The Passion of The Christ [WS]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

Mel Gibson's well-publicized production The Passion of the Christ concerns the last 12 hours in the life of Jesus of Nazareth. The dialogue is spoken in the ancient Aramaic language, along with Latin and Hebrew. In the Garden of Gethsemane near the Mount of Olives, Jesus (James Caviezel) is betrayed by Judas Iscariot (Luca Lionello). Jesus is condemned to death for blasphemy and brought before Pontius Pilate (Hristo Naumov Shopov), the Roman governor of Judea, for sentencing. The roaring crowd demand his death, so Pilate orders his crucifixion. Jesus is severely beaten and made to carry his cross up to Golgotha, the hill outside Jerusalem, where he is nailed to the cross. Romanian theatrical actress Maia Morgenstern plays Mary, Mother of God, and Italian superstar Monica Bellucci plays Mary Magdalene. Amid much controversy involving Gibson and various religious organizations, The Passion of the Christ received an international theatrical release in February of 2004. In March 2005, Gibson released an unrated version of the film, dubbed The Passion Recut, that eliminated five to six minutes of the more graphic scenes of flogging and crucifixion. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Subtitle: Eng/Spa
• Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1
• Screen: Letterbox for TV
• Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
• Features:
  • cc
  • [None specified]

AWARDS

• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

•     Nominated Best Cinematography - 2004 (Caleb Deschanel)
•     Nominated Best Makeup - 2004 (Christien Tinsley, Keith Vanderlaan)
•     Nominated Best Score - 2004 (John Debney)

• American Society of Cinematographers

•     Nominated Best Cinematography - 2004 (Caleb Deschanel)

• Broadcast Film Critics Association

•     Nominated Best Popular Movie - 2004

• National Board of Review

•     Won Freedom of Expression Award - 2004

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       James Caviezel - Jesus Christ
       Monica Bellucci - Mary Magdalene
       Claudia Gerini - Claudia Procles
       Maia Morgenstern - Mary
       Sergio Rubini - Dismas
       Toni Bertorelli - Annas
       Robert Bestazzoni - Malchus
       Francesco Cabras - Gesmas
       Giovanni Capalbo - Cassius
       Rosalinda Celentano - Satan
       Emilio De Marchi - A Scornful Roman
       Francesco De Vito - Peter
       Lello Giulivo - A Brutish Roman
       Abel Jafry - Second Temple Officer
       Hristo Jivkov - John
       Luca Lionello - Judas
       Jarreth Merz - Simon
       Mat Patresi - Janus
       Fabio Sartor - Abenader
       Mattia Sbragia - Caiphas
       Hristo Shopov - Pontius Pilate
       Roberto Visconti - A Scornful Roman
       Giancinto Ferro - Joseph of Arimathea
       Olek Mincer - Nicodemus
       Adel Ben Ayed - Thomas
       Chokri Ben Zagden - James
       Luca De Dominicis - Herod
       Pedro Sarubbi - Barabbas
       Ted Rusoff - 2nd Elder
       Angelo DiLoreta - The 5th Elder The Accuser
       Ivano Marescotti - Pilatus
       Romuald Andrzej Klos - The Roman
       Francesco Gabriele - 3rd Elder

• Director:

  Mel Gibson

• Producer:

  Mel Gibson, Stephen McEveety, Bruce Davey

• Screenwriter:

  Mel Gibson, Benedict Fitzgerald

• Cinematographer:

  Caleb Deschanel

• Composer (Music Score):

  John Debney

• Editor:

  John Wright

• Production Designer:

  Francesco Frigeri

• Art Director:

  Nazzareno Piana, Daniela Pareschi, Luscri Pierfranco

• Executive Producer:

  Enzo Sisti

• Costume Designer:

  Maurizio Millenotti

• Set Decorator:

  Carlo Gervasi

• Sound/Sound Designer:

  Maurizio Argentieri

• Makeup:

  Christien Tinsley

• First Assistant Director:

  Sergio Ercolessi, Rachel Griffiths

• Casting:

  Shaila Rubin

• Second Unit Director:

  Ted Rae

• Visual Effects Supervisor:

  Ted Rae

• Stunts Coordinator:

  Stefano Mioni

• Makeup Special Effects:

  Greg Cannom, Keith Vanderlaan

• Visual Effects:

  Keith Vanderlaan

REVIEW:

• Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ achieved notoriety before its release when some religious figures openly worried the film might spark attacks of anti-Semitism. While anyone looking to argue that the film is anti-Semitic will find enough evidence to back that claim, those prejudices do not feel like the elements of the story in which Gibson is interested. The film opens with a Bible passage: "But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed." What this film is about is Jesus' physical suffering. The first half of the film does a good job of showing how Jesus upset the religious, political, and legal systems of the time, leading directly to his crucifixion. There is an antecedent to this film's telling of a famous execution full of political and religious significance: Carl Theodor Dreyer's 1928 masterpiece The Passion of Joan of Arc. Gibson strives for a level of "realism" that Dreyer achieved, but he attempts to get there in a different ways. Where Dreyer's frames are severe and unadorned, lending a gritty immediacy to the film, Gibson has instructed the remarkably gifted cinematographer Caleb Deschanel to make this movie resemble the style of Caravaggio. The second half of the film is a brutal depiction of Christ's torture and execution by crucifixion. These sequences are unflinching in their brutality, with Gibson often employing slow motion in order to force the viewer to linger on individual lashes. Deschanel succeeds in creating strikingly beautiful images, but occasionally the self-consciously "artful" framings actually detract from the visceral horror of the proceedings. The cinematography is undeniably beautiful, but one might ask if such suffering should be presented so beautifully. And physical suffering is without doubt the aspect of the film Gibson is most taken by, though the director can be faulted for focusing on the physical the expense of the spiritual. When Jesus finally has his moment of doubt on the cross, when he asks why he has been forsaken, the moment is quietly underplayed -- unlike the torture sequences. The endless brutality ultimately achieves a deadening numbness in viewers who are not given an opportunity to identify with the spiritual aspects of the story. For a believer, this film will act as a powerful reminder of the full horror of the crucifixion. However, for those going in without either an understanding of scripture or a belief in the religious veracity of the events depicted, the film may, at best, play as an interesting starting point for a conversation or, at worst, as a grueling exercise in cinematic sadism. Gibson's film may or may not be "good," but it unquestioningly succeeds in doing what it set out to do. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi