Passion of the Christ - Movie Review Example

Christianity It would not be a mistake to point out that human civilization features a considerable number of peculiarities that make it stand out of any group that is formed by the living creatures. Thus, abilities such as generating verbal interaction are surely remarkable, but they reflecte the uniqueness only on a rather superficial level. Indeed, the spiritual dimension of the human personality is what makes the mankind exceptional. That is why, it is quite important to analyze religion as well as religious art as it provides the researcher with a deep insight into the human nature. This paper will analyze the movie which is titled Passion of the Christ and provide a careful examination of its elements. First of all, it would be advantageous to mention some formal points about the movie in question. Thus, it was directed by Mel Gibson. One should point out that this movie is the first movie when he was a director, a producer and a writer, suggesting that Gibson contributed a considerable amount of his creative energy into this particular work of art (Garber 125). The movie was shot over the year 2003 and mainly setting was in various places in Italy. The majority of the movie was shot at Cinecittà Studios in Rome, while some scenes that took place outdoors were shot in Matera, a rather old city, and Craco, the ghost town quite suitable for several scenes (Teague 184). Speaking of the historical context that is presented in the movie, it would not be a mistake to point out that it shows the life of a Roman province Judea. In spite of the fact that there is a discussion about the precise dating of life of Jesus Christ, one might state that the film in question focuses primarily on the last hours of his life. That is why taking this into account, one may conclude that the events that are being depicted in the movie happen around 33 Common Era. The question of sources that the movie is based on is open for discussion. The producer claims that the Bible, not only the Old Testament, but different parts of the one also were used in the course of narration (Corley 92). In addition to that, several parts of Tanakh were referred to. What is more important is that the movie tried to recreate some of the most easily recognizable iconographic elements that are associated with the life Jesus Christ. Finally, Catholic devotional writings particularly the one which was written by Anne Catherine Emmerich about the last days of Jesus were used as an inspiration for the aesthetics of the movie (Leonard 152). Therefore, one might conclude that the movie is based on both the religious texts as well as other spiritual works. Since the movie in question is deeply rooted in the Christian faith, there is no wonder that it presents some of the important spiritual ideas. To begin with, the entire movie is dedicated to show that the event that is commemorated in the Bible and celebrated by the Christians all over the world had a very realistic aspect to it. Thus, this is particularly important to fully understand that sacrifice that Christ made: being God He manifested himself as a human being and deliberated endured all the pain in order to redeem the mankind. As a result, this element contributed to the significance of the sacrifice that he made. Indeed, the idea that God allows His only Son suffer as a mortal is central to Christianity and it is reflected in the movie. However, if the Church puts a bigger emphasis on the spiritual constituent of it, focusing on the consequences that it brought for the human civilization, the movie in question intends to tell the audience about the details which were involved in this event. Thus, it may sound quite neutral: “Christ was crucified”; however, if people think about all the routine elements which were involved in this actions as well as consider it from the point of view of different people who were involved, this simple expression will feature new aspects to it. There is no doubt in the fact that the movie is able to communicate its message quite effectively. Indeed, there are many movies that dealt with the life of Jesus Christ: some of them are rather unrealistic. Contrary to that, Passion of the Christ does not only emerge the audience in the atmosphere of the historical period that is being depicted, but also lets one gain almost first hand experience of being present during the crucifixion of Christ. A considerable number of people point out that the movie allowed them to look at the famous Biblical event for a different point of view. It would be quite important to analyze the way the production was able to enhance the message that is conveyed by the movie. First of all, it is rather peculiar that there is not a single word spoke in English in the movie: all the dialogues are carried out in the original language. By far, this is one of the characteristic features of the movie as it makes the audience hear the ancient languages for a considerable amount of time. In addition to that, the violence that is depicted in various scenes is quite naturalistic and provides the people with an objective account of the situation of the time period in question. Thus, the does not stray away in many moments that would not have been shown in other movies of the similar rating. It is quite understandable that the perception of the movie was quite a mixed one. On the one hand, people called it a true masterpiece that was able to introduce new elements into the story that every person had already known. Different religious organizations rely on the film in question as an impressive element that could be used to promote their teaching. However, on the other hand, more conservative critics objected to the manner in which the story was told, suggesting that the excessive violence as well as deviation from the canonical text is unacceptable when it comes to tell the story of the Savior. It is quite obvious that that Passion of the Christ has a close connection to the readings that were presented in the course. Thus, the importance of the movie might be seen from several points of view: first of all, it might be regarded as an example of narrative that depicts a central idea of the Christian church and presents all the traditional elements that are involved; secondly, it also shows an alternative vision which puts emphasis on the realistic elements which are closely connected to the religious part of the narration without which the latter is not able to feature as much significance. Having examined all the points that were reflected in the paragraphs above, one might come to the following conclusion: Passion of the Christ is truly a remarkable as well as controversial movie. Directed by Mel Gibson and shot in Italy, it is able to provide an accurate and objective account of the events that took place around 33 Common Era. The movie in question endorses the idea that Jesus Christ was exposed to all the pain and suffering as a mortal human being in order to show people His love and create a new path for true believers. Different elements of the production, such as the use of languages that are no longer spoken or explicit violence are used in order to enhance this message. Works Cited Corley, Kathleen E. Jesus and Mel Gibsons The Passion of the Christ: The Film, the Gospels and the Claims of History. London: Continuum, 2004. Print. Garber, Zev. Mel Gibsons Passion: The Film, the Controversy, and Its Implications. West Lafayette, Ind.: Purdue UP, 2006. Print. Leonard, Richard. Movies That Matter: Reading Film through the Lens of Faith. Chicago, Ill.: Loyola, 2006. Print. Teague, Joanne. See You in September. New York: Candy Jar, 2013. Print. Read More