Well, I just saw this film this afternoon. It strengthened the suspicions I had when all I had seen was the trailer. So I'll reiterate.
Quote:The bloodiness is over the top, but that's Mel for ya, over the top. It's like the Passion for the pro wrestling crowd. Will a Roman soldier do a pile driver on Jesus? I wonder how many gallons of Karo syrup and food coloring they used for this movie. I like the bloodiness in Jesus of Nazareth better, more subtle, less is more in my opinion. For the amount of blood Mel hosed around, he could have made it look less pink.
From the looks of the trailer, this movie is about emphasising the graphic violence of the Passion. Kinda like what Saving Private Ryan did for war cinematography, for which it set the bar. The story line was mediocre, though. The Passion will probably be the same.
Actually, the blood looked fairly real in the movie.
This movie is about nothing more and nothing else other than Christs' Passion, so it can't be compared to the more complete Christ movies that have been produced. I think Gibson would do well to produce another movie or so to round out the Christ story.
Quote:. . . someone flogged in the way that this Jesus was in Mel's movie would have eventually lost conciousness. I mean, this guy had lacerations and welts all over his body, not just his back. I think he had a welt across his eye. The blood loss portrayed is enormous. This is one sturdy fellow, seeing as how someone of lesser fortitude would have gone into shock by this time. And then, he shuffles to the place of his execution outside the city walls--all the while dragging his very own crucifix on his back!
I'm sure the Romans were as bloodily barbaric as the next ancients, but I think they'd have the perspicacity to hold back on the zealous whipping enough to ensure the condemned would be able to walk, dragging the means of his death on his back, to the place of his execution. The point would have been to make him suffer a slow, agonizing death on the cross, not by the prefatory hiding, in my opinon.
There are a few questions, observations and thoughts that arise upon seeing the movie, though.
In the Judas Iscariot scenes, what is the significance of portraying the children as demons? Is that derived from the meditations of Anne Catherine Emmerich?
From what I saw, both Jews and Goyim were portrayed as reveling in killing Yeshua, not just Jews.
Was it Schopenhauer or one of the German existentialists who said Christianity is a religion for gods, for perfect beings? It is impossible to expect humans to abide by those expectations. If someone strikes you on the cheek, if you present the other one, he will merely strike you on it also, but if someone strikes you on the cheek and you raise your hand, he will at least think about striking you again!
Watching the scene where he's being scourged and then a cut to the flashback of his preaching where he said (paraphrased), You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you?" a question came to my mind,
Do you American Christian patriots love and bless al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden, do you do good to them and pray for them, for JHWH makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust?
