What’s snuff, you may ask? Well, for one, it is the stuff that you insert into your nostril to enable you to generate a volley of sneezes. But the more sinister connotation is of a genre of film which attempts to arouse your baser instincts by showing you pictures of people getting brutally tortured to the point of death. In the purest form of snuff, the torture and death are supposedly real. In terms of squalidity, this genre goes several notches below even pornography and is therefore banned even in countries which have a relatively liberal attitude towards porn.
So, why am I going on and on about snuff? It’s because one of the most controversial and debated films of this year – The Passion of the Christ comes very close to being one. Yes, surprisingly the title says “the Christ”, I wonder why?
Disclaimer: I’m afraid my review is not going to discuss anything much about Christianity or the Jews, as many other reviewers have. The reason - my knowledge on the subject is next to nil and I’m far too lazy and plainly uninterested to do any research on this topic. The film itself does not bother to enlighten us on these aspects - I suppose it is assumed that everyone already knows the story. I went to watch the film since I’m a fan of Mel Gibson and loved his “Braveheart” apart from, of course, his “Mad Max” and “Lethal Weapon” series. So if you expect to find any profound discussions on the Bible or anti-Semitism, you would perhaps find my review a trifle frivolous, focusing more on the viewing experience than on the politics of religion, to which I am neutral.
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Power Struggle
The film basically depicts in graphic detail the last 12 hours of the life of Jesus Christ. The farcical trial that He faces after the betrayal by Judas, first in the people’s court and then in front of the Romans. The entire story stems from the power struggle between the Jews (of which Jesus is supposed to be a part of) and the new religion that He is preaching. At the end of the trial, Jesus is sentenced to whiplashes. After tearing through His blood-soaked back, He is rolled over and the whipping continues on His front. At this stage, you just have to look away. Not satisfied with this treatment, He is eventually sentenced to crucifixion. A crown of thorns is pressed around his head. Already bleeding badly, he is made to carry the heavy wooden cross through the village with the lashes continuing unabated. The final journey and the nailing to the cross are scenes which can potentially churn your intestines.
Since the film does not depict much of a background on Jesus’ life, it is difficult to relate at a human level with Jesus as a person. Yes, Jesus may be God…but it was Jesus, the human being, God’s human manifestation that underwent the brutality. Except for one or two scenes of His childhood, we do not get to know Jesus the person closely; hence the “sympathy factor” becomes a bit forced.
I read in one of the reviews that the actual torture that Jesus underwent was 10 times more than what was depicted. I really wonder if this is possible – I remember wondering as to how could anyone not pass out much earlier than what Jesus did.
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Technical aspects & Performances:
The entire film is in some strange language – I learnt later that it’s a mixture of Aramiac (whatever that means), Latin and Hebrew. Of course for your and my benefit, they have supplied the sub-titles (else that would have been the last straw!). The technical brilliance of the film in terms of cinematography and editing is to be seen to be believed. Since the entire violence has to be make-believe, the importance of superlative camerawork can well be imagined.
James Caviezel fits the role of Christ to a T (pun unintended). But he does not have to make too many expressions and most of the time; a good part of his face is covered with blood so that we don’t really get to see too much of it. Maia Morgenstern as Mary also leaves an impression. The other actors too provide able support, if you ignore the hamming by the whip lashers.
Final comments:
I keep coming back to my rantings on the unpalatable brutality, which goes beyond a normal viewer’s capacity to bear. To give an analogy, had the transgression been of the other taboo element in filmmaking… i.e. sex, this would have surely got an ‘X’ rating atleast - for softporn. If you can sit through this entire movie without flinching a bit, you can congratulate yourself for having a sadistic streak within. You may be a cool, nonchalant guy with the full knowledge that the proceedings are merely make-believe. Nevertheless, the violence is so realistic, that one has to look away.
If this movie is meant to make you understand Christianity better, then it fails miserably. However poignant the effect, one does not get any insight into Christ’s teachings or His profound message. Yes, the oft-repeated clichés are present: “Forgive them Father for they don’t know….” and such other well-known lines are identifiable. But despite the flashback scenes interspersing the brutal landscape, they do not make much of an impact. Apart from “Love each other, Love thy enemy….” - is there anything beyond to Christ? I’m sure there is…has to be…if Christianity has captured the imagination of the majority of the world population, it certainly has to be a powerful concept. This important aspect could have been highlighted better.
By stressing instead on the sufferings inflicted upon Christ, there is a clear danger of arousing anti-Jewish sentiments. This explains why there are such strong negative emotions regarding this film in that community, and understandably so. Despite the objections of the Jewish community, the film has been praised by the entire Christian world. One wonders if the same kind of positive response would have been evoked if one were to make a film on the repeated destruction of the Somnath temple and the torture of Hindus by Muslim invaders. Would that have been as acceptable? I’m sure many of us in India know the answer to that question.
So finally, would I recommend this movie to anyone? Well, an honest answer ...An emphatic NO! Despite it being a technical masterpiece by Mel Gibson, don’t watch it.