The film starts in the Garden with Jesus praying to his Father
asking for the courage and will to do what must be done. He also prays
for it not to happen. We also see him being observed by a person. He
then crushes a snake under his sandal and makes his choice. This first
scene represents a basic theme in everyones life, the struggle between
good and evil. As the film progresses we see this person throughout and
then we understand that this person represents evil.
The
images on the screen are very brutal as we are transported into that
time and place. Jesus was beaten and flogged by the soldiers, both
Roman and Jewish. The brutality of these forms of punishment are
portrayed in all their detail. The flogging scene is especially bloody.
There were gasps in the audience, especially when he was turned over
and continued to be whipped on the front as well as the back.
The
film takes us back as this is happening to parts of Jesus' life, in his
mind, to "better" times. In one scene when he is brought before the
crowd by Pilate, we are brought back to 5 days earlier when he came to
Jersualem and was welcomed. Pilate even makes a comment about that to
the crowd. This was portrayed through the eyes of Jesus himself. There
are many more scenes where this occurs in the film.
We also
see how Judas' last hours were spent and we see what he saw. He sees
evil in the faces of the children who are taunting him and then we see
him hang himself with the very powerful portrait of an animal where he
gets the rope to end his life.
Jesus' mother is shown
throughout watching her son being beaten and tortured. Pilate's wife
warns him not to do anything to this man and Pilate trys not to, but he
has a dilema, he can not afford an uprising by either side. He even
discusses this with his wife. He tells her that his head is on the
chopping block if Rome gets wind of an uprising. In the end he succumbs
to the will of the crowd and has Jesus executed.
[BB]
The scene
where the crown of thorns is put into Jesus' head is extremely brutal.
Then Jesus is made to carry his cross to the execution site. This part
of the film was again very brutal and sadistic. The Roman soldiers
stood by as the mob beat Jesus and finally a Jewish man who was picked
by the Romans to help Jesus carry the cross intervenes. The scene were
Mary, Jesus' mother, comes to his aid is very powerful. Again in
flashbacks we are taken back to when Jesus was a little boy and had
fallen. Mary did not want to go to Jesus during his carrying of the
cross. She did not want to see her son this way, but in the end she did
go to him. You see her anguish. The cruxification scene is very brutal
and bloody. Again gasps from the audience when the cross is flipped
over to bend the nails that were driven thru his hands and feet. The
film ends with Jesus at the tomb walking out with a shot of his hands.
The last scene shows evil in a pit with skeletons.
The film is
filled with very powerful images. The film is spoken in Aramaic and
Latin and is subtitled. The language adds to the power of the film. You
soon get over the movie being subtitled. Contrary to some opinions the
film is not anti-semitic. The mob was controlled by the High Priest.
The priest was the one who insisted that Jesus be executed and the mob
followed suit. In one scene you see soldiers paying people to be part
of the mob. We must remember that not all Jewish people wanted Jesus to
die, only certain people who had everything to lose to a new idea.
I would suggest that if you are a believer in the story of Jesus that
you see the film. I would recommend that you decide if you children are
ready and able to see this type of brutality. This film is not for
everbody. Mr. Gibson has made a very powerful film that will touch many
people. If you believe, your faith will not be swayed by this film. If
you do not, you will see the brutality of that part of history. If you
are looking for enetertainment do not waste your time. This film is not
entertaining.
Tags:
mel gibson jesus christ Movie Film 
