The Passion of the Christ [DVD] [2004]

Best movie for me. Thank you

I will not write a long review, but this is a great version as has both the tamed down version which can be shown to families, aswell as the unedited version. It is a brutal film, but it is history and no more brutal than watching modern historical movies which show plenty realistic scenes. It is a film everyone ought to watch whatever faith or not. It is compelling viewing, and the only other movie which was that intense on the senses was The Exorcist, another masterpiece. I believe the reason this film was wrongly labelled as anti-semitic is because the subject matter is about Jewish history and a terrible crime. But in reality, Jesus and his followers were all Jews. It is not hateful to Jews at all, but does show how a handful of elders (not all) within organised religion can try and corrupt things at the top, and misrepresent and not practice the faith properly by example, which is a recurring theme in the history of all religions and institutions, governments, legal systems and industry, where humans, not God, will try and corrupt or will inevitably make errors. Jesus forgives his accusers and never once calls for revenge but forgives them as he says they do not know what they are doing. The majority of the people are following and backing Jesus, and disagreed with the corrupt elder's accusations, who basically paid a mob to jeer and make false allegations. The film doesn't incite any vengeance or blame towards Jews, and to be quite honest, if this film were anti-semitic, It wouldn't have passed Hollywood censors, where many secular Jews are employed. It would infact have been against the law to make an anti-semitic film which would incite hatred, so to this day i am confused as to why people had claimed it was anti-semitic, or why some claimed it was too violent, when it was in context, and there are plenty films out there which really are gory and noboyd complains about the,. This was an intensely emotional film in reality, and that is why everything seemed too much to handle. But it was because it is a powerful story, and even without the violence, it is still compelling to watch....and not to be missed by atheists and fans of cinema, if just to watch for the power of film. The Passion story is powerful as it brings a gritty realism to events in the past, with the themes of corruption, betrayal, the power of forgiveness, and not hating, but conquering death and evil.

It’s a truly amazing film about the greatest person to have ever lived - Jesus Christ. Mel Gibson has done a magnificent job directing it. I’ve watched it multiple times and every time it leaves me speechless. Praise the lord Jesus.

This is everything must watch..

Fast delivery, no faults on disc.

(Some spoilers do follow. I analyse how certain scenes added to the experience. If you want to go into this movie completely blind then I recommend you do not read this review.) The Passion of the Christ chronicles the arrest, trial, torture and crucifixion of Jesus Christ. This film is best known for its graphic portrayal of the torture of Jesus Christ, which has been surrounded in controversy. I found however that I was more surprised by how superbly crafted this film is rather than the level of violence depicted. From the outset I noticed that this film looked very authentic and I was hooked into the experience. The costumes worn by the Priests were suitably extravagant in comparison to the ragged robes of the crowds. The locations used to film also looked authentic and the amount of people they gathered to fill the streets and courtyards was impressive. In addition all of the dialogue is spoken in either Hebrew or Latin, which I thought to be a great touch and added to the authenticity. However there were certain words used such as `idiot' which came into use much later. I was very impressed with the cinematography as well. Some of the camera angles were brilliant, particularly when Jesus is being forced through the streets, shown from Jesus' perspective. Flashbacks are strategically placed throughout the movie but don't exist to fill in any backstory but provides juxtaposition to the present scene. For example the scene depicting Jesus being flogged in the streets is interrupted by a scene of Jesus being welcomed in those same streets on Palm Sunday, which highlights how once this man was loved by the people and now he is hated and ridiculed. I never felt that the film was dragging on; in fact I think that it was over too quickly and they maybe should have devoted an extra 15 minutes to exploring the events from the perspective of the Apostles and Mary, who I thought were very underused. The scene where Peter denies that he knows Jesus three times felt slightly rushed and then Peter isn't seen for the rest of the film. Many of the other Apostles don't appear in the film at all. Likewise Mary doesn't have a major role apart from looking on at Jesus' torture. The violence in the film drives the movie's point home about how much suffering this man endured. There were some scenes that were honestly shocking and not easy to watch. However I went into this movie prepared to see an obscene amount of violence, based on the controversy surrounding the film, and as a result I wasn't as shocked as I thought I was going to be. In comparison I watched Valhalla Rising, a movie with a similar amount of violence, without any knowledge of the movie and was really horrified by some of scenes. Although I was aware that Jesus forgave the people who condemned it was still shocking to see him forgive them after the amount of violence the movie depicted. This, I feel, is the aim of the movie; to reaffirm that sacrifice he took and his own reaction to that sacrifice by displaying it in a manner that would shock most viewers. Many scenes of violence did shock me and the way that Jesus still forgave those who put him to death was shocking but not so much that it forced me to reassess my own faith, which despite being raised as a Catholic, has dwindled somewhat over the years. Jim Caviezel looked identical to the Western representation of Jesus and his performance was stellar, whether he played the compassionate teacher or the thrashed and beaten wreck. A scene that I found to be particular surprising occurs in the Garden of Gethsemane. Although Jesus accepted his fate at the hands of the Romans, in the Garden of Gethsemane actually he prays to God to save him from his fate before mustering up the courage to give himself up, which highlighted the humanity of Jesus despite his divinity. The film also features a disturbing and unique portrayal of Satan played by Rosalinda Celentano. Satan serves as an external tormentor rather than someone who has a direct influence in the proceedings. The "Madonna and Child" scene is a prime example, a scene simply designed to horrify. Another great scene which really surprised me was one where Judas is tormented by demons before he hangs himself. Not only is it intensely disturbing but Judas is the one Apostle whose reaction to Jesus' arrest is fully explored. Like the "Madonna and Child" scene it is a scene designed to disturb and is one that is not featured in the Bible but is actually found in other religious sources such as works of art, which is another reason why it surprised me. I was very surprised how Pontius Pilate was portrayed. Pontius Pilate is usually portrayed as the heartless solider that condemned Jesus however he actually asks the crowds for their judgement. He's portrayed as a man who is conflicted about what to do because he is afraid of whom he may anger and as a result leaves Jesus' fate in the hands of the people. I was very surprised by some of the acting from the Romans. Those who had no speaking roles used great body language, displaying very subtle expressions of horror during Jesus' torture. I went into this movie expecting to be shocked by the level of violence and emerged from the experience more surprised by the performances, scenes that were not originally in the Bible and generally how well-crafted the movie was, in particular the cinematography and level of authenticity. Although I understood the message of the movie my level of faith remains the same. This is more a reflection of my own character rather than a flaw in how the film presented its message. I'm sure that many people will watch this film and be much more shocked by the level of violence than I was and as a result the film's message will be more pervasive. This is definitely a movie I will watch again and who knows; perhaps my opinion of this film and my own faith will change.

Una obra maestra. Hecha desde la fe y el profundo sentimiento, remueve profundamente al espectador, sin caer en lo desagradable, pero manteniéndose en el limite. La época, las lenguas muertas tratadas con la mayor intencionalidad de fidelidad... todo ello la convierten en una obra maestra de los anales del cine. Una joya para tener en casa.

Say what you want about Mel Gibson, but when he is making a serious movie, he knows what he's doing. I thought "Apocalypto" was not very good, mainly because of its ridiculous violence and its quite one-dimensional portrayal of an entire culture. What was the point? Mel Gibson seemed to be saying "boy, these people were violent and wrong." But this sort of unipolar viewpoint, which did not serve "Apocalypto" at all, fits this film to a tee. Gibson is clearly a committed Christian of the Catholic stripe, and he has created pretty much the ultimate cinematic portrayal of the story of Christ's crucifixion. I can't imagine a film which would better indicate the depth of the physical suffering that Jesus of Nazareth must have endured, and the emotional pain this would inflict upon his relatives and best friends. The sets are all very detailed and ring quite true to the period. The actors in lead "good guy" roles are perhaps a bit too European looking, but given the film's production in Italy, some of this is forgivable. Either way, people have cast these characters with their own ethnicity for eons, so I'm willing to give that a pass. I kind of wish some of the more mystical elements had been left out. Jesus heals a roman soldier during his capture. Judas is attacked (in his mind at least) by little hobgoblin demon children. Christ is also tempted by Satan - who is played and visualized quite well by a spooky-looking actress, but nonetheless this feels like a bit of a tacked on element, despite mentions in the Gospels at various points. These elements are at worst a minor annoyance, but they strain credulity, which probably runs counter to Gibson's purposes. I guess I would have preferred that the human elements of the story stand on their own, because, frankly, that's all we have access to at this late date. We simply can't trust miracle stories and talk of mystical happenings. We don't have access to them. But by meditating on the human aspects of the story, we have something we can relate to and which may inspire faith in the other, less tangible things. To display them openly is to assume their existence before we are faithful. But this is just my opinion, I suppose, based on my reading, studies in philosophy, and my general skeptical bent. I've never seen a miracle, and no one I've trusted has ever reported one to me. Things handed down from 2000 years ago, re-translated dozens of times, do not strike me as reliable sources for amazing stories, none of which seem to happen in modern history and with the benefit of all the technology we have available to us to record such events. I mean, given all the cell phone cameras out there, where are all the indubitable miracles? Anyhow, I digress (my apologies to David Hume...). Even with its mystical trappings, this film in its immediacy and its viscerality certainly succeeds in forcing the viewer to ponder the human aspects. The mystical stuff is a sideshow, so to speak. For those with faith, this film should offer a potent meditation on a story which has been ingrained into the psyche, practically since birth. For a non-believer, this film offers a valuable insight into the passion that believers have for this story and for the man himself. Like a Socrates, Jesus of Nazareth seems to have been a singular man, the like of which is rarely seen. Contemplating this can deepen a non-believer's appreciation, if not deliver them into a completely faithful orientation to the material. To put it briefly, it's a brilliant film. Each shot is lovingly composed, and the visual impact and beauty of the images can't be faulted. The performances all feel very real and there is no actor who takes the viewer away from the time period. Gibson, similar to some of the other great directors such as Kubrick, Scorsese, Stone and he like, excels at creating "scene." You really feel like 'you are there.' ******* The Blu-Ray: The picture is quite beautiful. Black levels are solid, detail is quite good (though perhaps not the absolute best, I would say "Dark Knight" and "Alexander" top it), and color is very naturalistic. There is a bit of "posterization" in some shots of the sky (i.e. a sort of digital distortion or dot-crawl), but it only intrudes on 10 or 20 seconds of the film, and is probably in the source material. The DTS audio mix offers some nice directional effects, with crowd taunts and bird chirps in the rear sound field. Technically, it's about as good as I can imagine it looking. I did not see the film in the theater, so I cannot compare the level of fidelity. Extras include commentaries, and a "recut" version, which apparently is actually a bit shorter than the theatrical release. This version also cuts a bit of violence. A word to parents - cutting five minutes of gruesome violence leaves about, oh, 120 minutes of gruesome violence remaining in the movie. So plan accordingly insofar as your children can tolerate these kinds of things. Other extras: There are several commentaries on the main disc. The extra disc has many short documentaries on both production issues and historical context, though none are in HD, unfortunately. ********* So should you buy it? Well, that's a tough question. If you're a devoted Christian who enjoys pondering these mysteries, and you also have a good HD setup, then sure, I can't see any reason not to. If you are not a Christian but are curious about what the hub-bub is about, then this is definitely worth at least a rental. Fans of historical fiction/docudrama will certainly find much to appreciate. Whether or not you buy it, this is definitely a film everyone should see at least once. It is a great film, like it or lump it. It is a vivid and very impactful telling of one of the very few central stories of our global culture. Keep in mind I do not want to put a Christian gloss on humanity here - if there were comparable films on Mohammad (a bit of an issue given the icon prohibition), Buddha, etc., I would recommend seeing those as well. On the whole, by any standards, this is a five-star release. It may not be for everyone's permanent collection. But those who add this Blu-Ray title to their shelf will not be disappointed.

聖書の内容をよく再現されていたと思います。主イエスの受難がリアルに伝わってくる素晴らしい映画でした。 磔刑の本質とは、神とサタンとの戦いであったことが分かります。主イエスの死と復活をもって、神はサタンに勝利したのですから、主イエスを信頼する者に、もはや怖いものはありません。

Déçu que sa ne soit pas en français comme c était ecrit aramaneen sous titré francais

Per molti punti di vista condivido quello che altri utenti hanno commentato. Non ho nulla da togliere al maestro Zeffirelli (che comunque ha un modo diverso di dirigere e uno stile completamente diverso), ma in questa opera cinematografica Mel Gibson ha davvero superato se stesso. Credo che sia il film che più di tutti rispecchia il momento della morte di Gesù Cristo, caratterizzato da tutti i suoi momenti di estrema sofferenza (come credo fermamente che sia andata nella realtà). Negli anni ho letto molte critiche, sia positive che negative, su questo film. Io lo trovo comunque magnifico e grandioso. Non è per tutti, non per la comprensibilità del fatto accaduto nè tanto meno per la lingua originale utilizzata nel film (che dona molta più credibilità); non è per tutti per le scene molto violente. Personalmente non mi impressiono facilmente, ma una persona dallo stomaco debole potrebbe avere una reazione poco piacevole. Non ho parole per commentare il cast eccezionale del film, persino la Bellucci (che personalmente non ritengo bravissima nella recitazione in generale) è stata davvero eccezionale nella sua parte. Tutto questo contornato da una colonna sonora da brivido!!! Parlando invece del Blu ray, anche qui solo punti positivi: qualità video sublime, con colori contrastati ma non troppo saturi. immagini definitissime e di forte impatto visivo (in tutti i sensi!). Audio meraviglioso, a parte qualche sbalzo improvviso tra toni alti e bassi. E per finire, un intero DVD a parte interamente dedicato ai fantastici contenuti extra!! Insomma, il miglior film sulla passione di Cristo mai realizzato (secondo me) che è stato capace di farmi piangere letteralmente. Amazon fantastico come sempre! Scene violente a parte, lo consiglio a tutti!!