The Passion rotten so far

[Imran Siddiqui]

All they mention is that was distasteful

Indeed... yet this violence in the Passion isn't distastful? Like I said, it's amusing.

[Drake Tungsten]

Indeed... yet this violence in the Passion isn't distastful?

Who has said that? Most of the reviews I've read go out of their way to mention the distasteful violence. Many people just think that the violence, while brutal, is necessary to fully tell the story of Christ's suffering. Nothing amusing about it.

[The Mad Monk]

February 24, 2004 -- Hundreds of New Yorkers got a sneak preview of Mel Gibson's controversial movie, "The Passion of the Christ," yesterday - leaving many deeply moved and in tears, but some taken aback by the film's gory violence.
"I'd give it 10 stars. It's one of the best movies I've ever seen in my life," said Maritza Castro, 32, who had tears streaming down her face as she left a preview screening for church groups at the Magic Johnson Theater in Harlem.

"I knew from the Bible that he did take a beating. I didn't know how intense," she said.

"The movie just . . . made me feel like I was part of that crowd [at the crucifixion], like I was there . . . So much so that my chest is just caved in. It's awesome."

Tom Schoenherr, 48, an assistant dean at Fordham Law School, attended a screening sponsored by the American Bible Society at the Loews 84th Street Theater on the Upper West Side.

"Having read the story, to see a dramatic portrayal of it was just amazing," Schoenherr said.

He said he wept during scenes showing Mary's devotion to Jesus, but there were also times he had to avert his eyes from the often-bloody depiction of the last hours of Jesus' life.



"The story is about someone who was murdered in a horrific way. It's not a pretty thing. But it was an accurate portrayal and extremely effective," he said.

Peter Trautmann, 32, a campus minister from Manhattan, said the movie was "excellent, overwhelming."

"I cried through much of it," he said. "It's a very accurate, powerful, visceral experience."

The movie, which officially opens tomorrow, shows Jesus repeatedly beaten by Jewish temple guards and Roman soldiers, with a bloody focus on a lengthy scourging that leaves his body covered with deep lacerations.

Jesus, played by actor James Caviezel, is beaten more as he drags a cross through the streets, and the intensity of the violence escalates when he is crucified.

Yanira Gonzalez, 39, hugged her husband, Pete, outside the Magic Johnson Theater.

"It was very powerful. If you don't know Jesus, by the time you finish watching this movie, you definitely will," she said.

"It wasn't [overly] violent. If you read the Bible, you'll see that he [Gibson] went by that. If the Bible had had pictures, it would have been just like that."

But several people said they were shocked by the graphic violence and gore.

"I think it's more violent than the biblical texts indicate," said Gene Habecker, 57, president of the Bible Society, which gave away 8,000 tickets for regularly scheduled screenings of the film.

He said he was concerned by what he saw as "gratuitous violence in the movie," but added that the film will help spark religious discussion and exploration.

At a screening at the Regal Battery Park Theaters, the Rev. Earl Kooperkamp, 47, of St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Harlem, said, "It was way too Hollywood. The production was too violent and over the top."

At the Loews 84th Street, Manhattanite Yaniv Moyal, 36, called the film "a missed opportunity."

"All they concentrated on was how he died, which was really brutal and vicious," Moyal said. "I expected to see more of his teaching, more of his wisdom. We didn't see it. It was all about the brutal killing of a person."

Moyal, who is Jewish, said he did not think the film was anti-Semitic, saying, "It's Jews killing a Jew. How many Christians have killed Christians in history?"

Many Jewish leaders and some Christian scholars have warned the movie could fuel anti-Semitism by the way it portrays the Jewish priests and a Jewish mob clamoring for Jesus' death.

"I'm walking out of there very confused, awe-stricken and full of questions. Questions like: Is this biblical truth? How accurate is it?" said Raul Rojas, 34, a Queens resident who runs a Christian Web site.

"I can see where people would see it as anti-Semitic, [such as the scene] where everyone is shouting, 'Crucify him!'

"If you don't come in there with a strong biblical background, I can see where Jewish folks would say it could be misinterpreted," said Rojas, who added that he still liked the movie and wept during much of it.

Despite all the hype, some people came away unimpressed.

"It's average and not a quality film. I'm left wondering what was Mel Gibson's point," said Sam Smith, 24, a Manhattan teacher. "He tried to make it very deep, but I didn't see it."

http://www.nypost.com/entertainment/18874.htm

[Shi Huangdi]

I like how it's been judged by so many who have yet to see it. I think some people are going by ideology more then review of a movie.

The violence in this case is historical, and I think needs to be done in order to fully realize Jesus' ordeal and the consequence of our sin.

[Asher]

It looks like a crap movie with a totally unbelievable premise.

[Drake Tungsten]

What's so unbelievable about a man being tortured to death?

[monkspider]

Yeah Ash, it's not half as unbelieveable as some of the crap you post about Microsoft.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Drake Tungsten
What's so unbelievable about a man being tortured to death?

Oh, that's believable, especially a no-good hippy like him.

[Agathon]

I can't wait for

[voiceover]Two thousand years ago, they took everything he had...

Now he's back, and he's fighting for justice the only way he knows how...

This time it's personal... this time he will win... and this summer he's coming to a cinema near you - and let me tell you buddy, he ain't takin' no loincloth jokes from no pinko-atheist punks.

pause

The Republican Party and the White God Fearin' People's Church of Alabama proudly present...

...a Jerry Falwell film...


Brian Dennehy is...

Jesus of Nazareth in "The Passion of Christ II: Judge or be Judged"

Coming soon... [/voiceover]

[Drake Tungsten]

Wesley Snipes would make a better Jesus; he was a black man, after all.

[Agathon]

I can just imagine it.

But you gotta be kidding - everyone knows that Jesus was an Aryan. That stuff about him being Jewish is a liberal conspiracy.

[Dis]

Gibson is a sadist. Why so much torture?

[Alexander's Horse]

Originally posted by Dissident
Gibson is a sadist. Why so much torture?

If you want a serious answer, he's emphasising the suffering redemptive christ. This is a strong emphasis in some christian and catholic traditions - the Spanish or Latin tradition for example. That's why the crucifixes in Spanish churches are so vivid - to remind believers of Christ's suffering for them.

[Agathon]

Freud was right about this. The whole thing is a massive pervfest.

[Alexander's Horse]

Yes, it can verge on pornography. Sounds like this film has crossed the line.