relentless..but make your own mind up
I admit I watched this simply because of all the hype. It is the only film shot in Latin that I've ever watched (it has sub-titles, if you select them: I did!).
For me, the level of violence was so relentless that eventually I just became rather numbed by it. Combine this with the fact that everybody, of course, knows how it ends ( a bit of a challenge for any film ,when you think about it) and you should be left with an empty experience. I wasn't however. It is beautifully shot, and it has a kind of morbid fascination attached to it. I suspect that anyone religious would find it either very moving or very loathsome. It didn't stir up such strong emotions in me, but I did get all the way to the end (it is actually quite well paced) so it had enough impact for me to keep watching to see how the next part of the story was going to be treated. In the Press it was reported that jews in the USA were outraged by this film, because it portrayed them as basically evil: however I must say that, to my mind, the main villains in the film were portrayed more as politicians, or at least figures of authority in their society, rather than 'jews' - it is clear in the film that Jesus was a jew, and these were authority figures within his society that were insisting on his crucifixion. I was puzzled by the film's treatment of the Romans, at first: Pilate (and especially his wife) were portrayed as compassionate victims, almost, of politics - whilst the soldiers were nothing less than bestial. Eventually I decided it was a plausible line to take. If you have got this far, then you are probably going to select the movie, to make your own mind up. I think, on balance, that is the right thing to do. |
