The Passion of the Christ (2004)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

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:

On the first day of general release, Ash Wednesday, Peggy Scott, a 56 year old advertising sales manager from Wichita, Kansas collapsed of apparent heart failure while watching the crucifixion scene. She later died at the hospital.

Goofs:

Continuity: Flopped shot: when Jesus is whipped, before the Centurion says, "Pick him up," the swollen eye changes from right eye to left eye, then back in the next shot.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The God Who Wasn't There (2005)

Soundtrack:

Azeri

An Amazing Film

I'm an agnostic and have not been to church since I was a teenager so I didn't watch this movie for a "religious" experience. This is a great movie. It grabs you from the beginning and doesn't let you go. I like to be immersed in a film from beginning to end and not be aware of the fact that I am actually watching a movie. The Passion did that for me. The central point of this movie is to portray the magnitude of the suffering and sacrifice that Jesus willingly went through as a man (not a god or myth). My favorite scene in the movie is when Mary watches Jesus fall while carrying the cross and then there's a flashback to a scene of Jesus as a toddler falling while walking up some stairs. It was brilliant. It demonstrated in a gripping, emotional way that Jesus was suffering as a man both emotionally and physically.

This movie was as anti-Semitic as it was anti-Roman. These claims of anti-Semitism reminded me of the hue and cry over Pearl Harbor by some Asian groups. Sorry, but Japan did attack Pearl Harbor. Likewise, the Jews did have Jesus crucified.

Some these reviews pretend that this movie is mindless violence with no story. The violence is intense, but it's an integral part of the story just as it was in Saving Private Ryan. It's obvious that many reviewers intended not to like the movie from the get-go due to it's have a religious focus and not throwing in some tarnishing/controversial scenes like The Last Temptation did. It shouldn't be a sin to make a religious movie without pandering to some leftist agenda.