The Passion Of The Christ, your opinion

Much love for all of you for the DVD Experince....
I think I would have to have the choice to take a break ...
to get thru this telling of Christs' Story ..

I am a private person about my faith..
and tho I call myself a "recovering" Catholic..
I grew UP on that faith, and it shaped who I am today !

I know I will more than likey cry my eyes out ...
rather do that at home ..

Great support here !
Thanks all of you ..

In Service to the Dream,
Paula

Well, you all are not going to believe where I just came home from? The movie theatre to see The Passion of the Christ! Yep, you read right.

Wow! Words cannot describe! My back hurt, but hey! I sat through 3-1/2 hours of ROTK, so I thought 2 hours is not going to kill me. But I do wish I could have been home to sob my eyes out. Like AndyLucy said, no matter where you see it it is going to affect you, especially if you are a believer. It was soooooooo powerful and emotional! I started crying at the very first scene when the scripture showed up! And all that beating and scouraging just seemed like it went on forever! I thought it would never stop. This is why I have had my hesitancy about seeing it on the big screen. Well Mel Gibson and Jim Cavaziel did an outstanding job in presenting the visual of what we read in the Bible of what Christ went through. Both of them definitely deserve an Oscar! The part I did appreciate seeing was the relationship between Jesus and his mother. That to me was so incredibly moving as well.

I have a question though. What do you think the scene with Satan and the baby represented while Jesus was being flogged? I was a bit confused about that part.

Oh forgot to add! That was the most quiet experience I have ever had being inside the theatre! There wasn't a single peep and I had a great seat with no tall person sitting in front of me either!

Rose,

I'm glad you saw it. And that scene as well bothered me, because I knew Mel was trying to say something there and I just didn't get it. My sister told me a possible scriptural reference but I forgot exactly what it was. I'll have to ask her.

Wonder when it will be out on dvd.

Well, I wonder too what that all meant. Anxious to hear others thoughts and interpretations.

I bet it will be out on DVD soon! I plan to buy it and then I can boo hoo my eyes out all I want! Not sure if hubby wants to see it again though. He was a bit bothered by all the brutality, even though it was scriptural. he wasn't as impressed with the film as I was.

On the Feast Day of Saint Patrick

In one of the interviews about the movie (I am sorry, but I don't remember which one, but I THINK it was the second one that Raymond Arroyo of EWTN did) Gibson stated that he was trying to portray the dictum that Satan is the "great ape of God." In other words, it was Satan's mocking attempt at the "Madonna and Child" tableau that was reaching its final act in the crucifixion. Mary was there with her Son, and Satan was there with a "child" too, but (as usual) it just wasn't quite right. Very philosophical and esoteric. And very powerful imagery.

By the way, was it just me, or did anyone else notice the maggot (?) crawling out of Satan's nose in the opening scene in the Garden of Gethsemane? My stepfather says that I need my eyes examined, but I know that I saw something there. I guess that's an excuse to go see it again!

Just my tuppence.

Andy

No, you don't need your eyes examined. It was there and sooooo gross.

The Madona and child parallel works. I can see that. And again, how evil tries to simulate but it can only come across as grotesque and twisted.

Others have questioned the part with Judas and the children/demons.

What are your thoughts on that?

I haven't seen any reference to this scene in any of the interviews with Gibson or Caviezel. I have seen it referenced by the ADL as one of the more anti-semitic scenes in the film, you know, Jewish kids becoming demons. Blah, blah, blah. It's been enough to make me sick.

Personally, I see it as the descent of Judas into the madness of despair. He was despondent, and possibly incoherent after seeing the Lord taken away, and knowing his role in it. The children, curious as always, came over and investigated him. He reacted in an atypical way, the way that one possessed by a demon would be expected to react in 1st century AD Palestine. The children began to berate him. Judas saw them not as children, but as demons tormenting him. And the descent into madness continued, culminating in the rope from the tree scene.

Again, this is my interpretation, and not based on any statements by the film makers. What are y'all's interpretations of this scene?

Just my tuppence.

Andy

I agree with you andy, that's how I saw it too.

With all the research, writing and rehearsing I've been doing on Judas, I was watching that part real close.

I thought about you as the movie started and Judas' role began to play out, you being our resident forum "expert" on Judas.

Before you get an attack of modesty, let me explain. My senior thesis advisor once told me that the neat thing about studying a narrow enough topic is that you can become the world's leading expert in that field, if you get it narrow enough. So there.

Just my tuppence.

Andy

I think then I will narrow my field of expertise to the comma.

It is cool to study a small piece of the whole and then watch it played out in the big picture.

Hey Rose, curiosity got the best of you, heh? I guess when I was urging you to go, I should have mentioned how quiet it was in the theater during the movie. No eating, drinking, or talking went on after the first two minutes of the movie---you could have heard a pin drop.

I'm glad you went, but sorry your back was hurting you. When I went the first time I went early so I could hit the restroom before the movie started (so I wouldn't have to go later). But wouldn't you know it I forgot to go and ten minutes into the movie I had to p---. During the whole movie I was holding it. I didn't want to miss one scene so I suffered through. The second time I saw The Passion Of The Christ it was perfect. I cried from start to finish, unlike the first time I could barely cry, because I was in such shock by it all. Like others posted earlier the movie is an experience. From what I'm hearing on the news "The Passion has earned 246 million dollars so far, and is expected to be the highest grossing film of all time. I can't wait until it comes out on DVD.

Be God's and be blessed,
Roisin

Yes, my friend Roisin! I finally went to see the film and I am glad that I did. I figure everywhere I go and do my back is going to hurt, so might as well enjoy a few things in life in the process,eh? Well the movie was sooooooo intense and emotional. I really did not enjoy the brutality of the movie but it is what our Christ did for us and might as well see it visually as that has more impact, eh?

Like you said, not a pin drop throughout the whole movie. I think that is the first time I have been to a movie theatre in my life where everybody didn't move and shut up like I wanted!

Maybe it is just me, but personally I had a problem with children being portrayed as the demons or should I say that the other way around.

Thanks, Andylucy for your words on the take on Lucifer and the child. Didn't think of it that way.

Hey Rose, I like your new avatar---Very, very cooool!

Yes, I agree it was unsettling to see children as demons, but I tend to agree with andylucy that Judas was having a mental breakdown. On the other hand, I believe it was evil that was causing his insanity. I think Mel Gibson left it up to our own interpretation.

As for the devil with the baby, I heard on an ETWN interview with the Jim C. who played Jesus say the meaning was that Satan was taking what was good and holy, a love between a mother and her son and twisting it and using it to mock Jesus. That scene freaked me out. Gibson sure personafied evil in this movie. I've never seen it done this way before. It also gave me another perspective on how evil (Satan) might work or manipulate.