dvdtalk.com gives a scathing review of Mel's movie

[ikojo]

http://www.dvdtalk.com/aisleview/

"It's funny, about fifteen minutes into Mel Gibson's The Passion it struck me just how much The Passion is a religious film. Of course a movie about the final hours of Jesus is going to be religious, but for some reason, going in I had missed the blindingly obvious fact that the movie is SOLELY a religious one. The Passion doesn't strive in any way to be entertainment, has nothing to do with characters, story or even dialog. The Passion is simply one man's attempt to re-enact a moment from the bible the way he views it; one could call it "The Gospel According to Mel".1"

"Gibson's selective translation are only a part of the much bigger issues of the film. Gibson seems to want to go the extra mile to make it unmistakable his feelings about "Nostra Aetate" 3 and at many turns points his directorial finger at the Jews. One need look no further than the 'Darth Vadersque' portrayal of The High Priest Caiphas and the 'Bloodthirsty Mob' as the key antagonists of the film. Contrast that to Pontius Pilate, who historically has been blamed for the crucifixion of Jesus, who is portrayed as a much more sympathetic character. In The Passion it's Pilate who seems to try time and again tried to save Jesus from the angry, bloodthirsty and unrelenting mob and who only finally relents out of a fear of an uprising than anything else."

"Claims that The Passion has the ability to fuel renewed waves of anti-semitism are not unfounded. This strict Christian Traditionalist telling of the story of Jesus' crucifixion and strong emphasis on the Jews as the antagonist is the stuff from which anti-semitism is made of, and I'd be surprised if The Passion doesn't stir up some level of anger directed towards Jews for being the 'ones to blame' despite all modern discussions and interpretations to the contrary."

End notes:

1. I definitely can't take credit for coming up with the catchy 'The Gospel According to Mel' it's been used several times in reference to The Passion. What's important to note is that The Passion is not solely based on the New Testament, it also draws from the diaries of Sister Anne Catherine Emmerich (1774-1824) and Mary of Agreda (1602-1665) 19th century mystics who wrote of visions of The Passion and the life of Jesus and Mary. Emmerich herself warned that her visions should not be taken as historical truth, but as a representation of what life was like. Also the tear drop towards the end of the film is all Mel and isn't cited in any Extra-Biblical Texts