I didn't make the same observations as you about the movie. I found the antisemitism was exaggerated by some. Frankly, I viewed it as an angry mob, under the influence of corrupt leaders (corrupt by our current social standards), which could happen in any culture, in any mob scene. People get stirred up when they are in a mob, to a pitch. When this happens, any mob turns to animal, beastly behavior. I don't think this is behavior exclusive to the jews. And I think that many of those who would choose to view it as such, are probably already deeply antisemitic, and thus are reading into it what they want to see. I also didn't see it as homophobic. I didn't even perceive Herod's leers as being sexual, as much as they were just glorying in someone elses pain. As for the depiction of Satan as being androgynous, I think that came from the Bible saying that he was the most beautiful of angels, before his fall. I never really perceived Satan as "Masculine" OR "Feminine" to tell the truth..just as Evil. And angels, anyway, are supposed to be devoid of sexuality. They are depicted in Art as rather .. androgynous, for lack of a better term. As for the violence, I didn't find it gratuitous. The scourging would have done, exactly what was depicted. IMO. I think the human consciousness wants to gloss over alot of the implied violence in the gospels, because it doesn't want to deal with it. I think that we have no reason to believe that those who tortured Jesus, would not have shown such animalistic behavior. The Romans were a warring people. They were used to torturing, and maiming. I don't think they would have been any more gentle with Jesus than the movie depicted. (By the way, another reason I don't think the movie was antisemetic, was because the Roman soldiers were depicted as every bit as blood thirsty as the mob). There is one thing I agree with you on, though. Mary's torment was heartbreaking. I was incredibly touched by the portrayal of her in the movie. The scenes where I cried the hardest, were the scene where she runs to him when he falls, and the scene where she mops up his blood with the towel.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2004-03-07 10:47 am (UTC)I also didn't see it as homophobic. I didn't even perceive Herod's leers as being sexual, as much as they were just glorying in someone elses pain. As for the depiction of Satan as being androgynous, I think that came from the Bible saying that he was the most beautiful of angels, before his fall. I never really perceived Satan as "Masculine" OR "Feminine" to tell the truth..just as Evil. And angels, anyway, are supposed to be devoid of sexuality. They are depicted in Art as rather .. androgynous, for lack of a better term.
As for the violence, I didn't find it gratuitous. The scourging would have done, exactly what was depicted. IMO. I think the human consciousness wants to gloss over alot of the implied violence in the gospels, because it doesn't want to deal with it. I think that we have no reason to believe that those who tortured Jesus, would not have shown such animalistic behavior. The Romans were a warring people. They were used to torturing, and maiming. I don't think they would have been any more gentle with Jesus than the movie depicted. (By the way, another reason I don't think the movie was antisemetic, was because the Roman soldiers were depicted as every bit as blood thirsty as the mob).
There is one thing I agree with you on, though. Mary's torment was heartbreaking. I was incredibly touched by the portrayal of her in the movie. The scenes where I cried the hardest, were the scene where she runs to him when he falls, and the scene where she mops up his blood with the towel.