Jesus of Montreal (1989)
"Jésus de Montréal" (original title)

A group of actors put on an unorthodox, but acclaimed Passion Play which incites the opposition of the Catholic Church while the actors' lives themselves begin to mirror the Passion itself.

Director:

Denys Arcand

Writer:

Denys Arcand

Stars:

Lothaire Bluteau, Catherine Wilkening, Johanne-Marie Tremblay

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 18 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lothaire Bluteau	...	Daniel
Catherine Wilkening	...	Mireille
Johanne-Marie Tremblay	...	Constance
Rémy Girard	...	Martin
Robert Lepage	...	René
Gilles Pelletier	...	Fr. Leclerc
Yves Jacques	...	Richard Cardinal
Cédric Noël
Pauline Martin
Véronique Le Flaguais
Jean-Louis Millette
Monique Miller
Christine-Ann Atallah
Valérie Gagné
Claude Léveillée

Storyline

A group of actors putting on an interpretive Passion Play in Montreal begin to experience a meshing of their characters and their private lives as the production takes form against the growing opposition of the Catholic church.

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Plot Keywords:

church | passion play | montréal quebec canada | advertisement | christianity | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Canada France

Language:

French English Italian

Release Date:

25 May 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Jesus of Montreal

Filming Locations:

Montréal, Québec, Canada

Box Office

Gross:

CAD 1,800,000 (Canada)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC), Communication, Gérard Mital Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film tracks the life of Christ in several specific ways:

• 1. The actor at the beginning, praised for his performance, turns and says that Daniel is a much better actor. This is a reference to John the Baptist as the herald of Christ.
• 2. A woman producer says she wants the same actor's "head" for her magazine, a reference to Herodias wanting John the Baptist dead. His head then appears in a poster ad in a subway where Daniel dies.
• 3. Daniel overturns the equipment at the commercial shoot, a reference to Christ's cleansing of the temple.
• 4. He is arrested and the indecisive judge cannot find anything wrong with him, a reference to Pilate's judgment.
• 5. A lawyer plans great things for Daniel and shows him the world from a skyscraper, a reference to the temptation in the desert.
• 6. Daniel gives life to at least three people after his death when his organs are transplanted into a heart and eye patient, a reference to Christ as the redeemer.

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Quotes

The Judge: [reads court psychologist report] Better adjusted than most of the judges in this court.

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Connections

References Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

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Soundtracks

"Pritouritze Planinata"
Performed by Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares

User Reviews

Pro-Montreal

This film was utterly astonishing. It was one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen. Every word, every action and every track of music that was played was completely appropriate. It really gave me, and I'm sure, all of it's other audiences, something worth thinking about regarding modern religion's morals and even hypocrisy. The film,to me, was like three revolutionary religious ideas in one. First, there was the actual Passion story that caused a stir in it's time, secondly the much disputed portrayal of the Passion performed by the actors, which is what the film basically revolves around, as well as the actual film itself. All three stories, incredibly similar in their own way, are not against religion but simply point out the irrationalities and stupidity of organized religion of the past and of the present. It was a truly wonderful film, and I recommend it to all who are willing to sit down for a couple of hours and be completely absorbed in a very intense yet delicately put together film. The film was one of the most clever I have ever seen.