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.
And perhaps that's what it was. I'll leave aside the debates over the accuracy of gospel passion accounts, except to note that they are judged by many scholars as falling somewhere between "largely bastardized," to "completely fictional," to "fictional and polemically anti-Semitic."
Assuming the passion narratives are historically accurate, the image of Satan seeming to float in the midst of the high priests, and later in the midst of the screaming crowds, is haunting and evocative. The image leaves a simple unconscious impression: Satan is standing here in the midst of the Jews.
So, I would ask, why was Satan not shown in the cell when the Roman brutes were mocking Jesus? Why was he not present at the scourging? I can think of no answer. Furthermore, the Romans, vicious brutes that they are in the film, are given more opportunity to be thoughtful and reflect on what they have done. By the end every one of them realizes that they have done something very, very wrong.
I also didn't see it as homophobic.
Think of it this way. Gibson took poetic license with the way he depicted both Satan and Herod. His depiction veers close to being un-scriptural and, I do not think accidently, occurs at the expense of people who are GLBT. If anything, more people will leave the theater with anger towards gays and androgynes than they will with anger at the Jews. It is more homophobic than it is anti-Semitic.
As for the violence, I didn't find it gratuitous.
Much of it is understated, and some of it can only be heard in the background while the camera focuses on other people. But a beating like the one Jesus is shown receiving would have killed him. I know Gibson wanted to show that Jesus made a conscious act of will out of enduring the flagellation, carrying the cross up to Golgotha, and then crawling onto the cross himself -- to show in bold, in italics, in all caps, underlined, that Jesus willingly endured torture and execution he could have stopped at any time. As digbydolben said, it was like he was "Super-Jesus."
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2004-03-07 01:33 pm (UTC)And perhaps that's what it was. I'll leave aside the debates over the accuracy of gospel passion accounts, except to note that they are judged by many scholars as falling somewhere between "largely bastardized," to "completely fictional," to "fictional and polemically anti-Semitic."
Assuming the passion narratives are historically accurate, the image of Satan seeming to float in the midst of the high priests, and later in the midst of the screaming crowds, is haunting and evocative. The image leaves a simple unconscious impression: Satan is standing here in the midst of the Jews.
So, I would ask, why was Satan not shown in the cell when the Roman brutes were mocking Jesus? Why was he not present at the scourging? I can think of no answer. Furthermore, the Romans, vicious brutes that they are in the film, are given more opportunity to be thoughtful and reflect on what they have done. By the end every one of them realizes that they have done something very, very wrong.
I also didn't see it as homophobic.
Think of it this way. Gibson took poetic license with the way he depicted both Satan and Herod. His depiction veers close to being un-scriptural and, I do not think accidently, occurs at the expense of people who are GLBT. If anything, more people will leave the theater with anger towards gays and androgynes than they will with anger at the Jews. It is more homophobic than it is anti-Semitic.
As for the violence, I didn't find it gratuitous.
Much of it is understated, and some of it can only be heard in the background while the camera focuses on other people. But a beating like the one Jesus is shown receiving would have killed him. I know Gibson wanted to show that Jesus made a conscious act of will out of enduring the flagellation, carrying the cross up to Golgotha, and then crawling onto the cross himself -- to show in bold, in italics, in all caps, underlined, that Jesus willingly endured torture and execution he could have stopped at any time. As