The Passion of the Christ (2004)

The Passion of the Christ (2004)

In director Mel Gibson's R-rated controversial, passionately-told epic drama of the last 12 hours of Jesus Christ's life, it depicted - in many lengthy and graphic scenes of blood-letting and torture - Jesus' (James Caviezel) suffering during his sadistic execution by Roman officials. Although there were flashbacks to Jesus' earlier life, it mostly featured the "Passion" - the final twelve hours of Jesus life (in Aramaic and Latin with English subtitles). Even Gibson admitted that the film was deliberately "shocking" and "extreme" in order to depict Jesus' enormous sacrifice.

With a 30ドル million dollar budget, the polarizing film grossed revenues of 370ドル.8 million (domestic) and 610ドル million (worldwide).

It set records as the highest-grossing (inflation-adjusted) Christian film, and independent film of all time. It received three Academy Awards nominations (with no wins): Best Makeup, Best Cinematography, and Best Original Score.

• the film provided multiple flashbacks to earlier events in Jesus' (James Caviezel) life, including his temptation in the desert, his relationship with Mary Magdalene (Monica Bellucci) (during a table-building sequence), the Sermon on the Mount, and the Last Supper

• the traitorous Judas Iscariot (Luca Lionello) betrayed Jesus to the temple priests (including High Priest Caiaphas), the Pharisees, and temple guards, in exchange for a leather purse with 30 silver coins; the blood money spilled onto the ground; later after Jesus was apprehended by the guards, Judas failed in trying to return the coins and release Jesus - and completely tormented and guilt-ridden, he hanged himself outside the city walls
• in the Garden of Gethsemane (Garden of Olives), Jesus delivered a quiet but agonizing prayer; during the sequence, the tempting figure of Satan (portrayed androgynously) made an eerie appearance, and urged Jesus to not accept the burden of suffering and dying:
  • "Do you really believe that one man can bear the full burden of sin? No one man can carry this burden, I tell you. It is far too heavy. Saving their souls is too costly. No one. Ever. No. Never"
• Jesus continued to pray:
  • "Oh Father, You can do all things. If it is possible, let this chalice pass from me... But let your will be done, not mine"
• the captive Jesus (condemned as "the Nazarene troublemaker") appeared before High Priest Caiaphas (Mattia Sbragia) who asked:
  • "They say you're a king. Where is this kingdom of yours? What line of kings do you descend from?...I ask you now, Jesus of Nazareth. Tell us. Are you the Messiah, the son of the living God?"
• Jesus replied: "I AM, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven"; he was immediately accused of blasphemy
• Jesus was also brought before Pontius Pilate (Hristo Naumov Shopov), the Roman Governor of Judea, and after finding initial lack of guilt, Jesus was transferred to the jurisdiction of Herod Antipas, then returned for a second hearing with Pilate; the leader succumbed to crowd pressure and released convicted criminal Barabbas (Pietro Sarubbi) in exchange for Jesus' crucifixion; then, he washed his hands of any complicity in charging Jesus to be executed:
  • "I am innocent of this man's blood"
• the film's innumerable graphic and unforgiving torture scenes included a severe whipping and abusive mocking and scourging, the forced part-way carry of his own heavy wooden cross to the hillside of Golgotha outside Jerusalem, a bloody crown of thorns, and the agonizing, unsparing crucifixion itself with nails driven into hands and feet

• when Jesus' spirit perished, a single magnified drop of rain fell from the sky, causing an earthquake that destroyed the Second Temple and ripped the veil covering the Holy of Holies
• days later after being entombed, Jesus was resurrected from his tomb, with nail holes in his palms