Mary (2005)

The Virgin Mary delivers a message to an 11-year-old girl.

Director:

Abel Ferrara

Writers:

Abel Ferrara, Mario Isabella

Stars:

Juliette Binoche, Forest Whitaker, Matthew Modine

4 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Juliette Binoche	...	Marie Palesi / Mary Magdalene
Forest Whitaker	...	Ted Younger
Matthew Modine	...	Tony Childress / Jesus
Heather Graham	...	Elizabeth Younger
Marion Cotillard	...	Gretchen Mol
Stefania Rocca	...	Brenda Sax
Marco Leonardi	...	Apostle Peter
Luca Lionello	...	Apostle Thomas
Mario Opinato	...	Apostle James
Elio Germano	...	Matteo
Emma Nitti	...	Johanna, Mary's follower (as Emanuela Iovannitti)
Chiara Picchi	...	Salome
Angelica Di Majo	...	Martha
Ettore D'Alessandro	...	Apostle Andrew
Alex Grazioli	...	Apostle Matthew

Storyline

Three characters linked by the mythical Maria Maddalena - Mary Magdalene... Tony Childress, an infamous, egotistical and obsessive actor/director is playing the lead role of Jesus in his controversial new film THIS IS MY BLOOD. When the shoot wraps, Marie Palesi, his lead actress, is left alone in Jerusalem, drained, empty. 'Selfless'. Into the void within her is poured the spirit of Mary Magdalene, and Marie embarks on a profound journey towards enlightenment. Meanwhile, in New York City, tv journalist Ted Younger begins his own quest for spiritual truth through his documentary about the life of Christ. When the premiere of Tony's film becomes the target of bomb threats by the vengeful religious Right, the lives and paths of these three characters come dramatically together.

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Plot Keywords:

forename as title | jerusalem | mary magdalene | actress | virgin mary | 

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Taglines:

It takes courage to walk in the truth.

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Juliette Binoche: The Art of Being - Official Fansite Official site [Italy]

Country:

Italy France USA

Language:

English Hebrew French

Release Date:

11 November 2005 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Maria

Filming Locations:

Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Wild Bunch,Associated Film,Central Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

83 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The name of Marion Cotillard's character, Gretchen Mol, is an homage to actress Gretchen Mol, who starred in director Abel Ferrara's previous films.

User Reviews

What happened in here,Ferrara?

During the 80's and 90's,director Abel Ferrara was one of the leaders of the independent cinema making amazing films which challenged the spectator.But,his recent works are far away from his previous works.New Rose Hotel and R Xmas were a little bit disappointing but they were interesting experiments.But,I do not know what was Ferrara thinking when he was making Mary,a tedious and boring movie and,by my point of view,a huge let down in his career.During 83 minutes,the movie shows us three stories which are totally boring and uninteresting.I think Ferrara wanted to make an analysis about the religion but,still with that,I think he had to do a better work to make a coherent connection between the stories.For me,it is very disappointing that Ferrara,who made excellent films with very little resources(like,for example,Bad Lieutenant,The Addiction,Ms.45 and The Body Snatchers),was behind this crap.I hope Mary is only an unexplainable false move in Ferrara's career and that,he will get redeemed soon.But I cannot recommend Mary,which is a tedious film.