The Passion

[Therin]

I had thought I would see a topic for this long before now. Out of curiosity, is it because no one's willing to talk about it, or because all the topics have been deleted for getting too out of hand?

Anyway, I'm going to try and see it tomorrow, cuz it looks good. Review(such that I can do) pending. Like I said, though. Looks quite good. I hope not to offend anyone, but being agnostic, there is no real special meaning in this for me. I'm just going to see it as a movie.

[Musashi]

I was just thinking there needed to be a topic for this. I haven't seen it yet either, nor do I know when I'll be going, but I definitely plan to. Kensei's already seen it, who's assured me its an extremely powerful work of art.

[starlitdancer]

Down here, the movie's been sold out from 4:30 pm yesterday through Sunday.

I might see it next Wednesday. It depends on whether I can stomach the graphic content.

[GAAZ]

I ain't done seen it yet so I couldn't comment so I didn't start a new topic but if it DOES get outta hand either myself or some of the other mods would just move the topic to Soap-box anywho....So when ya do see it you can say, "This movie roxored" or "This movie suxorz" If you wanna make a religious thing outta it we have the soapbox for dat.

Words of wisdom....DUN DUN DUUUUUN!

[Therin]

My thoughts exactly, dear mod.

[reaper]

I dont really care about the movie. . .i just wanna go see what all the hub bub is about

[Aindriahhn]

Never seen a movie so graphic, and moving.

[Tobias]

wow...i saw it. It is quite possibly the most powerful movie i've ever seen...and actually the first movie to make me shed tears. Just thinking about that sfcene makes tears well up in my eyes again. I dont think i've ever seen anything so moving or so passionate as this movie. It is truely an amazing movie.

That is all

[Therin]

[Spoiler]

I sit down to write, and three words immediately come forward in my mind: Vicious. Brutal. Unrelenting. But they are only words. There is no truly effective way for me to describe the horror that is portrayed in this movie, and this leaves me deeply disturbed. For two hours, almost from the moment you first witness Jesus of Nazareth praying to the Father in the deep of night, in a secluded grove, you will be absolutely horrified at the pure sadism that is expressed here. That is part of the story. The final twelve or eighteen hours of Jesus’ life are portrayed, with various flashbacks, including a scene or two from the Last Supper.
It begins with the priests and high priest of the Jewish faith taking Him into custody. There, in tribunal (sort of), they openly condemn him as a blasphemer and a worshipper of the Devil. Then they take him to the local Governor to have him sentenced. After questioning the prisoner himself, the Governor rejects sentencing, saying instead, “Herod is your ruler. Let King Herod give judgment, for I find no cause in him.” Herod, after some rather drunken merrymaking, finds the same. So, instead of giving up, the priests drag the prisoner back to the Governor again, and ask to have him crucified. The Governor rejects, but, to appease his “citizens”, he orders Jesus of Nazareth “punished, but not killed.” First, they tie his wrists to a post. Then the henchmen, cackling out loud, proceed to beat him with switches until he collapses. The overseer orders them to stop. Jesus raises himself stubbornly to his feet. The overseer sighs, and gives another order. Smiling with sadistic joy, the henchmen pick two weapons from the tool table. They are scourges. For those of you who don’t know what a scourge is:
A scourge is like a cat-o-nine tails on heroin. Anywhere between 10 or 16 knotted leather cords stretch from a handle. At the end of each one is clamped a claw. Each strike strips flesh and muscle, gouging deep wounds into the back and legs of the prisoner. Cackling the whole way through, laughing like hyenas. After something like sixteen lashes, the prisoner can barely stand. They unclamp his hands. The overseer gazes upon him with sympathy, and gives a soft order. They roll him over, flat on his back, and resume the beating. Each stroke is depicted with horrifying accuracy. Finally, after an interminable period, one of the higher-ups runs into the killing zone and orders a halt to the activities. “I ordered you to punish him! Not to scourge him to death!”
Finally, it is over. They drag him off and two women come in and start to blot the blood from the stones. In the hallway, he is tossed against a niche in the wall. Probably ten minutes or so later, a Roman soldier comes back, holding a crown clumsily woven of rose stems. Each thorn is somewhere on the order or an inch long. One places it carefully on the head of the nearly delirious Jesus of Nazareth. Two others grab short sticks and, grinning, slowly drive the thorns into his temple. “A fitting crown for a wormy king.” He is brought back before the Jews. Without hesitation, the high priest cries, “Crucify him!”. The Governor balks. “Look at him! He can barely stand! Can you not see his pain?” The cry comes back, amplified by hundreds of voices, “CRUCIFY HIM!” The Governor turns to his second, and orders it done.
And that’s only the first hour.

I cannot even imagine the horror of actually being there. Witnessing it on screen was bad enough. Though slightly squeamish, I am not a man easily shocked. I had my eyes closed as soon as they picked up the scourges, and opened them only intermittently until the end. I have never seen, read, or even heard of anything remotely touching this level of brutality. I will warn you again. The level of violence is unprecedented and astonishing. But that is just a warning. Nothing I can say or do will prepare you for the actual experience.

Now, I look back on what I have written, and I realize that I sound like I didn’t like it. I didn’t. I never want to see anything like it again. But I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. It is truly a unique experience, and if you can stomach the gore, even if only barely, it is definitely worth seeing. It took fully five or ten minutes before I was actually able to move again.

PS: Do not, under ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, bring anyone under sixteen with you. ANYONE. Under ANY circumstances.

PPS: As has been said by others, this movie is done entirely in Latin and Arameic(spel?), and only half of it is translated on the bottom of the screen. Since most people here watch a lot of anime, I estimate that most of us have no trouble with subtitles. But I thought I should warn you, just in case.

[/Spoiler]

[Kenji]

Yeah, I saw it probably over a week ago. My parents dragged me to it, but I walked out thinking it was a very powerful, and very good movie. Im more spiritual than religious, so I try to avoid these things so I dont make my head hurt, but I still say it was an excellent movie. I just feel really bad because I didnt cry.

Oh, and I'm under 16.