Last Lent, Mel Gibson's 'Passion of Christ' was the talk of the town. Given the hype, I too wanted to see it before the Holy week so that I too would be prepared as never before for the Holy Week. But as it came to be, I couldn't see it until after the Holy Week. But what I saw caused disgust, rather than any redemption. A gory and violent movie concentraing on the kind of brutality that Jesus was subject to, failing to even convey in any sense the true significance of the sacrifice that makes Jesus, a different person to look up to. It seemed to me, the point of the movie was to condemn the cruelties of the olden times in particular the cruelties that the Son of God had to endure.
The point about Jesus is that, he did it all for us! Where the movie fails is that, it sort of makes you think, that if Jesus had been subjected to lesser cruelties he wouldn't have been the great man he is. That, as is obvious, is not the point of the greatest sacrifice ever made.
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Well, that's how life is... Full of catches.
5 comments:
Well, you are right about the violent and gross portrayal...but I think Mr Gibson was trying to show a realistic picture of what happened...also, we must remember Hollywood's sensationalism must have definitely rubbed off on Mel...going by that, I thought the movie was quite well-made-I especially liked the cinematography and also the depiciton of Christ's human side.
For those who already understand the meaning of the greatest sacrifice, the movie would have re-affirmed their beliefs...but in terms of telling a story from scratch and conveying the message of love...that was probably not effectively done.
But, that's MY view.
I have heard of people who were touched by this movie...
you said:
||The point about Jesus is that, he did it all for us! Where the movie fails is that, it sort of makes you think, that if Jesus had been subjected to lesser cruelties he wouldn't have been the great man he is.||
But looking at it from another angle, couldn't this actually emphasize the extent to which God's love can go...maybe that's what 'SO' means in the John 3:16 verse.
interesting post.
Happy Easter, Neil! God bless :)
Angel, I too liked the cinematography and depiction of Christ's human side. But my point is as far as a non-believer is concerned, it would seem as if the only reason Christians believe in Jesus is because of sympathy to that poor man who had to suffer so many hardships. Further if spreading Jesus's message was the onject of the movie, I'll tell you I don't see one. At most, you get comments on poor Jesus, and the pain he suffered. Not the man behind the pain, or the object behind the Passion.
Your point about the extent to which th Lord's kindness can go is taken, but I feel that definitely was not Gibson's understanding of it.
yes, you're right in saying the object of the Passion might be unclear to some viewers of the movie...
This movie is both an account and one man's understanding of the gospel...and definitely not the only source for those who want to know Christ.
But for some, it might be the beginning.
If I weren't a Christian I would have found the movie gory. Since I related to the main character of the movie, I was able to identify with the going ons on the screen. I liked the cinematography though. The audience were made feel like a participant in the scenes from the movie. This was done by including the floor directly in front of the camera in all the frames.
As a Christian I think this movie was long overdue.As a race we need visual stimulation for lasting impressions!!!!
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