June 26, 2003
'I Saw the Passion'
Posted by Lew Rockwell at June 26, 2003 02:33 PM

John Zmirak writes: "In case you were wondering what the film will be like..."

I SAW THE PASSION
By Barbara Nicolosi

So I was at a private screening at Icon Productions yesterday, and got to see a rough cut of The Passion. There were about twelve people in the room, ncluding Mel Gibson, his producing partner Steve and four or five other Icon staffers. After the screening, we talked to Mel and friends for about an hour. (As cool as that was, the quality of the film was such that the celebrity stuff was completely gone from the moment. I can't explain it really, except that it would be like standing in the Sistine Chapel next to, well, someone like Mel Gibson. Great art is a great leveler....) The rough cut we saw obviously didn't have the final score or special effects, and there were many more sub-titles than they will have in the finished film.

So, here's my take...


The Passion is a stunning work of art. It is a devout, act of worship from Mel and his collaborators - in the way that Handel's Messiah and Notre Dame
were artistic acts of worship in previous times.

Let's get the controversy out of the way right at the top. The film is faithful to the Gospel, particularly St. John. It is no more anti-Semitic than is the Gospel.

Having seen the film now, I can only marvel that the attacks are pretty much demonic. Hopefully, the Devil will end up spitefully biting his own tail on this one-- as he does in The Passion by inciting on the executioners of Christ, and thus being complicit in his own ultimate defeat. The Passion is high art. It is the greatest movie about Jesus ever made. In the discussion following the film, Mel and co. were asking us how mainstream theater audiences would react to the film. I told them, "Who cares? What you have here is so much more than just a product to sell. It will live forever, regardless of whether it is a commercial success for you or not."

For those of us who love Jesus, The Passion is devastating to watch. It is so good, I almost couldn't stand it. There is one moment on the way of the cross sequence, in which the whole tragedy unfolding devolves into a vicious riot of hatred between Romans and Jews with the Savior on the ground in the middle of it getting it from both sides. It was so frenzied and terrible, I wanted to run from the room. But then, the film again finds Mary, Jesus's Mother on the sidelines, and her presence gets us through it. Kind of like how Mary's presence helped Jesus get through it, it seemed to me.

The film is lovingly Marian. Mary is perfectly portrayed here. She is contrasted repeatedly with the really super creepy Satan character, who is also a woman (something for the feminist theologians here? heh heh...).

The film is strongly Eucharistic. There is a beautiful juxtaposition of images that cuts from the stripping on Calvary to the unwrapping of the bread to be used at the last Supper. Fabulous stuff.

Every Christian needs to see this film at least once. Just to remember, in our current comfort zones while evil is closing in, the price that was paid for us. On my way home from the screening, I found myself praying in the car, "Jesus, I'm so sorry, I forgot..." How many films have led you to compunction lately? The Passion is a miracle.

I am very much looking forward to this film. I hope Mel will be able to get a distributor.

In Christ,
Anthony

This address was also posted on a list I am on and here is an additional review of it. It sounds really great.

http://www.churchofthemasses.blogspot.com/

Honestly, I cannot wait to see this movie. I saw a few clips from it on EWTN, and it looks breathtaking.

I recently rented Mel Gibson's last directorial effort, Braveheart, and was blown away by just how good it was. I had seen it in the theater almost ten years ago, and had forgotten how magical it is. If "The Passion" is half as good as Braveheart, it will be the best Jesus film ever.

Anthony

Dear Rose:

A question: how does it end?

Seriously - where does Mel decide to end the story? Does he take us to the Resurrection or does he stop short of it?

If he stops short, then us Byzantine-types might just have a theologial bone to pick with him.

Yours,

kl

Question from an interview!


does the film end with the Resurrection?
I'm going to say wait and see. It is really the only possible suspense left to the filmmaker isn't it? Because we all know what happens on Good Friday. I think it would be ungrateful of me to put this out there. Someone will probably leak it in the next nine months. It won't be me.

http://www.churchofthemasses.blogspot.com/

Since the ADL are attacking a movie, which almost exclusively uses our God breathed Holy Bible for its dialogue, I consider this to be an attack on my Faith. It is the ADL, and not Mel Gibson (who has already condemned anti-Semitism repeatedly) who need to be denounced as religious bigots.