The passion of the christ

What do you guys feel about Mel Gibson's new movie coming out on ash wednesday? I hear its supposed to be about the last 12 hours of Jesus before his death and I also hear its extremely gruesome. Its been extremely hyped up and im just wondering what you guys have to say about it?

looks good. as long as people remember that it's his rendition of his beliefs and not what we should believe as true- it should be a good movie. i'm gonna go see it! dunno how the aramaic and latin with subtitles will work with my mind, but it'll deff. be interesting.

this line was never here

Apparently someone involved with it was struck by lightning during the making of it. Twice.

Still wondering if I'll go see it. I'll read some reviews, and see what other learned religious people say about it. Not sure how I feel about it as a Christian just yet...

*edit* Aramaic etc without subtitles should be something interesting.

I'll probably give it a look.

Mel's more serious roles have always been great at the box office, Braveheart, Signs, The Patriot. :2cents:

I want to see it

Its a movie like any other. People acting out whatever scene was written for them by whatever the writers, directors and producers believe will make them money. Weather its accurate or not isn't really their highest consideration.

It'll get some peoples hackles in an uproar. It'll be the "Last Temptation of Christ" style whining by someone.

the person playing jesus was struck by lighting, and so was the assident director. kina makes you wonder huh...

Seein' it the day it comes out after school. Since I got early dismissal, be there like early afternoon. I've been waiting awhile for it.....

I think it looks really good, I hear that Mel Gibson spent $25 Million of his own money to put this on. I think im going to go see it when it comes out that wednesday.

yea pretty crazy how the actor playing jesus got struck by lightning. They had to figure out how to finish the movie, so they just used mel gibson in the crucifixion scene. i may see it

seems like god is picking the characters

Seems llike I read somewhere that the church officially backed it. What church I don't know but I remember that Gibson gave a bunch of them a private screening.

I think its great the mel gibson spent all that money on a film just to bring ppl to she what it was like, to see the truth

The guy struck by lightning was holding an umbrella on top of a hill in a storm, i mean come on, lets not read too much into this...

Good to see everyone's being rational in here :rolleyes:

Mel's more serious roles have always been great at the box office, Braveheart, Signs, The Patriot. :2cents:
Well, considering he doesn't have a role in this film..

I've been dying to see this film for over a year. Originally there was going to be no subtitles with all the Arabic, but I'm glad they decided to add them in because the script contains some of the most beautiful dialogue I've read in a while.

Well, considering he doesn't have a role in this film..


well he does have a cameo in the movie....like you'll see his foot here, his hand there... it's true

i think of it as funny as people saying that it's extremely graphic....i just say well that's the closest to showing how it was like back then without trying to develop a time machine to go back in time then....i'm not sure if i'm going to see it, but i thought that it would have been better to have it opening up on Good Friday :2cents:

I am trying to get tickets for Friday night and go with some friends from my church, if I could I would go opening night. I think its BS that Mel Gibson is catching so much crap over him making a movie.

I can't wait to see it. I think its good that he's trying to keep it as factual as possible. And not just through his own eyes.

Well, considering he doesn't have a role in this film..

I've been dying to see this film for over a year. Originally there was going to be no subtitles with all the Arabic, but I'm glad they decided to add them in because the script contains some of the most beautiful dialogue I've read in a while.

Aramaic, not Arabic :)

Won't have a chance for a few weeks, but looking forward to seeing it. For now, about the only useful thing I can say is that the movie should not stir up anti-semitism, as some have feared. Gibson has been straightforward that the involvement of the Jewish leadership in the death of my boss does not lay blame on a few select individuals.

After the movie, I'll send a review to our local paper, starting "My name is Kevin and I am personally responsible for the death of Jesus of Nazareth. If anyone else would like to accept some responsibility, they're welcome to do so."

I'm told that the close-up of a Roman soldier's arm when Jesus is being nailed to the cross actually shows Gibson's own arm. That would be a pretty clear display of whom he holds responsible first...himself. Hopefully, present-day Jewish folks will not be offended. It's not an exact parallel, but I wouldn't expect present-day people of the city of Rome to take offense at seeing ancient Roman brutality.

My own faults are enough for me to say that what happened on the Cross is as ugly as loss of life can get, but as beautiful as love can be. I needed Him to die for me. Anyone interested might enjoy looking over Philippians 2:6-11. I'd like to go see the movie privately, and have a few days to think and pray before I form a response. But I'm always in the public eye because I'm a Catholic priest, and one of the 10,000 people in the parish is bound to bump into me at the theater. Supposedly, the pope said after seeing it that "It is as it was." But he said later the same day, I'm told, that he wasn't ready to give the movie a official endorsement. This would be due largely to the fact that he doesn't get involved in endorsements. When he wrote "Crossing the Threshold of Hope" and "The Theology of the Body" he didn't give his own books an offical endorsement, either.

Does any realise that its just a movie made by a talanted entertainer (he's more than a mere actor) with a misguided passion for money and religion?

I don't really mind the fact that he made the movie, if thats what he needed to do to make himself happy thats great, personally I think he would have been better off putting the money toward something more useful like helping poor people of feeding people that can't afford food. but whatever, I wish I would have found this thread earlier than I wouldn't have posted one in stress release about the same topic.

I don't really mind the fact that he made the movie, if thats what he needed to do to make himself happy thats great, personally I think he would have been better off putting the money toward something more useful like helping poor people of feeding people that can't afford food. but whatever, I wish I would have found this thread earlier than I wouldn't have posted one in stress release about the same topic.


Maybe with all the money he makes from the movie he might put some towards charity, but who knows. i think the movie will be good, our senior class might be going to see it, because i goto catholic highschool.

Maybe with all the money he makes from the movie he might put some towards charity, but who knows. i think the movie will be good, our senior class might be going to see it, because i goto catholic highschool.

That is great your class might go and see it.

I will see it too but not this weekend. I heard that the movie has a powerful effect on people (a good way). I just think that if we lived and loved like Jesus did our society would be better.

I do not think it will cause anti-Semitism, there are plenty of other movies about Jesus, and like the ones shown every Easter and they have not caused anti-Semitism.

I am praying that all goes well for the movie and that people will not use it as an excuse to cause harm to others. With that said even if that happens movies do not cause people to do bad things.

Peops must take responsibility for there own actions and not say that a movie caused them to do something bad.

I believe this to be true for all movies. I didn't like it when folks said The Matrix caused folks to shoot people and what not.

Just my cents worth :)

alfred

Regarding the suggstion that Gibson's money would have been better spent relieving poverty... I certainly agree that relieving poverty is good to do and we all have a duty as human beings to do what we can for others. I very pleased that the Catholic Church is largest provider of health care for the poor in the world, and that we do a great deal to feed the hungry throughout the world. As a man of faith, I'd like to say that this work of the Church is sustained by love of God and our neighbor. This means that the more profoundly we embrace our faith, the more motivated and effective we will be in serving the poor. Investing $25 mil in a movie that aims to stir up faith may prove to be very good for the poor. And ultimately, the most important part of the Church's mission to the poor is to care for their spiritual needs. :2cents:

Seein' it the day it comes out after school. Since I got early dismissal, be there like early afternoon. I've been waiting awhile for it.....

Chevelle is awsome.

That being said, I'm going to go into the theatre without any predetermined mindset, because being a Christian it would be easy to go into it and come out thinkinking that it is the most complete and extraordinary depiction of the death and ressurection ever produced (That is what happend the first time I saw F&F in theatres. I already had that movie, in my mind, as the greatest movie of all times. Once I bought the movie and watched it again after all the hype faded, I found it to be the worste thing I ever viewed on my television. I wanted to get rid of my television and dvd player just because it was tainted by that horrific production.) I already know a lot of the background of the story so it would be easy for me to fill in the spaces that the movie may leave out.

I think that there is a lot of passion that went into this movie, but passion without balance may not arouse people's convictions and draw them near to Christ, which is the main objective of this film (not to make money, for those who have this implanted into their minds.) The fact that Mel used a lot of his own resources to fund the movie re-enforces that he's not in it for the money, but there is not doubt in my mind that he will come out on top of this money-wise. Anyway, I'll have an opinion formed after tonight.

Did you ever see the movie, or has anyone seen the movie? If so, what did you guys think?

I saw it last night. I really enjoyed it. I thought that the violent content was totally necessary in order to convey the true setting of the crucifixion. It followed the Gospels pretty well, with some extra effects thrown in (it IS a theatrical production). I saw those as guides or tools to emphasize certain moods or the whole good vs. evil theme. It really brought to light exactly how much punishment Christ endured for humanity.

If I were viewing from the eyes of a Biblically uneducated person, I think that I would have found myself unclear of what was happening at a couple of points in the movie, but I don't follow movies too well anyway so maybe it's just me.

All and all I think it was a powerful movie and it really opened my eyes to the reality of his suffering.

God bless

http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/Central/02/26/passion.death.reut/index.htmland here's something that's quite strange about the whole movie

Report: Woman dies watching 'Passion'

CHICAGO, Illinois (Reuters) --A woman died of an apparent heart attack Wednesday while watching the climactic crucifixion scene in "The Passion of the Christ" at a morning showing in Wichita, Kansas, a television station reported.The film was stopped and a nurse in attendance went to the woman's side, KAKE-TV in Wichita reported."It was the highest emotional part of the movie," a spokeswoman for the station said. A crew from the station was at the special showing, which was sponsored by the ClearChannel Radio chain.The Wichita Eagle newspaper, on its Web site, identified the woman as Peggy Scott, 56, a sales manager for two local radio stations.Employees at KAKE-TV said they knew the woman as Peggy Law, adding they did not think she had any pre-existing health problems.The woman was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital, where a spokesman would only say she had been attending a movie. The county coroner's office said an autopsy would be performed.Mel Gibson's film, which opened Wednesday, has been both criticized and praised for its violent, bloody portrayal of Christ's final hours.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/Central/02/26/passion.death.reut/index.htmland here's something that's quite strange about the whole movie

Report: Woman dies watching 'Passion'

CHICAGO, Illinois (Reuters) --A woman died of an apparent heart attack Wednesday while watching the climactic crucifixion scene in "The Passion of the Christ" at a morning showing in Wichita, Kansas, a television station reported.The film was stopped and a nurse in attendance went to the woman's side, KAKE-TV in Wichita reported."It was the highest emotional part of the movie," a spokeswoman for the station said. A crew from the station was at the special showing, which was sponsored by the ClearChannel Radio chain.The Wichita Eagle newspaper, on its Web site, identified the woman as Peggy Scott, 56, a sales manager for two local radio stations.Employees at KAKE-TV said they knew the woman as Peggy Law, adding they did not think she had any pre-existing health problems.The woman was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital, where a spokesman would only say she had been attending a movie. The county coroner's office said an autopsy would be performed.Mel Gibson's film, which opened Wednesday, has been both criticized and praised for its violent, bloody portrayal of Christ's final hours.

Geez that is out of hand, way out of hand :mad:

yeah... heard about that today
very sad :(

now i'm wondering just how intense it really is...

http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/Central/02/26/passion.death.reut/index.htmland here's something that's quite strange about the whole movie

Report: Woman dies watching 'Passion'

CHICAGO, Illinois (Reuters) --A woman died of an apparent heart attack Wednesday while watching the climactic crucifixion scene in "The Passion of the Christ" at a morning showing in Wichita, Kansas, a television station reported.The film was stopped and a nurse in attendance went to the woman's side, KAKE-TV in Wichita reported."It was the highest emotional part of the movie," a spokeswoman for the station said. A crew from the station was at the special showing, which was sponsored by the ClearChannel Radio chain.The Wichita Eagle newspaper, on its Web site, identified the woman as Peggy Scott, 56, a sales manager for two local radio stations.Employees at KAKE-TV said they knew the woman as Peggy Law, adding they did not think she had any pre-existing health problems.The woman was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital, where a spokesman would only say she had been attending a movie. The county coroner's office said an autopsy would be performed.Mel Gibson's film, which opened Wednesday, has been both criticized and praised for its violent, bloody portrayal of Christ's final hours.
:rolleyes: Only in America.....

The guy struck by lightning was holding an umbrella on top of a hill in a storm, i mean come on, lets not read too much into this...

Good to see everyone's being rational in here :rolleyes:
I'd gladly stand on top of a hill with an umbrella, I'd play golf in a storm and all sorts. Do you have any idea how extremely little that much voltage is attracted to such a tiny thing?????

I'd gladly stand on top of a hill with an umbrella, I'd play golf in a storm and all sorts. Do you have any idea how extremely little that much voltage is attracted to such a tiny thing?????
I guess they must have been lying when they said lightning usually strikes the highest point... and that you should avoid being under a tree, or holding an umbrella, or in an open space... Well, since that's the case, in the chance that one day you're on top of hill in the middle of a storm, you stand there under an umbrella playing golf :screwy:

Edit: ahhh shit my sarcasm meter didnt go off :grinno:

Isnt it amazing that he was able to walk away from a lighning strike though, I dont know too many people that could be able to do that. I dont see why you guys are badmouthing him because of his stupidity on one occasion. Lets talk about how amazing him walking away from the incident is!

This has posibly been the most hyped film of the year.At the end of the day,it's just another actor throwing his money away for the chance to be director.'Playing God' is a phrase that comes to mind for this fanciful piece of pseudo-intellectual snuff movie.

I guess they must have been lying when they said lightning usually strikes the highest point... and that you should avoid being under a tree, or holding an umbrella, or in an open space... Well, since that's the case, in the chance that one day you're on top of hill in the middle of a storm, you stand there under an umbrella playing golf :screwy:

Edit: ahhh shit my sarcasm meter didnt go off :grinno:

Whats your umbrella connected to? You, and you're connected to? grass etc, so uh, where's the pure conductivity to suck it directionally? Nowhere. Same principles apply to twystrons etc. although in a slightly less contained environment. The way a lightning rod works is NOT by attraction to the bolt as a whole but when the lightning has decided to zap your building etc it offers a high point, so if you're going to be hit, you'll be hit, what you're holding wont change if, but where.

One factor to consider in discerning whether this is all a money-move by Gibson is that he has (or had) a career. The theater powers in Hollywood are reluctant to allow one of their own to cover matter so thoroughly Christian, and especially to make it with a hearty love for Catholicism. The old guard may side-line him forever. Gibson has lost many valuable ($) contacts. He might have to make any future movies out of his own pocket because of the Passion.
Second point, greed does not produce a positive and radical transformation of life. It was not greed that got Gibson off drugs and drunkenness, but faith. The actors held daily prayer services and a priest heard confessions every day. No one goes to confession out of greed. It just doesn't pay (in dollars, anyway).
Third, if greed was the motive for making the movie, the movie might have been made differently. There may have been even more lucrative ways to make it. He made the movie as he did because he fell impelled to do so.
What I'm asking is that if money is the dominant interest for Gibson, what is making him take up so much of his time with prayer and talk of divine love? The movie, I think, is a work of love.
Parmenides3

I'd have to disagree,Parmenides.I'd say it's a classic example of an actor getting too big for his boots,and wanting to take control of the whole film- making process.If the film were a viable commercial proposition,he could have financed it through the normal channels from the script alone.

I have to disagree taranaki. Why would he put on a charade of the daily prayer and confessions? Gibson already holds enough clout in Hollywood to direct any movie he wanted with the studio backing him. Why pay out of his own pocket? If the film were a viable commercial proposition (which it seems to be)then any studio would have backed him without much hesitation. As far as getting to big for his boots; it seems he wasn't too big for them in this instance. The movie appears to be a hit.

Taranaki, I appreciate your disagreement, especially because the things I have asserted above need to be supported with evidence. But part of your objection is evidence to which I point: it was not deemed a solid commercial prospect. My argument is that his motivation is therefore less likely to be money, and more likely to be faith. I agree that he probably would have made the movie with financial support from Hollywood, if such were available. If a director wants to make a movie whether he has good economic prospects or not, something deeper is moving him. Perhaps something as straightforward as wanting to make a good movie (as with George Lucas, when he was young and hungry).

And if control were the central issue, he could have bought and controlled any other script he liked. There is no shortage of scripts, even religious scripts. This script, apparently, seemed to Gibson like something that should be on the screen.

Like Orson Welles before him, Gibson has risked his career to make a movie which Hollywood finds distasteful. And like Welles, Gibson has proved to have the greater vision, and has won his wager. Hypothetically, if someone is motivated by faith or any other intensely personal vision, wouldn't it seem natural for them to want to be the primary agent in bringing that vision to the screen? Power, or control, is just a medium. It seems to me that the only powerful people who do something constructive with their power are those motivated by love. (Neither of us, I think, are would include those who make donations for tax reasons alone.) Kudos to the response that beat mine, and again for saying it in fewer words. Parmenides3

This has posibly been the most hyped film of the year.At the end of the day,it's just another actor throwing his money away for the chance to be director.'Playing God' is a phrase that comes to mind for this fanciful piece of pseudo-intellectual snuff movie.

Uhhh didn't the year just start? hee hee :)

It is a little early to be calling it the most hyped film of the year.

Has anybody else seen the movie? Ive heard one person has so far and thats good, but waht about anybody else. Ive heard that a person died in the theaters but that dosent mean it was because of the movie. It could have been because of a coiencidence? Now why do people get mad at someone making this kind of movie and saying it could have been used for better reasons when movies like, "eurotrip" arent even mentioned as a waiste of money? Alot of questions come to mind when talking about this movie and it would be nice to see some others come up and some answered.