Atlantic City Weekly

It is perhaps impossible to be politically correct in debating the merits of Mel Gibson's depiction of the final hours of Jesus' life, The Passion of the Christ. As a film critic, one tries to keep one's own personal agenda in the background at all times. My job is to access the artistic merits of a film and provide an opinion, perhaps putting a film in the context of motion-picture history, if it deserves such analysis. I am not a biblical scholar, but I have read some of the debate on whether Gibson's film is anti-Semitic.

The Passion of the Christ moved me to tears on several occasions. Surely Gibson's obvious desire to make the suffering of Jesus in his final hours as visceral and violent as possible was with a purpose. The greater our understanding of the physical pain He endured, the greater our appreciation of His sacrifice. Jim Caviezel, as Jesus of Nazareth, is an excellent conduit for expressing that suffering. He uses his eyes, his blood-soaked body and his cries of pain to express every minute of his character's anguish.

The film begins in the garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus waits for his final day on earth to begin while his apostles sleep nearby. Judas has played his part, and the soldiers arrive to arrest Jesus. It is in the garden that we also see Satan temp Jesus. It is interesting that Satan is depicted as androgynous (played in fact by a woman, Rosalinda Celentano). You could argue that Gibson is reminding us that it is womankind's fault that sin is an issue, if you were so inclined.

Jesus was a thorn in the side of the Jewish religious hierarchy, a man claiming to be the Messiah, and therefore undermining the political power and influence of the priests, led by Caiaphas (Mattia Sbragia). With the Roman occupation already muting their influence, it is reasonable that the political expediency of their actions, calling for the crucifixion of Christ, would be an important component of the film.

Does this make the film anti-Semitic?

Several articles, including a piece in Newsweek, do hold Gibson accountable for picking and choosing elements of all four gospels to express his vision in this area. The Romans and Pilate can be seen as more accountable. This film's Pilate (Hristo Shopov), is seen being forced by politics - and the need to keep the peace with the priests - into agreeing to the crucifixion. His wife begs him to spare Jesus, presenting us with the possibility that she is aware of - and has been moved - by Jesus' teaching.

Still, the notion that Jesus must be put through this agony to save mankind is the main theme.

When Martin Scorsese released The Last Temptation of Christ in 1988, there was no discussion about anti-Semitism. That go-round of the "Greatest Story Ever Told" had Christians upset. Scorsese dared to show Jesus (played by Willem Dafoe) hallucinating on the cross about having sex with Mary Magdalene. That this hallucination was shown to be created by Satan to temp Jesus would not placate those distressed by Scorsese's artistic license.

Gibson's artistic intentions and interpretation of the gospels have created a film that is both moving and horrifying. On the artistic side, the use of the languages of the times, Aramaic and Latin, give it a richer historical context. The expressive faces of Mary (Maia Morgenstern) and Mary Magdalene (Monica Bellucci), who rarely speak, add emotional layering and the feel of a silent movie. The photography by Caleb Deschanel is both beautiful and horrific, matching Gibson's vision.

Controversy aside, The Passion of the Christ is worth seeing if you can stand the brutality.

The Passion of the Christ - ***
Directed by Mel Gibson; Rated R for graphic violence

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