I just wrote an e-mail to my mom, and realized that it turned into a full-on rant...so I thought I'd put it up here for all three of you who read, hopefully to spark thought and maybe even discussion. Warning! Talking about religion and politics can be hazardous to your health. Please consult your doctor before riding.
So Mel's movie found a distributor (easily I'd guess, given the huge media attention upon its release in the states), so it will now be shown here in Paris. (Originally, we didn't think it would be released here).
We saw the preview last night. I will plan to go see it. (Of course, I see nearly every movie that plays here, so that alone says nothing). These are just some random thoughts, and please keep in mind that I have not yet seen the film.
I think it's extremely important to watch it as a *movie* just like Lord of the Rings or something...i.e., an interpretation of a story that has had a huge impact on the world. (And no, I'm not saying that Tolkien's books have had anywhere near the same impact on the world as the Bible...I just chose a story that has been read by lots of people that someone came along and based a movie on.)
The danger in watching a movie like this as reality is that many of the story-telling mechanisms that were relevant to the first-century Christians are totally superfluous to us today--and indeed could be harmful. The most obvious example is that at the time of the writing of the Gospels it was extremely important for political reasons to separate Jews from Christians...which makes the fairly obvious anti-Semitic strains of the Gospels understandable. However, for readers/viewers who don't realize the historical influences of the Bible, a literal reading may make it seem that this anti-Semitic tendency has a place in Christianity today! Eek!
It's not so "dangerous" when it's just appearing in the Bible, as many folks who sit down to read do a little thinking beyond the words, and realize that these implications ("his blood be upon our heads, and the heads of our children" or something like that in Matthew is the most blatant, I guess) are very likely *not* descriptive of the Jews in Jesus' time, but rather the story-telling mechanism of the writers of the Gospels (100 years later), in an effort to further separate Jewish-Christians (and eventually Gentile-Christians) from other Jews, and thereby form a "new" religion. (Incidentally, I really don't believe that Jesus himself ever meant to form a new religion. This is a side note, though.)
Unfortunately, movies like this risk getting watched as though they are documentaries, rather than works of art. Lots of blood and suffering makes for a real emotional tug--not unlike the execution of Delacroix in "The Green Mile"...executions aren't pretty. But tying that kind of emotional tug to a religious theme almost cheapens the experience for me. Was Jesus' suffering any worse than *any* person that gets executed without deserving it? Does watching this suffering relate to our spirituality at all? I don't think it should. But I think that it's nearly certain that there *is* a spiritual connection for the large majority of viewers.
Isn't Jesus' life and message more important than his death or, for that matter, his birth?
Discuss.
Posted by amy at March 14, 2004 02:15 PMJust out of curiosity (and before I go spouting off), I am under the impression that you have not seen the movie yet. True?
For the record, I still have not seen it yet, either. :)
True. That's why I said: These are just some random thoughts, and please keep in mind that I have not yet seen the film.
(just giving you a hard time, dear Pat...)
:) Please. Spout.
I read somewhere recently that Mel Gibson is expected to net in excess of $250 million from this movie. While I have no interest in seeing this film (I don't like bloody gory films), it seems to me that this is really nothing more than brilliant marketing. Mel has made a carreer out of making movies that glorify violence and death (i.e. Lethal Weapon movies). Here he's taken the one event in Christianity that is bloody and violent, and can be glorified...and made a fortune.
I have yet to see the movie, though I do still plan on doing so (this week, hopefully). I might make a more knowledgable comment when I do, but as far as I've heard about the movie, I agree with you, Amy. The blood 'n' guts might have certainly been there, and it would certainly be a falsehood to depict the Crucifixion as a painless experience, but if the majority of moviegoers take the film for truth as-is, they won't be getting the whole story. The people I've talked to who have seen it so far have consistently said that their favorite parts were the flashbacks to Jesus' life and ministry. Maybe that says something.
I am finally jumping in on the bandwagon of commenting based on absolutely-no-facts (as I haven't seen the movie, either).
I have heard from numerous people who have seen the movie, Catholic and non-Catholic, that the supposed anti-semitic overtones are being blown out of proportion. The best quote I've heard said something to the extent of "there are good guys and bad guys in the film. Some of the bad guys just happen to also be Jews. They're not bad BECAUSE they are Jews. They just happen to have two differing and totally unrelated traits." I doubt this movie will sway anybody TO anti-semitism.
Anybody who takes this movie for THE truth is obviously silly and needs to get a grasp on reality. =)
I too have heard that people say the best moments in the movie are the flashbacks to Jesus' life and ministry. I think the reason that those are the highlights is because it gives context to the suffering he is enduring through the rest of the movie. Would a movie about Jesus' life and ministry be a good thing? Certainly. But Gibson's intent was just different. Is one film more valuable than the other? Debate-able. I would say no. I'd say they're just different and equally-important sides of the same coin. Granted, it is a multi-faceted coin that includes his birth, life, ministry, relationships, death, resurrection, etc. etc.
By the way, did anybody see any of that drivel that ABC (I think) aired called "Judas"? SO bad. Bad acting, bad writing, just bad, bad, bad, bad, BAD. I saw all of 3 minutes of it. :)
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