Is the Passion too brutal?
by davidthayer
I will admit something, I am of two minds about watching Mel Gibson’s The Passion of Christ. On one hand I am interested in being able to participate in the general discussion and especially one that centers around such a crucial area of faith. I am generally pleased that the life of Christ is the subject of general discussion and debate as Mark Byron points out.
On the other hand, I am not a big fan of visual brutality and the movie is reported to have a great deal. I wonder if all of the blood and violence might be too much. I am also concerned about the focus on the the Crucifixion with little emphasis on the resurrection. Call me squeamish if you will but a critic I respect a great deal, James Bowman felt the movie was a bit of a mess structurally and thematically.
I am not as judgemental as Gregg Easterbrook, but I am somewhat conflicted. I guess I will have to see the movie (probably this weekend) and make my own judgment. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Kevin,
I found your blog via JYB. Great stuff, interesting point of view.
I just returned from The Passion and I have two things to say.
1) It is, without a doubt, the most fantastic film I’ve seen in recent memory. Mind you, I haven’t seen the latest LOTR yet, bet that fact withstanding The Passion of the Christ is instantly in my Top 10.
This is one of those rare occasions where you honestly believe a movie may just change your life.
2) The Passion of Christ is the most violent film that I have ever seen. I grew up in the age of Freddy Krugar and Jason Voorhees as a point of reference.
The difference here is the realism of the violence; a triple fold effect. First, because the special effects technologies used were top notch. Second, because Gibson is a master of this genre. And finally, unlike the “fake” violence of Friday the 13th, etc. this all really happened — assuming you believe the gospels of the Bible. Even if you don’t , the fact is it could have happened, making it much more powerful than a hockey masked madman.
I don’t know if I’ve helped your decision at all but let me add one more thing. I took my mother to see the movie and she’s no fan of violence. She simply covered her eyes during the most traumatic scenes. It seems as if the sound effects alone were enough for her to feel the impact of Mel’s delivery of God’s message; by the end she was in tears.