Opinions on The Passion

by those who have actually seen it, if you please. if you haven't, you're not qualified to have an opinion on it, sorry.


as for me, i did not enjoy it, but i'm glad i watched. seeing the pain of Christ displayed so graphically reaffirmed my faith and reminded me why i believe in the Trinity.

when Jesus fell, and Simon took his cross, all i could think was "how lucky to have served Christ in that capacity, how blessed to have known him in life, for however brief a moment."

inspite of this, or perhaps because of it, i do not recommend this movie to everyone. only Christians should watch. if you don't already have faith, you won't get it. understanding the message requires belief, and this movie does not provide anything that isn't in your heart already. it only deepens the emotion you already carry.

 

The pain of Christ? I'm sure there are many, many people who have experienced more pain than this.

One of the things I believed about my God (based on the Christian one) is that he would not want people wasting/spending their lives worshipping him.

While I am kind of atheist I think anyone could understand this movie aslong as they've been educated a bit about what happened. For me I don't think it would have deepened anything. I never get much from a movie in the way of deepening things.

Apart from that I thought it was well directed but didn't have much in the way of story. It was just like the story re-written exactly the same. And not in the way Lord of the Rings was done. Acting was good too.

 

What kind of world do we live in where a Hollywood production can "reaffirm your faith." Its a god damned movie, I'm sure some of the gestapo propaganda films reaffirmed the faith of doubtful Germans during world war 2. Not that I'm comparing any form of faith to Naziism, but its the same thing. Movies are not truth, or reality, what does it say about you when your opinions and ideas are so governed by the media? My mom has been on a little bit of a Christian bent lately, but when the Latin Grammy's came out all my friends started calling each other "ese" (heyyyyyy...Esssssaaay!!).

I'm going to see the movie today and I'll give you my opinion on it, but Mel Gibson's films aren't famous for historical accuracy, (Braveheart, that American Revolution movie, the Road Warrior, etc). People believe what they want to believe, and if they want to accept a high cost hollywood production as scripture then I think I've just about lost my faith in humanity.
<based on the trailers>
I'm sure there is a lot of Biblical, and possibly historical accuracy in this movie, but the strongly mythological portrayal of the characters is very depressing. Everyone is white, and Jesus's mom appears to be 5 years older than him.

I'll be back to this thread in 8 hours with a real opinion.

 

Actually everyone is Italian, and that's only because they couldn't get Jewish actors for the film, except for Maia Morgenstern, who played Mary. And an Italian with long curly hair and a long beard looks damn Jewish. Watch the movie before you make your judgement. Jews are white anyway, last I heard. Or at least as white as Italians.

 

this is exactly what i meant. you're an atheist, and you don't get it. you may understand the story of Christ, but you don't understand the faith behind it. and there is no way i or any movie can explain it to you. if you didn't have faith going in, you won't have any coming out, either. it's nice you appreciated the acting, but that wasn't the point. the point was to show visually a story all of us already know. what you get out of it is up to you.


and as for you, Sleek, i specifically said, if you haven't seen it, you don't know what the hell you're talking about. and i will take my reaffirmations wherever i can get them, thank you very much.

 

Jews, at the time, were not white. They looked like arabs, basically, as they had yet to intermix (read: be raped by) by generations of Europeans.

Also, Jeruslam was filled with blacks, Arabs, Egyptians, and Europeans, not just Jews, and certainly not white Jews.

 

That depends. Moroccan and Yemenite Jews are often dark skinned, sometimes with darker skin than Arabs from the same countries. Ethiopean Jews are black

 

That's right, because only Christians can understand anything about Christian mythology, art, symbolism, etc. It's all an in-joke, isn't it.

It's arrogant talk like that which continues to discourage me from seeing this movie.

 

Luckily, it own't be released in Europe for some time, and so I can't see it, even if I want to. I think what I'll do is rent a DVD and watch it with as many people as I can gather, so as to minimize the money per person that goes to Mr. Holocaust Denier.

People can understand faith and still decry it.

 

I'm not going to see this movie for multiple reasons such as:

1. It sounds horribly disgusting.
2. I don't care to finance Mel Gibson's vanity project (for various reasons I'll won't delvege into)
3. I don't honestly care about this movie
4. It looks disgusting, gross and bad
5. I don't believe in god so this movie is meaningless
6. It's a waste of money that I could be using to buy a certain skirt
7. Did I mention that it looks disgusting beyond words?

 

Not to everyone, this movie is sure to be a hit with the s&m crowd. All those whips and chains etc, I got a downright hard on when I saw those big strong roman guards and their loooong whips. Oh my! May be crucifucking will become a new, popular fetish in germany when this movie finally comes out.

 

There is a certain chance that over here The Passion will be banned. :???:

 

That's horrible.
As much as I think that this movie is a worthless piece of shit, I don't believe in censorship of really any sort. Making people unable to see the movie sounds bad to me

 

My brother has an interesting theory regarding why Italians filled the majority of roles. Basically, the script was in Aramaic, Latin and something else, i.e. long-dead languages. However, the Italian language is derived from these ones, thus Italian actors would find it easier to read the script, inherently knowing how to pronounce the words and such.

Like I said, my brother's theory, but I think it's a good one.

Also true. I think I read somewhere once that there's a good chance Jesus was more black than white. That's a real kick in the teeth for KKK'ers if it's true.

 

Gibson doesn't deny, nor did he ever deny that the Holocaust happened. That was his father.

Also, what the hell does something his dad say have to do with anything? The only reason this tid-bit came out is because all the professional and personal attacks Mel Gibson endured once a certain crowd (read liberal, blame-America-first, I'm sorry I'm a white male crowd) found out that he dared make such a un-politically correct movie.

It's called slinging shit. It doesn't matter if it sticks or not, or if it's even applicable shit. Don't like somebody? Don't like what they're doing? Bring those fuckers down by publickly announcing all sorts of malarky.

Anyway, sorry rosie, I've yet to see "The Passion", and I apologize for maybe taking a wee bit of a poop in your thread. I want to see the movie, but I think I may wait until it comes out to rent. I'm just leery of seeing the movie. Don't really know why. Maybe scared of my reaction, I guess.

 

In one interview, Gibson was asked about his religion, that funky breakaway sect whose name I cannot always recall. Anyway, he said that he believes in this religion because his father told him it was the true faith, and since his father has never lied to him he must believe him. Which would ordinarily be a fair enough statement if not for the fact of his father's beliefs regarding the Holocaust.

Then in another interview, maybe the Diane Sawyer one, not like I really keep track, he was asked the simple question of whether he thought the Holocaust happened, and he gave the now-famous answer that yes, horrible things happened during the war, a lot of people suffered, bullshit bullshit bullshit.

Considering the polarizing effect this movie is having on the public, his beliefs (and those of his father, who has never lied to him) are at least somewhat important.

 

Grasping at straws, sounds to me like.

 

Arguing with a thick wall of blind obedience is more like it. Orders are given and you follow them, thats been the plan since your birth. Congratulations,you were born into a religion and have been thoroughly
brain washed by it, raised by it, and blinded by it. Not only can you not see any faults in scripture,or accept it as anything less than infallible,
you also turn a cold shoulder to anyone trying to convince you that anything you haven't been force fed all your life may not be entirely true.
Congratulations, I'm glad you've found salvation. All it cost was 5 dollars a week for the local priests car payments.

 

Who exactly are you talking to there Sleek? Rosie's only a recent recruit to the Cause, as it were, I've long given up and I hardly think that retard is a zealot.

If you're talking about Gibson, well, somehow I don't think he's going to be reading what you wrote anytime soon.

Then again, maybe I missed the whole point of your post.

 

There are several things that are completely untrue.

First, you need not have faith to enjoy this or appreciate this movie. Those of you that do not follow Christianity or are athiest this movie could show you why some(most) christians feel the way they do about their faith and Jesus.

Second, Canis I want to see where you got this dad info from. Gibson has never denied his faith nor religion. He is and has been a devout Roman Catholic.

Third, this movie is not just rewritten the same way. It not one of Gibson's vanity projects. This movie was researched to great lengths for 12 YEARS!! Gibson spent many, many hours talking to biblical scholars, historians, and various others to ensure accuracy. He didnt want to just make another last days of christ movie. It wanted to convey his beliefs and convictions and didnt care what the world thought. He wanted this movie to be as historically accurate as possible, hence the graphic nature of the film. Gibson said that what he meant by passion was love(Reader's Digest interview). The absolute passion he had for teaching love. Not once during his entire "trial" did he curse his pursecutors, but rather he prayed for them. That message he tried to convey. Any of us, and I mean ANY, would be crying like tiny little newborns after an eighth of the shit christ went through. Even though he was beaten to a bloody pulp, taunted, constantly beaten, and more he NEVER once lashed out at nor cursed those doing these things to him.

Fourth, it is entirely possible to reaffirm one's beliefs or faith. This movie shows what the christ truly went through. Sleek I truly think that as well as being an athiest you also lack compassion, sympathy, and understanding!!! These are some of the messages in the movie and I think it sad that you cannot grasp them. Love and compassion may be rather foreign to many; which is probably why this movie has recieved so much flak.

I wish to sum up saying that you can choose not to believe whatever you wish, and believe whatever you choose. But there is NEVER an excuse for ignorance! And many of you display blatantly obvious ignorance in some of your posts. Your beliefs, faith, whatever, or lack thereof is up to you and are your own; but do not ever condemn someone else for theirs!! Do be an ignorant ass that simply believes that what he thinks is right, and everyone else is wrong. Ignorance may have one excuse: stupidity. I truly do feel sorry for those of you that are athiests.


btw rosie - I feel every christian should watch this movie to gain a better knowledge of what christ went through, and his love for them. I loved this movie and the way things were portrayed. Yes very graphically, but accurately (passed the pope's approval) as well. I now have greater compassion and understanding, along with a reaffirmation of my faith and beliefs, for having watched it.