The Passion of the Christ--Written Analysis 5

The Passion of the Christ

The Passion of the Christ is a must see for most people.  While this movie is very graphic, it is powerful in its own right.  It has the capacity to move you once you understand the storyline and the history behind the movie.  The Passion is powerful and overwhelming (Petracca & Sorapure, p. 618).

This version of the story of Christ was directed by Mel Gibson. He took it upon himself to bring to reality what was stated in The Holy Bible.   Yes, it was interpreted by a man who has flaws; nonetheless, it was done with class.

There were several points in the movie that I thought showed Gibson’s creativity.  I thought it was ingenious for him to represent the devil as an un-tanned, asexual being—not being able to tell if it was a man or a woman.  If was very smart to have the being appear and disappear in different scenes—some of them were in front of the camera, others were just a face in the crowd.  This represents how evil is lurking everywhere in our everyday lives.

The next point to bring out was the journey to the cross.  This is known in history as the Via Dolorosa, way of grief or suffering, the road that Jesus the Christ walked in order to save the world from itself.   As Christ walked the line, he was forced to carry his own cross and then was beaten with a cat of nine tails along the way.  This portion of the movie was very gruesome, yet powerful, overwhelming, and tough to stomach (Petracca & Sorapure, p. 618).  Gibson received much criticism for this portion of the film; however, if you have ever read The Bible, you would understand it stays that Jesus the Christ was beaten so bad that his own mother didn’t recognize him.  I think that Gibson did us a favor and spared us the worst of the worst.

Even though I think this was a terrific movie with the making, casting, and directing, I still am only able to watch this movie periodically because of the reality that is brings.  Don’t take my word for it.  Watch it yourself and make your own determination.

References

Petracca, M & Sorapure, M (2007). Common Culture. (p. 618) Upper Saddle River, NJ: 

 Pearson Education.

Passion of the Christ.  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0335345/.  Retrieved May 1, 2011

Via Dolorosa.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Via_Dolorosa.  Retrieved May 1, 2011