Gauracandra 1 Report post Posted March 3, 2004 I thought it was very well made. Unlike most Christian films that suffer from poor production values, this film looks great. Great sets, great costumes, great photography, good special effects, terrific acting. Its a classy, simple, and straight-forward production. The funny thing is the film is not controversial in the least. I think many critics don't understand what it is. They are judging it as a movie, when in fact it is a filmed recreation of The Stations of the Cross. In Catholicism there are various devotional meditations (for instance, in The Joyful Mysteries, the devotee contemplates a story where Mary loses her son in the temple and concludes by finding him). This is a filmic version of The Sorrowful Mysteries. There was also a lot of good symbolism in the film. For instance, in the beginning Jesus stomps on a snake representing Satan's temptations. This isn't just a random scene to show Jesus defeating the devil. It refers to a specific verse in Genesis. Genesis 3:15 "And I shall put enmity between you and the woman and between your seed and her seed. He will bruise you in the head and you will bruise him in the heel." In Christianity, Adam was the first man who begat Eve, the first spotless woman. In the Garden of Eden, Eve is tempted by the devil and makes Adam fall. There is a certain syncronicity in the story with Jesus. Now it is Mary (the new Eve) who gives birth to Jesus (the new Adam). Jesus enters into the Garden of Gethsemane (instead of the Garden of Eden) and while being tempted by the snake, smashes it. The verse in Genesis is the first mention of a coming Messiah who would correct Adam's fall. The film is violent, but more realistic in what a scourging by the Romans actually meant. It would have been great if Gibson could have filmed all The Joyous Mysteries, The Luminous Mysteries & The Mysteries of Light, and The Sorrowful Mysteries as distinct films. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Streetstraw 0 Report post Posted March 5, 2004 All Essenes were. Too bad Gibson doesn't mention this. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dervish 0 Report post Posted March 5, 2004 I think Gibson wanted to emphasize on the violence, rather than restraint. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
