[HANASHIR:16900] Mel Gibson's Passion

[NeilNFW <NeilNFW...>]

(This is off-topic, so Adrian, if you feel the need to put the kibosh on it, 
I will respect that.  However, I feel it is important as an educator that we 
discuss the impact this film may have on our students.)

I was invited by my rabbi, as a group of ten or so Jews, guests of an 
Evangelical Christian church to see a prescreening of Mel Gibson's "The Passion 
of 
the Christ" last night.  Here are my thoughts:

1.  The movie as a whole, is shockingly graphic.  There is plenty of 
violence, mostly directed at Jesus, and, at times, is painful to watch.  Many 
of the 
people in the theater broke down in tears at some of the beating scenes.  The 
budget for fake blood must have been astronomical.

2.  There is very little dialogue, most of it being accusations, or orders 
being barked.  The entire movie is subtitled, with Latin and Aramaic being 
spoken on the screen--those of us who know even a little Hebrew will be 
surprised 
at how much of the original wording you will be able to follow.  Nearly every 
word that Jesus speaks in the movie is taken from one of the gospels, including 
what I felt to be the movies most disturbing and inflammatory line--where 
Jesus is being sent to his death by the Roman governor, Pilate, and says to 
him, 
"The sin lies upon the ones who brought me to you,"--namely the Jewish priests.

3.  The portrayal of the Jews in the movie is not flattering.  Most of the 
Jewish priests bear a striking resemblance to Tevye the milkman (as portrayed 
by 
Topol) with nicer clothing.  Nose extensions are visible.  The Jewish mob is 
seen as bloodthirsty and unwavering, violent, stubborn and eager to inflict 
humiliation and pain.  I could hear many grunts among the theater-goers at the 
scenes involving the Jewish leadership.  This is definitely the area that may 
impact Jews in our society.

4.  In contrast, the Roman leadership is portrayed as being almost overly 
sensitive and gentle at first.  They do turn violent later, but it there is a 
definite contrast at first between the taciturn Roman government and the 
shouting 
Jewish leaders.

5.  It is amazing that the scene which would hold the most meaning for 
Christianity, being Jesus' resurrection, is seen merely as a thirty-second 
epilogue 
at the end of the film, almost an apology for the previous 
one-hundred-nineteen minutes of gore.

While I am not sure I would have paid to see this film, I am glad I did see 
it.  Tonight, I will be helping to lead a discussion amongst our congregation's 
8th-12th graders about the impact of the film.  Remember, these are just my 
opinions, and I do not try to force them upon anyone (unlike Jewish radio host 
Michael Medved, who I sat behind last night in the theater).  Please encourage 
those you know to see the film before praising or condemning it.

Neil Weinstein
Bellevue, WA