentalist Protestant groups have criticized the film for its Catholic and ecumenical overtones. Pantani developed a unique climbing style in which he stayed on the drops the entire way, often while pedaling out of the saddle. 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. His determination to win, which made him take big risks downhill and often arrive at the top of a mountain pass close to asphyxia, can be well explained by the way he answered to a journalist asking why he was so fast during a climb: "to make my suffering end sooner.". This movie is considered controversial by some Jewish and Christian groups. He impressed the other cyclists so much that, during a stage in Tour de France one of them clapped his hands as he was overtaken by Pantani. (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. Even though he often lost a lot of time during individual time trials, it looked like no one could resist him in the high mountains.

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. During the early years of Pantani's career he created a sensation with his unique style of climbing. 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). He also finished third in 1995's world championship. (Where possible, the source of these details is indicated in parentheses after the entry.). In 1995 he could not participate in the Giro because of an accident, but he was back in the Tour and he won two stages, at Guzet Neige and at Alpe d'Huez. $25 million, financed entirely by Gibson. Pantani made his Tour de France debut in 1994 finishing 3rd overall, but he did not win a single stage even though he attacked and left behind him Induráin (the Tour winner) during several stages.

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. He would probably have won that Giro if his team had not asked him to help their leader, Claudio Chiappucci, during the first mountain stages, where he lost a lot of time to Berzin. Crew:. In 1994, during his second participation to the Giro d'Italia, he became known after winning two mountain stages and finishing 2nd overall after Eugeni Berzin and before Miguel Induráin, who had won the last two editions of the Giro. Cast:. At 1.72 m and just 57 kg (5 ft 8 in, 126 lb/9 st), Pantani was a classically built mountain climber. 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. .

to undergo several hours of application of the appliances that would make it look like he had been viciously flayed. He died of a cocaine overdose in 2004. The complex full-body makeup required the actor to be awake at 2 a.m. However, since 1999 his career was dogged by drug allegations, following his failing a blood test in the 1999 Giro. During the scourging scene, Caviezel was actually whipped twice and still bears scars. The bandana he often wore and his attacking style of riding led to him being dubbed 'Il Pirata' (the pirate) by the adoring Italian "tifosi" - his fans. He separated his shoulder while filming a scene in which Jesus falls and the cross lands on his back. The high point of his career was to win the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia in 1998.

Caviezel suffered numerous injuries and ailments during the production, including pneumonia. Marco Pantani (Cesena, January 13, 1970 – February 14, 2004) was an Italian cyclist widely regarded as being one of the best climbers of all times in professional road bicycle racing. Jim Caviezel, the American actor playing Jesus, is, like Mel Gibson, a devout Catholic. 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. [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.

gotta leave it alone, Diane. I love him.. 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.. 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.

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. 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. 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. 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.

Arguably, the most controversial of those was "The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ". 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. 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.". However, Jewish Romanian actress Maia Morgenstern (who played Mary), who is the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, rejects these criticisms.

The film was seen by many critics to be nothing less than a modern-day Passion play that propagates the Jews' guilt of deicide. 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. Icon Films distributed it in the United Kingdom. In Canada, Equinox Films was the distributor.

In fact, the film was completed before a distributor, Newmarket Films, agreed to release it in the U.S. 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 addition to directing, Gibson co-produced and co-wrote the screenplay with Benedict Fitzgerald. 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.

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

Others simply passed on The Passion Recut because the original version was already available on DVD and VHS. 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. 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. Mel Gibson removed approximately five minutes of the most graphic footage in an effort to broaden the audience of the film.

An edited version of the film was released on March 11, 2005 as The Passion Recut. 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). 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). 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.

It was filmed on location in Matera, Italy and Cinecittà Studios, Rome, Italy. The movie was released with subtitles. The film’s dialogue is in Latin, Hebrew, and Aramaic, which was Jesus' mother tongue. It is directed by Mel Gibson.

The Passion of the Christ (2004) is a film about the last twelve hours of the life of Jesus Christ. Jesus' execution was done in haste (Mk.15:25; Jn 19:31). 23:48) of Jews are sorrowful about Jesus' crucifixion. 23:27) and all the multitudes (Lk.

A great multitude of the people (Lk. 19:1-8 ff.). 15:15, as against Jn. Jesus was scourged as part of the Roman crucifixion procedure once Pilate ordered his execution (Mk.

Pilate was known to use violence to enforce Roman rule (Lk 13:1). 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]. 18:3). Jesus is arrested by Temple guards and Roman soldiers (Jn.

the opposite of the film's claim he could lead a revolt.]. [N.B. 11:48). Caiaphas fears that a riot could provoke the Romans to destroy the Temple (Jn.

14:2). Because Jesus is popular with the people at large, he is arrested clandestinely at night to avoid a riot (Mk. 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. 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.

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. However this is also true of the Roman soldiers. 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. In general, the people are too clean, and have too many teeth.

The multilingual sign should typically have gone around his neck, etc. 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 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. 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.

Many details of the crucifixion fail to incorporate the last century's worth of research. 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. Pilate and Jews had had several fierce disagreements, and Jewish authorities had also complained of Pilate to Tiberius in Rome. There are no direct facts supporting the view, but however the depiction is not unrealistic.

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. However, the conversation is started in Aramaic by Pilate, while the switch to Latin is made by Jesus. 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. Some Jews, under Roman occupation, would have been able to converse to some extent in Latin.

This is historically unlikely, although not impossible. In the film, Jesus and Pilate converse in Latin. In any case, his workshop is tidier than real-life establishments of this nature tend to be. Whether he actually was a carpenter (and if so, what kind, and for what employers) is a point of current discussion among historians.

Jesus is shown working as a carpenter, specifically as an independent craftsman (making tables). (John 20:25-27). 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`. The final scene of the movie shows Jesus leaving the tomb after the Resurrection.

In the Gospels it is only reported that the curtain at the Holy of Holies was split. The earthquake described by Matthew causes a huge fissure to split the Temple down the center. James 1:15 "Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.". Cf.

Yet another interpretation holds that the baby is representative of original sin (the curse Jesus came to remove by his sacrifice). 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. Instead of a normal mother and child you have an androgynous figure holding a 40-year-old ‘baby’ with hair on his back. What is more tender and beautiful than a mother and a child? So the Devil takes that and distorts it just a little bit.

No mention of this is in the Gospels, and Mel Gibson is reported to have said “it’s evil distorting what’s good. The devil is shown carrying an “Ugly Baby” during Christ’s flogging. 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 crucified criminal who mocked Jesus was shown being pecked at mercilessly by a raven.

Emmerich, chapter 43, and the apocryphal Acts of Pilate, also known as the Gospel of Nicodemus.). (Cf. The names assigned to the thieves crucified with Christ, Dismas and Gesmas (also Gestas), are traditional but are not given in Scripture. (Reportedly a mistake in the filming that Gibson decided “looked good”.).

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. After Jesus is nailed to the cross but before it has been raised, Roman soldiers flip the cross and Jesus over. (Emmerich chapter 38.). 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 describes seven falls and also the encounter with Mary, chapters 31–36.). 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). Also, Mary goes to Jesus so that she may comfort him. While travelling along the Via Dolorosa, Jesus falls under the weight of the cross three times.

(Emmerich, chapter 34, which also includes her offering Jesus a drink.). This event does not appear in any Bible narrative, but is a depiction of the Roman Catholic tradition of Veronica's Veil. Along the Via Dolorosa, the image of Jesus’ face is transferred to a cloth given to him by a woman. Emmerich, chapter 36.).

(Cf. Only Simon’s name, place of origin, and the fact that he helped Jesus carry the cross are in all three Synoptic Gospels. 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. Along the Via Dolorosa, Jesus is repeatedly rope whipped by a trailing Roman soldier.

(Emmerich, chapter 23.). After the scourging, Mary wipes up the blood of Jesus with towels provided by Pilate’s wife. The Gospels state only that he was scourged (see flagellation), though they do state that Christ was "almost unrecognizable" after that day. 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 gospel of Matthew only mentions a message from Pilate’s wife delivered while Pilate is hearing the case.). Emmerich, chapter 19. (Cf. 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.

It has been a matter of contention between some traditionalists and other parties both inside and outside the Church. The identification of Mary Magdalene with the adulterous woman is not explicit in the text, nor is not official Catholic dogma. 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. 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.

Herod Antipas is portrayed as a mincing, lisping, effeminate homosexual, complete with a “boy-toy”. (Emmerich, chapter 17.). 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 mentions a similar event in chapter 13.).

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 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. Acts states that his body also fell, causing him to burst open and spill out his bowels. Matthew reports that Judas committed suicide by strangulation, presumed to be from hanging.

Judas is tormented by “children” whose morphing facial features suggest they are demons, driving him to suicide. (Taken from Anne Catherine Emmerich, The Dolorous Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, chapter 3.). A Jewish Temple guard, sent to apprehend Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, drops him from a small bridge suspended from a chain. This was a reference to Genesis 3:15, the Protoevangelion.[4].

In the Garden, Jesus crushes a serpent's head. (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.). During Jesus’ distress in the Garden of Gethsemane, Satan is shown speaking to him. Reverend William Fulco - translated script into Latin and reconstructed Aramaic.

Francesco Frigeri - production designer. Caleb Deschanel - director of photography. Benedict Fitzgerald - co-screenwriter. Mel Gibson - director, co-producer, co-screenwriter.

Claudia Gerini - Claudia Procles. Luca Lionello - Judas. Francesco DeVito - Peter. Hristo Jivkov - John.

Rosalinda Celentano - Satan. Mattia Sbragia - Caiphas. Hristo Naumov Shopov - Pontius Pilate. Monica Bellucci - Mary Magdalene.

Maia Morgenstern - Mary, the mother of Jesus. James Caviezel - Jesus, the Christ.