The Passion of Christ: A story to tell
Introduction
Released in 2004, the Passion of Christ is a co -written film and directed by the American director and actor Mel Gibson. This film tells the events that occurred in the last 12 hours of the life of Jesus of Nazareth. Visually, the film tries to offer a quasi -document look of a key story within the Christian tradition. Not suitable for sensitive people, the passion of Christ shows crudely the level of sacrifice that its protagonist is willing to suffer, with the aim of saving humanity, through an act of surrender and love of others. The Passion of Christ begins with a reference to Isaiah 53: 5 in which he prophesies to the Messiah and his sacrifice for humanity. The action begins in the garden of Gethsemaní, where an agitated Jesus prays under the full moon.
His disciples Pedro, Juan and Santiago are resting. At that time, Satan appears and tries to convince Jesus to abandon his mission. Immediately, a snake slides below Satan’s clothes and approaches Jesus, who crushes his head. Meanwhile, Judas Iscariot meets the priests of the temple of Jerusalem, who deliver 30 pieces of silver in exchange for betraying Jesus. Judas takes the temple guards to the garden of Gethsemaní, where he finds Jesus and kisses him on the cheek. The guards arrange Jesus and hit him while they transfer him to the temple. In another scene, Mary, the mother of Jesus, and Mary Magdalena are in a room, when John appears communicating that Jesus has been arrested and taken to the temple.
Developing
Jesus is judged by the Sanhedrin. A Jesus in chains before the priests of the temple of Jerusalem. Once in the temple, the high priests, led by caifás, accuse Jesus of blasphemy for self-proclaiming the Son of God. One of the priests questions the legality of the trial, but is thrown out of the place. Caifás asks Jesus if He is the Messiah, to which Jesus replies: "I am, and you will see the Son of man at the right hand of God". The priests accuse Jesus of blasphemy and those present hit and spit. Shortly after, Judas regrets betraying Jesus, asks Caifás to release him and try to return the silver pieces, but without success. Later, some children, demons of Satan, approach him and torment him. Judas tries to flee from them until reaching the foot of a tree, near which the remains of a camel lie.
Right away, decide to take a rope and hang. Jesus meets Poncio Pilatos and King Herod Poncio Pilatos asks Jesus ‘What is the truth?’The temple guards lead to a beaten Jesus before the governor of Judea, Poncio Pilatos, so that he condemns him. Seeing Jesus, Pilatos questions priests the state in which he is. Caifás and the other priests accuse Jesus of being the leader of a dangerous sect and prohibiting his followers from paying taxes to the emperor. Pilatos meets alone with Jesus and asks if he is the king of the Jews. Jesus answers that his kingdom is not in this world and that those who want to know the truth, will hear it. Pilate, then, ask Jesus “What is the truth?”And he takes him again before the priests.
King Herod asks Jesus if he is able to revive the dead. Since Jesus is from Galilee, Pilatos decides to send it with King Herod, who has this region under his command. Already in the Palacio de Herodes, the king interrogates Jesus, but the latter is silent. Then, the king affirms that it is only a fool and orders that they take Jesus of his sight. In the next scene, Pilatos meets his wife, Claudia Prócula, and expresses his fears about the situation. Later, the Roman attorney tells priests that neither Herod have found Jesus guilty of any crime. The crowd gets upset and Caifás questions the loyalty of Pilate to Cesar. Claudia Prócula asks a Pilate full of doubts that does not condemn Jesus. Then, Pilatos to choose between Jesus and Barabás, a murderer, so that one of them is released.
The crowd asks for the liberation of Barabás and that Jesus is crucified. Pilate sends to punish Jesus, indicating to his soldiers not to kill him. The Flagellation of Jesus. Roman soldiers prepare Jesus to be scourged. In a courtyard of torture, Roman soldiers laugh while whipping Jesus with nine -tailed cats. Satan observes the punishment, while loading a little demon as if it were a baby. The flagellation of Jesus extends for some time. Seeing a severely injured Jesus, a soldier asks the others to stop, since they have no goal of killing him. The soldiers unleash Jesus and place a crown of thorns, while they make fun of him and continue hitting him.
Maria receives Claudia prócula for some cloths and begins to clean the blood of the floor on which Jesus was punished with the help of Mary Magdalena, while the latter remembers the moment in which Jesus saved her from being tap. Ecce Homo. Poncio Pilatos presents a flagellated Jesus and says to the crowd: ‘Here is the man!’. Pilatos shows Jesus before the crowd, wounded and bloody, and says "here to man", pointing out that he has received his punishment. The crowd continues to press for its execution and Caifás affirms that releasing it is to go against Cesar. Given this, Pilatos orders that the will of those present and wash their hands. Jesus loads the cross to the Calvary. Jesus receives the cross and hugs it before loading it towards the Calvary. The soldiers give the cross to Jesus, who must load it from the city to the Calvary.
Jesus continues to receive lashes, while showing a flashback from his arrival in Jerusalem, five days ago, when the people welcomed him. Later, Jesus falls due to the punishment received and the weight of the cross and Mary approaches and comforts her. Shortly after, Jesus falls again, so the soldiers ask a man, Simón de Cirene, to help him load the cross. The crowd and the soldiers make fun of Jesus, who falls again, and a woman approaches him and cleans her face with a cloth. Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus load the cross. Before arriving at Calvary, Jesus begins to faint. Simon prevents him from falling again and tells him that they are close and that everything is about to end. In another flashback Jesus is observed by asking his followers to love their enemies.
Crucifixion and Death of Jesus. Jesus is crucified with two other men. Upon arriving at Calvary, the soldiers nail Jesus on the cross and crucify him in front of Mary, María Magdalena, Juan, Caifás and the rest of the crowd that followed his journey. In a flashback, Jesus shares the bread with his disciples and asks them to love each other and tells them: "I am the way, truth and life". Gesmas, a crucified criminal with Jesus, yells him to save and demonstrate that he is the one who claims to be. However, another condemned, dough, affirms that both deserve that punishment, and that Jesus is innocent. Then Dyes asks Jesus to remind him when he arrives in his kingdom, to which Jesus replies: "I tell you, this day you will be with me in paradise". Then, a dying Jesus looks at heaven and asks God why he has abandoned him.
Finally, Jesus says: "Father, in your hands I entrust my spirit". A drop falls from heaven and, touching the ground, causes an earthquake. Jesus exhales his last breath and a drop falls from heaven, while an earthquake manifests. Some soldiers make sure that crucified die, while others flee. Meanwhile, in the temple of Jerusalem, the veil of the Sanctasanctórum is split into two, pointing out the fulfillment of the prophecy over the Messiah. Caifás and the other priests cry when they see what happened. Somewhere not specified, Satan shouts with despair when he looks defeated. Sepulcher and resurrection of Jesus. Maria, María Magdalena and Juan help soldiers to go down to Jesús de la Cruz. The soldiers lower the body of Jesus of the Cross and remove the crown of thorns.
Maria takes it in her arms and kisses her face. Juan and María Magdalena accompany him and everyone stays silent. A risen Jesus looks towards the departure from the sepulcher. Some time later, the departure of the sepulcher in which Jesus is opened. The light enters and enlightens the mantle that covered Jesus on a pedestal. Finally, a naked Jesus is observed, with the brands of the nails in his hands, heading to the sepulcher out. Film analysis. The passion of Christ is a well -visually performed film, while quite controversial and somewhat limited at a narrative level. One of the big problems of the film is that the action focuses mainly on the physical punishment that Jesus receives and little on the implications of his sacrifice, within the context offered.
That is, the film does not establish why it is necessary for Jesus to be judged and crucified. In general, the passion of Christ encloses a key moment in the life of a very important figure within the Christian religious tradition. However, Mel Gibson presents a very descriptive vision of passion, focused more on presenting events than telling a story. At a more specific level, at least two interrelated themes function as the engines of action in the film: the love and sacrifice of Jesus, and the cruelty that he was willing to endure. The love and sacrifice of Jesus. One of the most important themes of Christ’s passion is that of sacrifice as one of the greatest expressions of love for others. Mel Gibson makes use of gospels to express this idea.
For example, in a scene, Jesus tells his disciples that "there is no bigger love for a man than to give his life for his friends" (John, 15:13). Also, when Jesus is about to arrive at the Calvary with the cross behind him, in a flashback he quotes the Gospel of Matthew (5, 43-46): “They will have heard that they must love those who love us and hate our enemies. But I tell them: love their enemies and pray for those who judge them, because if only those who love them love, what reward are there in it?". The message is clear: even those who produce badly have to be loved. This love, and the love he finds in God, is what allows Jesus to obtain the strength he needs to carry out his task. A raw vision of passion.
The Passion of Christ invests most of its duration in a portrait of the last, agonizing and brutal moments of the life of Jesus. Basically, what Mel Gibson seeks is to show the raw of the situation, avoiding dealing with the issue of Jesus’ sacrifice softly, as in many other artistic interpretations. Its objective is clear: show every possible detail of the sacrifice of Jesus. Thus, Jesus never rests once he is captured by the guards of the temple of Jerusalem, at least until the moment of his death on the cross. The mood of developing most of the film following the physical punishment to which the character of Jesus is subjected, weakens the development of many other characters. In addition, at some moments, observing the punishment that Jesus suffers makes something difficult.
El Gore (Blood) is used as one more character within history, although there seems to be no justification for the amount of blood and suffering offered, at least within the film’s narrative. Main influences. It is no surprise that the passion of Christ has as its main foundation the biblical texts, in particular the four gospels. However, Mel Gibson also makes use of non -biblical resources to build the world and the characters in the film. The painful passion of our Lord Jesus Christ. One of the greatest influences of the Passion of Christ is found in the narration of different visions of the nun Agustina Ana Catalina Emmerick, transcribed by the writer and poet Clemens Brentano, described in the book The painful passion of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Mel Gibson uses the painful passion throughout the film, to build several of the scenes and actions of various characters. For example, in the film, when appearing before Jesus in the garden of Gethsemaní, Satan questions him: “Do you really think that a single man can load the weight of all sins? No man can load this weight. I tell you. it’s too heavy. Saving your souls has a very high cost. No man. Never.”In his visions, Emmerick mentions that Satan was in joy when he saw Jesus suffer and tries to torment him, saying:“ Are you also willing to take this sin about you? Are you willing to suffer your punishment? Are you prepared to suffer all these sins?”Another example of the influence of the painful passion in the film is observed in the relationship that Poncio Pilatos and his wife have.
Claudia Prócula. In the Gospels, only the Gospel of Matthew (27:19) makes a brief mention to Claudia Prócula. According to Emmerick’s visions, Claudia pises Poncio Pilatos to leave Jesus free and do not condemn him, to which Pilatos nods, promising that he will declare Jesus innocent. This also happens in the film, where both characters show a clear empathy for Jesus. Painful road stations when based on the last hours of Jesus’ life, most of the history presented in the Passion of Christ develops through several stations that make up the painful path, which represents a series of canonical storiesand apocrypha on the trial, condemnation, death and resurrection of Jesus, in different parts of the city of Jerusalem.
Scenes from his stations are presented in the film, from the moment Jesus was before Pontius Pilatos to be judged, until his burial. Among the most important stations are those that represent the flagellation of Jesus and the viacrucis or Camino de la Cruz. Ecce Homo is a phrase that Poncio Pilatos shouts in Latin to the crowd when presenting to Jesus scourged and which means ‘here is the man!’. This scene takes place during the second stationary station. The fourth, fifth and sixth stations of the painful path are used in the film as a contrast between the hatred or disgust that the crowd has towards Jesus, with the love and empathy of some characters.. During these stations, Jesus meets his mother, Mary, with Simón de Cirene, who helps him load the cross, and with Verónica.
A young mother who cleans her face. Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus load the cross. This scene was inspired by the fifth station of the painful road. Cinematography and Visual Language. At cinematography level, the task was in charge of the experienced American cinematographer Caleb Deschanel, who worked as a director of photography at the patriot, a film in which Mel Gibson had a main role as actor. Deschanel’s work earned him a Oscar nomination in the best photography category. The style used by Mel Gibson and Deschanel in the Passion of Christ opts for a visualization of the environment that aims to be realistic or naturalistic. At the same time, many sequences are used in slow chamber, which according to the director, intends to create images and actions that seem painting outflows.
One of the main objectives was to present Jesus’ flagellation in a crude way that is rarely shown in artistic works. Deschanel himself, in an interview for The American Cinematographher (the American cinematographer), comments that religious art is generally limited to showing a flagellated Jesus in a very "clean" way.Among the artists who inspired the language and visual style of the film are Caravaggio, Théodore Géricault and Miguel Ángel. Caravaggio: I salomé with Juan Bautista’s head. 1609. Oil painting. 116 cm x 140 cm. Royal Palace of Madrid, Madrid, Spain. In the case of Caravaggio and Géricult artists, Deschanel is inspired by the style they used in their paintings, in terms of lighting and composition.
For example, in the scenes that take place during the night, the lighting used is based on the chiaroscuro technique of these artists.The use of chiaroscuro and first planes allows you to closely observe the features and gestures of the characters, revealing their emotions. This choice was not based so much on copying a specific work, but on reproducing the features that the paintings of these artists reveal, particularly on the facial expressions of the characters. Thus, a contrast would be built between the punishment that Jesus suffers and what is observed in the face of the direct witnesses. In another example, the face of Judas Iscariot in the foreground is illuminated as if it were a picture of Caravaggio or Géricault. As for Miguel Ángel, the famous work La Pietà (La Piedad) is used as a reference in one of the scenes.
When Mary holds Jesus’s body in her arms. Miguel Ángel: La Pietà. 1499. Marble sculpture. 1.74 m x 1.95 m. Basilica de San Pedro, Vatican City. In this image, inspired by Miguel Ángel’s Pietà, Mary holds Jesus with the palm of her hand looking up. Know more about the passion of Christ in art: works and meanings. Main planes and lighting used. When a film is directed, both the person in charge of the General Directorate, and who performs cinematography, make elections designed to communicate what they mean in each picture. Mel Gibson and Deschanel mainly opt for the use of first short and first planes, seeking to isolate the characters, with the intention of establishing an intimate relationship with the audience.
The general and media plans are used to a lesser extent and with the intention of contextualizing the action. Here you can see Satan while Jesus is flagellated. The use of the short foreground invites the audience to read what happens inside the characters. It is not fortuitously that the majorthe objects. Jesus observes heaven and talks to God. In a very close -up, intimacy is offered and emotionally charged to the image. It should be noted that Mel Gibson chooses to "show" and not "count".
The majority of what happens is observed in actions, and the characters rarely tell the audience what happens. It is precisely visual language, plans, frames and angles, those who comment on the action. Judas finds a dead camel. In this short medium plane you can see the details of the subject’s face and some of its context. Judas suicide on the outskirts of Jerusalem. The general plan used allows the relationship between the previous take to be recognized with the character and the surrounding environment. In the lighting section, the film tries to maintain a natural or realistic level, with the intention that the audience feels that it observes a real fact, quasi documentary. For example, in the scenes in which Jesus is flagelled, loads the cross and is crucified, Deschanel opts not to use diffusers.
So the light creates very defined shadows, as naturally occurs during the day. Simon and Jesus on Calvary. Here you can see the use of natural light and the absence of diffusers, with a very strong contrast between light and shadows. In the case of Jesus’ flashbacks, the tones are usually warm and the light is soft. This causes the audience to recognize that, on the one hand, it is a memory or event that occurred in the past and, on the other hand, show the character of Jesus as a noble and quiet being. In the case of Jesus’ flashbacks, the use of diffusers is chosen. In the scenes that occur during the night outdoors, blue tones are used, with the help of electric lighting. Deschanel himself says about it that ‘so much light had never been used to create so much darkness’.
Both lighting and the use of short planes, and the fact that they used languages of the time are samples of the level of immersion that Mel Gibson and Deschanel sought to achieve. Main characters Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus asking his followers to love their enemies. The film presents the character of Jesus both divine and human. The director does not build an idealization of Jesus as a stoic or immutable figure. On the contrary, he shows it as a man who suffers pain, spiritual and physical from the first scene of the film, full of great love for his fellow men. Thanks to the performance of Jim Caviezel, who is able to express many emotions simply through his gaze, this interpretation of Jesus exhibits in his body language a plethora of emotions.
It is possible to observe the penalty, joy and sadness about what the responsibility to assume as the Messiah implies. Jesus smiles, cries, pray to God Fortaleza, hugs his mother and kisses her on the forehead, he bothers, suffers, shares with his disciples, confronts without fear those who accuse him, among many other things. The film does not show a passive Jesus, who is at the mercy of what they do of him. The flagellation he suffers is the obstacle that must happen as a hero of history, without claudicating and overcoming the temptation to avoid punishment. In this case, the ability to endure not only the sins of the world, but also that punishment, are partly due to the divinity of Jesus’ character and the idea of the great love he has for humanity that the director proposes with hisHistory and actions.
Jesus does not ask the suffering, but he is willing to endure it and knows what it means. This is the way the hero of the film triumphs. Satan: Satan appears before Jesus and tries to persuade him to fulfill his mission. The figure of Satan is that of an androgynous being, with a cold look, with a threatening and firm expression, which causes impact every time it occurs on the screen. Among its attributes is to be manipulator and have the ability to influence, to some extent, the actions of the other characters. Satan’s visual choice, presented with some aesthetic "beauty", was deliberate by the director. For Mel Gibson, the traditional way in which Satan is represented, in art in general, is not the way in which he considers that it manifests in the world.
That is why, according to Gibson, the character was designed in the film to represent more an attractive and symmetrical being, than a kind of horns monster. This character was played by the Italian actress Rosalinda Celentano, who, as did Jim Caviezel with Jesus, offers depth to the same through her gaze. In most of his interventions, Satan seems to be apparent control of his physical gestures, moving between the agitated crowd, and tormenting several of the characters with his presence. Mary, mother of Jesus. Mary listens to Jesus falling with the cross. Within the movie, Mary, Mother of Jesus, is a character who captures part of the sensitivity and love that seems to need in the world of the film. In addition, despite the situation he is in, Maria’s character is not victimized.
Mel Gibson tries with this character that the audience identifies with internal pain, different from that Jesus suffers. The director uses the archetype of mother’s love to counteract the hatred that other characters show. For Mary, it is not only the Savior of Humanity who is on the cross, but it is also her son. Poncio Pilatos and Claudia Prócula. Claudia tells Poncio Pilatos her dream and asks not to condemn Jesus. Poncio Pilatos is the Roman attorney in Jerusalem, famous for the episode in which he washed his hands, after condemning Jesus to be crucified. This character is in the middle of an inner battle, since he considers Jesus innocent, but fears for his own situation, given the possible consequences of not condemning him. Much of Pilate’s motivation, however, is shown in its disgust towards the Jews.
At least in the way it is presented in the movie. On several occasions, Pilatos and Caifás come into conflict for a matter of power and the decision to free or condemn Jesus. His wife, Claudia Prócula, tries to convince Pilate not to condemn Jesus, due to visions he has had of him. She briefly interacts with Maria on one occasion, showing her empathy to what happens. Caifás, the high priest. Caifás in the Sanhedrin, accusing Jesus of blasphemy. Together with Satan, Caifás, the high priest of the Temple of Jerusalem, is one of the film’s antagonists. Caifás wishes to see Jesus convicted of death by blasphemy and leads the other priests, and the crowd in general, in his eagerness to achieve that goal. This character is one of the most one -dimensional in the film.
His only intention is to end Jesus and not much more is known about him. Main controversies of the Passion of Christ. Use of excessive graphic violence. Perhaps the greatest controversy around the passion of Christ is the amount of violence, blood and crudeness that the film exhibits. This led to obtaining a classification of not suitable for minors in many countries. For example, it was classified "R" in the United States, "C" in Mexico and "+18" in Spain. Mel Gibson does not waste much time before demonstrating the brutality that the character must face. The director affirmed at the time that the film does not offer free violence and that it was a way to show what Jesus had to happen, which, according to Him, is almost never enlightened when the story of the passion of Jesus Christ tellsdifferent media.
Only Jesus’ flagellation extends almost 15 minutes. To this is added the beating of which it is object since it is captured, and all its passage through the painful way, to its crucifixion. However, within the narrative of the film, a reason that determines if the character of Jesus was deserving of the kind of physical punishment that suffers. For this reason, many critics described the film as "torture porn", a style of horror cinema. Possible anti -Semitism samples. The passion of Christ was wrapped in another controversy for the way Mel Gibson portrayed the Jews in the film. In simple words, anti -Semitism refers to hostile treatment and discrimination against Jews, based on prejudices and stereotypes.
The film draws the vast majority of the characters of the people of Judea as a crowd who only wants to see Jesus suffer and die to feel that threatens his beliefs and/or political-religious power. In the particular case of religious leaders, high Jewish priests want to see Jesus humiliated and crucified, without being willing to negotiate a midpoint. For example, in a Caifás scene it challenges directly to Pilate and alleges that releasing a man who says king is to face Cesar, angrily demanding the crucifixion of Jesus. In contrast, even if Roman soldiers are characters who also enjoy inflicting Jesus, leaders and representatives of Rome who have contact with Jesus are presented as characters with empathy and internal conflicts.
conclusion
Some curiosities of the film The Passion of Christ. The Passion of Christ is the classified film "R" (of legal age) that has the largest collection of all time in the United States, for a total of 370 782 930 million dollars. There is a Recut (edited) version of the film, with about five minutes less duration, launched to the controversy due to the amount of graphic violence that the original version possesses. However, this version was not very successful. Also, the film was listed by Entertainment Weekly magazine in 2006 as the most controversial film of all time. Mel Gibson’s decision to select an actress to play Satan was based on showing a "attractive" (tempting) and androgynous satan, moving away from the image of the traditional horns monster.
In the passion of Christ, Mel Gibson chose to make use of Latin and arameo as the languages spoken by most characters to urge the immersion of the audience and authenticity of the film. About Mel Gibson. Mel Colmcille Gerard Gibson is an American actor and director born in 1956. As an actor, Mel Gibson has been part of very popular action franchises, particularly during the 1980s and 1990s, among which are the Mad Max and Lethal Weapon series (lethal weapon). Regarding his career as director, Mel Gibson is characterized by telling stories with epic nuance, based on real events or a certain degree of historicity. Artistically, his films intend to contextualize visually with some fidelity, rejecting unnecessary ornamental elements. Among his best -known films are Braveheart (brave heart), Apocalypto, Hacksaw Ridge (up to the last man) and, of course, The Passion of the Christ (The Passion of Christ).
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