What do you think about the Passion of the Christ??

[DopeyRN]

Michelle...I agree 100%. I would love to be able to discuss things. I can tell you this is something people seem to be talking about everywhere you go.

Pooh Girl...we discussed the Satan baby thing tonight and we have no real idea what it is about. I ordered a book that is supposed to explain things like that...if I find the answer of what it symbolized, I will PM you.

 

[Miss Jasmine]

I haven't seen the movie yet (I have my tickets for this Friday) but I heard a little something about the Satan baby. First, I think this is a part where a little artistic license was used. Second, some think the baby is a symbol of Satan believing that once Christ was "dead" that evil would be given birth to (in the spiritual sense).

 

[MerryPoppins]

I'm not going. I prefer to watch it on DVD when it comes out. I know I couldn't make it through the whole movie in one sitting. DS 16 feels the same. I didn't even ask DD 12 for her thoughts, as I know she is too emotional to watch it. DH is going without us.

 

[bubbleprincessmom]

For those who have seen this, does the movie include the resurection? I would hope that it doesn't end with the dying on the cross but continues on to tell how He rose again and conquered death.

 

[Tiggerlover91]

Originally posted by damo
I, too, won't be seeing the movie. Although I am a Catholic, this movie, to me, is Mel's interpretation of somebody else's interpretation or somebody else's interpretation , etc. etc. of what happened. I would be moved to tears and silence watching anyone be tortured.

It IS NOT Mel's interpretation of somebody's interpretation and so on and so on. Read the gospel, that's what interpretation it is and that is the ONLY interpretation that counts.

 

[Tiggerlover91]

Originally posted by damo
Do you think that Jesus would really have wanted this movie made? After all, according to the bible he did say, "Weep not for me", to those who were crying over his suffering. He wanted people to focus on what was going to happen after his death.

I don't know damo, why don't you ask him? I'm not trying to be a "female dog" by any means, but if you truly sit and ask our Messiah and his Father did they want this movie made, I can guarantee you that you would get one of the loudest YES you have EVER heard!

 

[vhoffman]

I won't see this movie. I had surgery on both hands and both feet (not all at the same time!) and despite the heavy doses of pain killers I was given I suffered unbelievable pain. And that was when dr's were trying to help me! The pain went away in a few weeks and I'm fine now. However, I can't even look at pictures of the cruxifition (sp?) without remembering my own pain. Pain hurts! I think this is probably a very well-done picture, however, for my own personal situation, I just can't bear to see it.

 

[damo]

Originally posted by Tiggerlover91
I don't know damo, why don't you ask him? I'm not trying to be a "female dog" by any means, but if you truly sit and ask our Messiah and his Father did they want this movie made, I can guarantee you that you would get one of the loudest YES you have EVER heard!

I have no problems with people loving this movie, don't get me wrong, if it makes people better people, then that is great. I just don't believe that people should be claiming that every little detail is fact. That is impossible. There has to be a lot of interpretation. I almost feel like Mel Gibson is writing his own extended version and people are taking it as truth.

 

[Ellester]

We saw it on Saturday night. I agree with many of the posters, it was a very intense experience. The theatre was packed and no one moved at the end, it was silent. I think what the movie did for me was to help me connect with Jesus' humanity. I did have to hide my eyes several times, I'm glad I had warning about certain parts ahead of time (ie. the murderer on the cross and the crow). Being pregnant, I can handle certain things less well than usual. Both my DH (who is the process of becoming an Anglican priest) and I broke down at the same part, the flashback when Jesus fell as a child. Having young children, that just hit home. I am glad I saw it, but couldn't see it again anytime soon.

As far as the devil and the baby, from what I understand it is Satan's mockery of the Madonna and Jesus. Definitely artistic liscense on Gibson's part. I do think it was pretty accurate to the Gospels. And I think if it gets people to read them to see if it was accurate or not, that is a major victory!

~Ellen

 

[Dreamer04]

Originally posted by bubbleprincessmom
For those who have seen this, does the movie include the resurection? I would hope that it doesn't end with the dying on the cross but continues on to tell how He rose again and conquered death.

Yes, I saw the movie and it does end with the Ressurection of Our Lord.

After all, there would be no point to His Crucifixion without His Resurrection, now would there?

 

[beattyfamily]

Mel Gibson researched for this movie for 12 years, talking with expert scholars and looking at famous art work etc...he wanted to do it right.

This movie is true to the 4 Gospels, pretty much word for word, no one has said otherwise, but this is also Mel's vision and he took artistic license with some aspects of the movie; for example, the devil, the flash backs when Jesus fell as a child and the flashback to when he made that table. Nothing wrong with those scenes. They just added to the movie, IMHO.

 

[chell]

Originally posted by Ellester
As far as the devil and the baby, from what I understand it is Satan's mockery of the Madonna and Jesus.

That was the one part of a discussion on the radio last night that I was able to hear. I missed most of it because I had the time wrong. I was just wondering if that's where you heard that as well or somewhere else.

 

[Trish5768]

DH and I saw the movie Sunday night. I don't think words can describe what you actually feel while watching the movie. I found the scenes with Jesus and his Mother very moving and heart wrenching. I also thought that the one drop of rain after he died was a brilliant - I took it as it God shedding a tear for his son. You could not hear a sound as we left the movie theater.

I did not get the part with Judas being chased by the children or the devil being there before he hung himself. Why would the devil care if Judas lived or died? He had already betrayed Christ. Does anyone know?

 

[beattyfamily]

Originally posted by Trish5768
I did not get the part with Judas being chased by the children or the devil being there before he hung himself. Why would the devil care if Judas lived or died? He had already betrayed Christ. Does anyone know?

I just think he was being tormented. It was his guilt. I really don't think the devil cared either way. IMHO.

 

[CourtasanSatine]

I'm curious but will be waiting for the crowds to die down some before seeing it(one small thing: I cried at the end of Moulin Rouge and at several parts of the LOTR films,should I bring the tissues?)

 

[Tiggerlover91]

Originally posted by CourtasanSatine
should I bring the tissues?)

Uh, YEAH!

 

[Trish5768]

As far as the Satan baby goes, did anyone think that it had anything to do with Revelations and the anti-Christ? That was the first thing I thought of.

 

[beattyfamily]

Originally posted by Trish5768
As far as the Satan baby goes, did anyone think that it had anything to do with Revelations and the anti-Christ? That was the first thing I thought of.

I think that appearance of the devil was toward Mary. Mary was the one who was looking across at the devil and the baby, maybe toward Jesus too, but I know Mary was looking too.

I think it was to make a mockery of her and and son, the Son of God. I think the baby was the anti-Christ. IMHO

 

[Fishbone†]

As far as the Satan baby goes, did anyone think that it had anything to do with Revelations and the anti-Christ? That was the first thing I thought of.

That was the first thing I thought of too, but I asked an elder at our church about this, because he previewed the movie with Mel Gibson at Willowcreek Community Church in South Barrington (Chicago), and they asked Mel the same question. This will answer the question about the children as well.

Mel used a lot of symbolism in the film (ie. the crow, the dove....). The baby (and the children) was used to symbolize that evil doesn't always appear "ugly" at first. it looks as innocent as a baby, until we get a good look at it (notice the baby's face was ugly, and was the same face that the children chasing Judas had?).

In Mel's words:
When asked why he portrayed Satan—an androgynous, almost beautiful being played by Rosalinda Celentano—the way he did, Gibson replied: "I believe the Devil is real, but I don't believe he shows up too often with horns and smoke and a forked tail. The devil is smarter than that. Evil is alluring, attractive. It looks almost normal, almost good—but not quite.

"That's what I tried to do with the Devil in the film. The actor's face is symmetric, beautiful in a certain sense, but not completely. For example, we shaved her eyebrows. Then we shot her almost in slow motion so you don't see her blink—that's not normal. We dubbed in a man's voice in Gethsemane even though the actor is a woman … That's what evil is about, taking something that's good and twisting it a little bit."

And the ugly baby??

"Again," said Gibson, "it's evil distorting what's good. What is more tender and beautiful than a mother and a child? So the Devil takes that and distorts it just a little bit. Instead of a normal mother and child you have an androgynous figure holding a 40-year-old 'baby' with hair on his back."

 

[beattyfamily]

Originally posted by Fishbone†
That was the first thing I thought of too, but I asked an elder at our church about this, because he previewed the movie with Mel Gibson at Willowcreek Community Church in South Barrington (Chicago), and they asked Mel the same question. This will answer the question about the children as well.

Mel used a lot of symbolism in the film (ie. the crow, the dove....). The baby (and the children) was used to symbolize that evil doesn't always appear "ugly" at first. it looks as innocent as a baby, until we get a good look at it (notice the baby's face was ugly, and was the same face that the children chasing Judas had?).

In Mel's words:
When asked why he portrayed Satan—an androgynous, almost beautiful being played by Rosalinda Celentano—the way he did, Gibson replied: "I believe the Devil is real, but I don't believe he shows up too often with horns and smoke and a forked tail. The devil is smarter than that. Evil is alluring, attractive. It looks almost normal, almost good—but not quite.

"That's what I tried to do with the Devil in the film. The actor's face is symmetric, beautiful in a certain sense, but not completely. For example, we shaved her eyebrows. Then we shot her almost in slow motion so you don't see her blink—that's not normal. We dubbed in a man's voice in Gethsemane even though the actor is a woman … That's what evil is about, taking something that's good and twisting it a little bit."

And the ugly baby??

"Again," said Gibson, "it's evil distorting what's good. What is more tender and beautiful than a mother and a child? So the Devil takes that and distorts it just a little bit. Instead of a normal mother and child you have an androgynous figure holding a 40-year-old 'baby' with hair on his back."

Wow, thanks for that info. Very interesting!