The Passion
I saw this movie a short while ago. A bunch of us went to see it. When we came out of the theatre, we talked about what we’d do next, but none of us were in the mood to go out. It just didn’t feel right after that movie!
Anyway, some comments about the movie.
What did it for me was seeing Maria suffer with Jesus. That’s what brought it home for me. We’ve seen so much violence in movies, TV and the news, we’ve got blocking mechanisms to prevent us from taking it in.
I was distracted by the filmatographic choices Mel Gibson did. Why did he make those choices, etc.
For the most part they were logical, or at least interesting.
The one thing I had a problem with, until I possibly figured it out, was when Maria mopped up the blood of Jesus after he’d been whipped. Why did she do that? I couldn’t see anything in the Bible about it.
Then, after a while it started dawning on me: It’s a catholic thing.
They see the blood as having power in itself. Remember Ben Hur? When the blood reached his mom and sister, they were healed. I didn’t have a problem with that when I saw it, but I’ve never forgotten.
But the problem I have with it now is that it’s presented as something magical. I don’t believe it is. I think the blood of Jesus is as powerful today as it every was, but I’m not searching for any physical drops of blood that may have survived the millenia. The power is in what it accomplished. Atonement from sin, and healing brought to us. That the Holy Spirit is available to me, both when I got saved and as anointing in my ministry.
It’s a very different concept.
But even though I take issue with some finer points of theology with that movie, I’m glad I saw it, and I’m glad it got made.
May 12th, 2004 at 5:05 am
Interesting take, Ann.
I never thought about the theology in it too much myself, only that it was as close as we’ll ever see to what really happened that day.
But you can read my other thoughts…you know where.
May 12th, 2004 at 11:05 am
You’ve caught the point, Ann Elisabeth. TPOTC is a very, very Catholic film. I’m not an expert on Catholic devotional art, but I could recognize that what I was seeing was a meditation on the Stages of the Cross. Although the movie is highly authentic in a historical sense, Gibson deliberately did some things wrong (like having Christ carry the full cross rather than just the cross-bar) to bring the movie into harmony with other Catholic devotional works.
That’s not a criticism of the movie. Michelangelo’s Pieta and Da Vinci’s Last Supper at works of Catholic devotional art too. And Protestants can enjoy them and be blessed by them. But it helps to understand what you’re looking at.
May 14th, 2004 at 9:05 am
Yeah, of course I was very impressed with the movie. But since I have a lot of friends in the film industry, and have read a few scripts myself, I couldn’t help but think of the filmatography. I should probably see the movie a second time. I’m sure I’ll buy the DVD. But I’m glad I managed to see it while it was still in theatres. It’s just such a movie that should be seen in a theatre the first time.