Passion of the Christ // 666

[Eagle Prince]

I think what I don't like is how much it focuses on the suffering of christ and not the message of christ...
Granted thats not the movie Gibson set out to make... but its the one I wish he'd made.

I too would like to see a movie on Christ's ministry done as well as Passion, but I think it is important that I say this movie was not to focus on his suffering but to focus on the single most important thing Christ did.

Could the movie had shown more on Christ's ministry?  I think I should quite St. John who says it well, "And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written."

I just wanted to point this out for those who want to see the movie, because you will get more out of it if you look for that deeper meaning.  There are many subtle details in the movie that are really quite important to understanding the story.  Just for example, in one scene a lady offers Jesus a cup of water while he is dragging his cross to the hilltop, but a soldier kicks the cup out of her had before he can drink.  I didn't catch on while watching the movie, but that is actually important.  During the Last Supper, Christ said he wasn't going to drink after that until it was over.  So then later when he is on the cross, Jesus says "I thirst" which really takes on a new meaning, only one of which that it was finally over.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

I think it is important that I say this movie was not to focus on his suffering but to focus on the single most important thing Christ did.

see, that's the thing. To a lot of people maybe this was the most important thing he did, but to me and other Mormons, the most important thing Christ did is apparently not in the movie. It was the suffering in Gethsemane. And in the words of my dad, "How do you portray something like that?" Imo, you can't. Not really, because it's a level of suffering that isn't comprehensible without the Spirit.

[House of Mustard]

Local Mormon cynic Eric Snider wrote a surprisingly introspective review:

http://www.ericdsnider.com/view.php?mrkey=2043&PHPSESSID=15d5bcd4e7401cf28c27c2cedb0dd169


On a lighter note, on Leno the other day he made the comment that "Passion" was doing so well in theaters, that they've decided to make it into a book.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

best quote from that review: "The dialogue is in Aramaic, Hebrew and Latin, which were the languages of the day, with the addition of English subtitles, which were somewhat less common"

hey, maybe I'll read the book. Usually when I can't handle the images, I can read it just fine

[Mad Dr Jeffe]

Yeah and I understand Mel Gibson gets all the royalties from the sales of that too.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

man, i'd love to get royalties from sale of the Bible.

So long as that didn't condemn me to hell or anything...

[Mad Dr Jeffe]

and your concerned about me... talk about priestcraft

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

yeah, well, i said "if"

[Eagle Prince]

see, that's the thing. To a lot of people maybe this was the most important thing he did, but to me and other Mormons, the most important thing Christ did is apparently not in the movie. It was the suffering in Gethsemane. And in the words of my dad, "How do you portray something like that?" Imo, you can't. Not really, because it's a level of suffering that isn't comprehensible without the Spirit.

Yes that is very important also, and sorry if I wasn't clear, but I was including it.  In fact, the movie opens with Jesus praying in the garden of Gethsemane and blood begins to leak through his skin and drip off his face.  I don't wan't to preach to you, and yes I am also LDS, but Gethsemane wasn't the journey.  It was the first step of the journey that ended when Jesus was ressurected (they also show that in the movie).  As awesome of a thing as it was to take on all the sins of the world, that alone wasn't enough.  He also had to amend the Law, and the only way he could do that was take on all the sins of the world, then be cut from the Holy Spirit, and then die and be reborn.

I agree that it is impossible to show everything Jesus really went through, in any medium, but the movie does about as good of a job as you could.  One of the things I liked about it was how they did their best to make it seem like you were just there watching it.  Again I'm not telling anyone to go watch it, I just happened to watch it and found it enlightening, and have wanted to talk about it but there hasn't been anyone around to talk about it with.

[Eagle Prince]

double post

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

i was under the impression that it didn't show Gethsemane. at any rate, that's what I had been told.

Anyway, I disagree with you. Not essentially, I think that all of that was necessary. But Gethsemane was, if one can categorize it that way, more important than dying on the cross or even being resurrected.

It's almost unfortunate that chronologically the physical resurrection happened last, since that leaves it as the obvious choice for anyone's narrative apex, even though spiritual death, for me, seems a more important obstacle.

[Spriggan]

Gethsemane is in the movie

[House of Mustard]

According to Bruce R. McConkie, Christ actually suffered all of the pains of Gethsemane a second time while he was on the cross.  I'm not sure of his source on that (although I don't know how much apostles need to show their bibliography  ).

Even in LDS shows though, the resurrection seems to be the climactic moment (such as Lamb of God, or To this end was I born).  Not only is it more movie-friendly (you've already said how hard it is to depict taking the world's sins), but it also is the ultimate completion of the atonement--overcoming both physical and spiritual death.

[stacer]

Thought you guys might find Michael Medved's review interesting. The movie has been discussed to the point of nausea on a children's lit listserv I'm on, and this is the first balanced review I've heard from a prominent reviewer.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/movies/commentaries/passion-prejudice.html

[House of Mustard]

I find this no end of funny.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/LAW/03/18/passionate.dispute.ap/index.html