Friday, April 23, 2004
The Passion of the Christ
So I know I'm behind on this one. Yeah, I'm behind on a lot of stuff. I debated for a while about whether I was going to see The Passion or not, mainly because I didn't know if I could deal with the violence. And then, the Christian bandwagon effect kicked in, which further discouraged me from seeing it. "Every Christian should see this!" is never a motivation for me to see a movie. I'm contrary like that.
But I talked with Kristy about it, on Easter actually. We talked about how it's often hard to see Jesus as a real person; when you've heard the stories over and over, they lose their meaning sometimes. And our conversation made me think that the movie would be something that might help me to see who Jesus is more clearly, just for myself emotionally. It also clarified some of the violence issues for me, and with that, I decided to go ahead and see the movie.
First off, the violence wasn't as bad as I was anticipating. Yes, it was extremely violent, and there were plenty of times when I winced and had to look away, but for the most part it didn't bother me the way I thought it would.
It was an amazing, and I would even say beautiful film.
There were so many small touches that were just artistically beautiful. I loved the depiction of the the grave clothes at the end, the pieta that was created when they take Jesus down from the cross, and the flashbacks throughout, showing scenes from Jesus' life.
The depiction of Satan and the demonic elements was intriguing. I felt that some of it was over the top (like the freaky demon children, for example...), but especially good was the scene with Jesus praying in the garden and Satan throwing doubts and questions at him.
I loved the portrayal of Jesus' relationship with Mary. It was one of the aspects of the movie that really made me think about Jesus in some new ways. So much was demonstrated through just a few scenes: his love and care for his mother, and how much she really understood what he would have to go through. The scenes showing Jesus' relationship with his mother and his disciples were so wonderful at giving glimpses of who Jesus really was: fully God, and yet fully human. And I think what affected me the most was the pairing of those scenes from Jesus' life with the events of the Passion.
I do wish, though, there had been more of that--that the film had taken more time to show who Jesus was before arresting him and beating him up. I heard the movie being criticized for only portraying the crucifixion, and not depicting the whole life of Jesus. And I was frustrated with that criticism, because after all, the movie is called "The Passion of the Christ." It didn't set out to be a life of Christ, but a depiction of the events of the Passion. If the movie had showed more of the life of Jesus, it would have been a different movie. And as a portrayal of the Passion, it was incredible.
But the thing is, there's more to Jesus than the Passion. There's more to my faith than the Passion. The meaning of the Passion is rooted in the life that preceded it, as well as in the Resurrection. Yes, the crucifixion is central to my faith, and yes, that is why Jesus came--to give his life--but there is so much more to who Jesus is. And I wish that had been more a part of this movie.
There are many who will see the film who do not know the surrounding context of Jesus' life, and who won't grasp the depth of Christ's sacrifice or the reasons behind it. Don't get me wrong, I know the movie has and will continue to offer opportunities to start conversations and answer some of those questions. But there really was no space given to character development, and I think that's one of the reasons the movie didn't have the emotional impact for me it might otherwise have had.
All of that said, this movie was a wonderful reaffirmation of what I believe, a reminder of the magnitude of Christ's sacrifice and our Savior's love for us, and it was an amazing experience I'm glad to have had.
And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient to death--even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth, and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
--Phil. 2:8-10
Crown Him the Lord of life,
Who triumphed o'er the grave,
And rose victorious in the strife
For those He came to save;
His glories now we sing,
Who died, and rose on high,
Who died eternal life to bring,
And lives that death may die.
But I talked with Kristy about it, on Easter actually. We talked about how it's often hard to see Jesus as a real person; when you've heard the stories over and over, they lose their meaning sometimes. And our conversation made me think that the movie would be something that might help me to see who Jesus is more clearly, just for myself emotionally. It also clarified some of the violence issues for me, and with that, I decided to go ahead and see the movie.
First off, the violence wasn't as bad as I was anticipating. Yes, it was extremely violent, and there were plenty of times when I winced and had to look away, but for the most part it didn't bother me the way I thought it would.
It was an amazing, and I would even say beautiful film.
There were so many small touches that were just artistically beautiful. I loved the depiction of the the grave clothes at the end, the pieta that was created when they take Jesus down from the cross, and the flashbacks throughout, showing scenes from Jesus' life.
The depiction of Satan and the demonic elements was intriguing. I felt that some of it was over the top (like the freaky demon children, for example...), but especially good was the scene with Jesus praying in the garden and Satan throwing doubts and questions at him.
I loved the portrayal of Jesus' relationship with Mary. It was one of the aspects of the movie that really made me think about Jesus in some new ways. So much was demonstrated through just a few scenes: his love and care for his mother, and how much she really understood what he would have to go through. The scenes showing Jesus' relationship with his mother and his disciples were so wonderful at giving glimpses of who Jesus really was: fully God, and yet fully human. And I think what affected me the most was the pairing of those scenes from Jesus' life with the events of the Passion.
I do wish, though, there had been more of that--that the film had taken more time to show who Jesus was before arresting him and beating him up. I heard the movie being criticized for only portraying the crucifixion, and not depicting the whole life of Jesus. And I was frustrated with that criticism, because after all, the movie is called "The Passion of the Christ." It didn't set out to be a life of Christ, but a depiction of the events of the Passion. If the movie had showed more of the life of Jesus, it would have been a different movie. And as a portrayal of the Passion, it was incredible.
But the thing is, there's more to Jesus than the Passion. There's more to my faith than the Passion. The meaning of the Passion is rooted in the life that preceded it, as well as in the Resurrection. Yes, the crucifixion is central to my faith, and yes, that is why Jesus came--to give his life--but there is so much more to who Jesus is. And I wish that had been more a part of this movie.
There are many who will see the film who do not know the surrounding context of Jesus' life, and who won't grasp the depth of Christ's sacrifice or the reasons behind it. Don't get me wrong, I know the movie has and will continue to offer opportunities to start conversations and answer some of those questions. But there really was no space given to character development, and I think that's one of the reasons the movie didn't have the emotional impact for me it might otherwise have had.
All of that said, this movie was a wonderful reaffirmation of what I believe, a reminder of the magnitude of Christ's sacrifice and our Savior's love for us, and it was an amazing experience I'm glad to have had.
And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient to death--even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth, and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
--Phil. 2:8-10
Crown Him the Lord of life,
Who triumphed o'er the grave,
And rose victorious in the strife
For those He came to save;
His glories now we sing,
Who died, and rose on high,
Who died eternal life to bring,
And lives that death may die.
| posted by Barbara | 6:13 PM