The Passion of the Christ (2004)

Director:

Mel Gibson

Writers:

Benedict Fitzgerald (screenplay) and
Mel Gibson (screenplay)

Release Date:

25 February 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

By his wounds, we were healed.

Plot:

A film detailing the final hours and crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

Plot Keywords:

Jerusalem | Trial | Judas | Roman | Last Supper

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 17 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

James Caviezel	...	Jesus
Maia Morgenstern	...	Mary
Christo Jivkov	...	John
Francesco De Vito	...	Peter
Monica Bellucci	...	Magdalen
Mattia Sbragia	...	Caiphas
Toni Bertorelli	...	Annas
Luca Lionello	...	Judas
Hristo Shopov	...	Pontius Pilate (as Hristo Naumov Shopov)
Claudia Gerini	...	Claudia Procles
Fabio Sartor	...	Abenader
Giacinto Ferro	...	Joseph of Arimathea
Aleksander Mincer	...	Nicodemus (as Olek Mincer)
Sheila Mokhtari	...	Woman in Audience
Lucio Allocca	...	Old Temple Guard

Also Known As:

The Passion Recut (International: English title) (cut version) (USA) (recut version)
The Passion (USA) (working title)
The Passion of Christ (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for sequences of graphic violence.

Runtime:

127 min | 120 min (cut)

Country:

USA

Language:

Aramaic | Latin | Hebrew

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Portugal:M/16 | Japan:PG-12 | Australia:M (edited version) | China:(Banned) | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Brazil:14 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) (edited version) | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A | Chile:14 | Denmark:15 | Finland:K-18 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:III | Iceland:16 | Ireland:15A (edited version) | Ireland:15PG (original rating) | Ireland:15 (video rating) | Italy:T | Malaysia:(Banned) (except for Christians) | Mexico:C | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R15 (edited version) | New Zealand:R16 (original rating) | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Philippines:PG-13 | Poland:15 | Singapore:M18 | South Korea:15 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (re-rating) (edited version) | UK:18 (original rating) | USA:R (original rating) (certificate #40366) | USA:Unrated (edited version)

Filming Locations:

Basilicata, Italy

Company:

Icon Productions

Trivia:

In a rarity for Hollywood releases, re-entered the #1 spot at the box office for the weekend of Good Friday, 2004.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the opening scenes, when Jesus prays and gets arrested, his eyes are blue instead of computerized brown.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Jesus: Peter. You could not watch even one hour with me?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Thick of It: Spinners and Losers (#2.2)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Azeri

Fantastic

View from the Second Star: The Passion of the Christ (Adam watched this film at a special preview in January)

It's hard to walk into a picture these days without knowing every detail about the movie. Trailers have shown too much story, reviews have jaded your perspective, or friends have refused to see it - movies get spoiled. Yet, sometimes, knowing the story is a far cry from seeing the event. For many, the story of the crucifixion is something they've grown up with, lived with, as far back as memory serves. I tell you this, no matter what you've heard, no matter what you know - you will be stunned by The Passion of the Christ.

From the opening shot to the falling credits, this film demands full control of ones body and emotion. So visually spectacular and physically gripping, this film had me literally convulsing as I attempted to watch what was onscreen. Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, starring Jim Caviezel, is a retelling of the last hours of Jesus Christ. Believe me when I say that this production is more than a story, more than a movie; this film can only be described as an experience.

This movie is fantastically brutal. From beginning to end, blood drenched flesh is smeared across the screen in a ghastly fashion. Gibson defends his incredibly graphic depiction by noting that the bible states Jesus was beaten beyond recognition. I assure you, beaten beyond recognition hardly describes soft tissue being torn to be the bone as blood drips into puddles on the ground. The violence shown in this movie is unlike other Hollywood violence - it's uncomfortably personal. The scenes are so believable, the violence so real, that the scenes appear to take place in your very presence; imagine before you a man being torn to bloody shreds; your helpless to do anything, you're a spectator - utterly horrific.

As any appreciator of the finer things in film might see, The Passion of the Christ is artistic genius. Mel Gibson stated that his film follows the last 12 hours of Christ in accordance to the gospel, and although biblical scholars have confirmed this to be true, it is also true that a certain artistic license was taken to particular moments in the story. Nothing anti-biblical was added, but inside a sense deep meaning was inserted through symbols and actions not actually recorded in the gospels. This artistry serves to aid the story and engage the audience - artistically and culturally, expect nothing less that a film superbly crafted. Set your expectations high, this one can handle them.

Unless you've been avoiding the media in recent months you've heard accusations of anti-Semitism against this movie: its going to rekindle a hate for Jews, its depicting the Jewish leaders of the day as monsters, and its showing that the Jews were solely responsible for the death of Jesus. I trust that once the movie is seen by the general public all of these statements will fade into the shadows; this movies greatest defense will be itself. It is true that the Jews were involved in the crucifixion of Christ, just as it's said in the bible for nearly two thousand years. Hearing this story doesn't swell up a hatred for the Jewish race, no more than watching Schindlers List makes one hate current day Germans. This film is going to be many things to many people - anti-Semitic is not one of them.

No matter your background, no matter your race, no matter your beliefs on the afterlife, this movie needs to be seen. The art, the culture, and the magnificence - see The Passion of the Christ and you will have seen the fantastic. Ten out of ten.

This has been a critical review by Adam Schellenberg