The Body (2001)

A crucified body dated back to the 1st century A.D is uncovered at an ancient cave in Jerusalem. Trouble ensues as word spreads.

Director:

Jonas McCord

Writers:

Richard Sapir (novel), Jonas McCord (screenplay)

Stars:

Antonio Banderas, Olivia Williams, John Shrapnel

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Antonio Banderas	...	Father Matt Gutierrez
Olivia Williams	...	Sharon Golban
John Shrapnel	...	Moshe Cohen
Derek Jacobi	...	Father Lavelle
Jason Flemyng	...	Father Walter Winstead
Lillian Lux	...	Mother
John Wood	...	Cardinal Pesci
Makram Khoury	...	Nasir Hamid (as Makram J. Khoury)
Vernon Dobtcheff	...	Monsignor
Ian McNeice	...	Dr. Sproul
Mohammed Bakri	...	Abu Yusef (as Muhamed Bakri)
Yoav Dekelbaum	...	Avi (as Yoav Deckelbaum)
Sami Samir	...	Achmed
Jordan Licht	...	Dorene
Limor Goldstein	...	Galic

Storyline

An ancient skeleton has been discovered in Jerusalem in a rich man's tomb. Colouration of the wrist and leg bones indicates the cause of death was crucifiction. other signs, include a gold coin bearing the marks of Pontius Pilate and faint markings around the skull, lead authorities to suspect that these could be the bones of Christ. Politicians, clerics, religious extremists and those using terror as a means to an end, find their beliefs and identities test while risking their lives to unearth the truth

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Plot Keywords:

jerusalem | cave | skull | tomb | woman sexually attracted to a priest | 

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Taglines:

Chaos, unearthed.

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some violent sequences and brief language

Details

Country:

USA Israel Germany

Language:

English Arabic Hebrew

Release Date:

13 December 2001 (Germany)

Also Known As:

El cuerpo

Filming Locations:

Israel

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$19,988 (USA) (20 April 2001)

Gross:

$33,565 (USA) (27 April 2001)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Avalanche Films, Compass Productions, Diamant Cohen Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Kristin Scott Thomas was offered the role of Sharon Golban.

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Goofs

When Sharon Golban is at the airport to pick up Father Matt Gutierrez, she leaves the keys in the ignition. When she returns, she takes her keys from her pocket.

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Quotes

Sharon Golban: All Israelis drive like this.
Father Gutierrez: Well then, all Palestinians have to do is give you faster cars, and wait for the inevitable.

User Reviews

A flawed picture, but like a flawed diamond still shines asbright.

What ever sins the makers of this film may have purportrated with a misleading trailer and extraneous action scenes to attract an audience must be forgiven in light of the theme they have so clearly stated... "God Has No Place In Politics". If an artists duty is to hold up a mirror to mankind in order for him to see himself in a true light, than the filmakers have done their job well. One need only to turn on CNN to see what pawns lawmakers and religious leaders will sacrifice in order to further their earthly agendas. That Jerusalem is the pawn in "The Body", and in the nightly news makes this film even more relevant than it could have ever been intended to be by its creators. That it waxes and wanes between action, thriller, and serious drama can only be attributed to the hands of those willing to manipulate the price of a ticket out of our pockets. If that is the case, than so be it, because unlike most of the popcorn movies of today, the body has something to say. And flawed, or perfect, it says it loud and clear. From the terrorist bombings in the streets of Jerusalem, to Antonio Banderas' brave portrayal of a priest who loses his faith. "God Has No Place In Politics", a noble theme for a movie, and a warning for the years to come -- from Belfast to Jerusalem.