I think it looks very interesting. It is spoken completely in Aramaic, therefore subtitled. Apparently got its R rating due to its violence...in this case, authenticity.
Just wondering about the group.
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I think it looks very interesting. It is spoken completely in Aramaic, therefore subtitled. Apparently got its R rating due to its violence...in this case, authenticity.
Just wondering about the group.
I haven't decided yet. Supposedly it left Bill Cummingham speechless....that is not easy to do! [img]wink.gif[/img]
Yes, I'll see it. Not sure if I'll go to the theater or wait for the video.
Jim & I plan on seeing it next week. Too crowded this week. I wanted to see it today but was outvoted.
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">How? Did he let the fish vote?Quote:
Originally posted by Sluggo:
Jim & I plan on seeing it next week. Too crowded this week. I wanted to see it today but was outvoted.
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Paul Harvey Comments on "The Passion" by Mel Gibson
I really did not know what to expect. I was thrilled to have been invited to a private viewing of Mel Gibson's film "The Passion," but I had also read all the cautious articles and spin. I grew up in a Jewish town and owe much of my own faith journey to the influence. I have a life long, deeply held aversion to anything that might even indirectly encourage any form of anti-Semitic thought, language or actions.
I arrived at the private viewing for "The Passion," held in
Washington, DC and greeted some familiar faces. The environment was typically Washingtonian, with people greeting you with a smile but seeming to look beyond you, having an agenda beyond the words. The film was very briefly introduced, without fanfare, and then the room darkened. From the gripping opening scene in the Garden of Gethsemane, to the very human and tender portrayal of the earthly ministry of Jesus, through the betrayal, the arrest, the scourging, the way of the cross, the encounter with the thieves, the surrender on the Cross, until the final scene in the empty tomb, this was not simply a movie; it was an encounter, unlike anything I have ever experienced.
In addition to being a masterpiece of film-making and an artistic triumph, "The Passion" evoked more deep reflection, sorrow and emotional reaction within me than anything since my wedding, my ordination or the birth of my children. Frankly, I will never be the same. When the film concluded, this "invitation only" gathering of "movers and shakers" in Washington, DC were shaking indeed, but this time from sobbing. I am not sure there was a dry eye in the place. The crowd that had been glad-handing before the film was now eerily silent. No one could speak because words were woefully inadequate. We had experienced a kind of art that is a rarity in life, the kind that makes heaven touch earth.
One scene in the film has now been forever etched in my mind. A brutalized, wounded Jesus was soon to fall again under the weight of cross. His mother had made her way along the Via Della Rosa. As she ran to him, she flashed back to a memory of Jesus as a child, falling in the dirt road outside of their home. Just as she reached to protect him from the fall, she was now reaching to touch his wounded adult face. Jesus looked at her with intensely probing and passionately loving eyes (and at all of us through the screen) and said "Behold I make all things new." These are words taken from the last Book of the New Testament, the Book of Revelations. Suddenly, the purpose of the pain was so clear
and the wounds, that earlier in the film had been so difficult to see in His face, His back, indeed all over His body, became intensely beautiful. They had been borne voluntarily for love.
At the end of the film, after we had all had a chance to recover, a question and answer period ensued. The unanimous praise for the film, from a rather diverse crowd, was as astounding as the compliments were effusive. The questions included the one question that seems to follow this film, even though it has not yet even been released. "Why is this film considered by some to be 'anti-Semitic?" Frankly, having now experienced (you do not "view" this film) "The Passion" it is a question that is impossible to answer. A law professor whom I admire sat in front of me. He raised his hand and responded "After watching this, I do not understand how anyone can insinuate that it even remotely presents that the Jews killed Jesus. It doesn't". He continued, "It made me realize that my sins killed Jesus" , I agree. There is not a scintilla of anti-Semitism to be found anywhere in this powerful film. If there were, I would be among the first to decry it. It faithfully tells the Gospel story in a dramatically beautiful, sensitive and profoundly engaging way. Those who are alleging otherwise have either not seen the film or have another agenda behind their protestations. This is not a "Christian" film, in the sense that it will appeal only to those who identify themselves as followers of Jesus Christ. It is a deeply human, beautiful story that will deeply touch all men and women. It is a profound work of art. Yes, its producer is a Catholic Christian and thankfully has remained faithful to the Gospel text; if that is no longer acceptable behavior than we are all in trouble. History demands that we remain faithful to the story and Christians have a right to tell it. After all, we believe that it is the greatest story ever told and that its message is for all men and women.
The greatest right is the right to hear the truth. We would all be well advised to remember that the Gospel narratives to which "The Passion" is so faithful were written by Jewish men who followed a Jewish Rabbi whose life and teaching have forever changed the history of the world. The problem is not the message but those who have distorted it and used it for hate rather than love. The solution is not to censor the message, but rather to promote the kind of gift of love that is Mel Gibson's filmmaking masterpiece, "The Passion." It should be seen by as many people as possible. I intend to do everything I can to make sure that is the case. I am passionate about "The Passion."
Mel Gilbson stated he did not appear in his own movie, by his choice, with one exception: It is Gibson's hands seen nailing Jesus to the cross. Gibson said he wanted to do that because it was indeed his own hands that nailed Jesus to the cross (along with all of ours.)
Please copy this and send it on to all your friends to let them know about this film so that all go see it when it comes out. Do something wonderful for your children.....take them to see this movie. God Bless.
To be honest, I really havent put much thought into seeing it. To me it's just a movie and though it may be a huge "cinematic experience" it seems like way too much hype. I'll most likely see it eventually, but I sincerely doubt it will change my point of view about anything. I'm sure that it's done very well and that the scenes are coregraphed well and that it does tell a good story, but it just isn't as big a deal to me as it is to many others. I keep waiting to hear about some nimrods protesting it. Let's put it this way, I still have never scene Titanic.
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Yeah, jdf. The fish voted and they voted with your dad.
I doubt that I will see the movie. From the reviews I've heard, it's hardly "entertaining", and while I don't doubt that Jesus was an historical figure, I don't buy into the whole idea that he died for our sins.
It sounds pretty gory, lots of whipping and torture and that they show the nails being driven through his hands. That doesnt bother me, but I doubt people who take their kids are gonna be thrilled by that. Then again, it is rated R. Like I said, I'll see it eventually but it really isnt anywhere near the top of my "wanna do" list. I'll hurry out to see movies that I want to see for various reasons in the first couple of days that they are out, but this isnt one of those movies. Just not that intertested in it.
I'm with you Greg. I'll see it but more so because everyone else says it's good. Not because I actually give a shit about the spritual significance (if any). I'll probably wait unitl it's out on DVD/
Quite frankly I'm with Gae on this one as well!
No. Too violent for my tastes. When I go to a movie I want to be entertained, not hammered with blood/gore. I have never seen and will never see one of psycho Quentin Terentino movies. I do like horror flix, but not when they are too gory. I watched about 1/3 of Interview with Vampire and walked out.