During Lent, practicing Christians actively reflect on the Passion of the Lord Jesus Christ, remembering His great sacrifice made for the sake of all humanity. In fact, not all Christians fully understand what the Passion of Christ is, when it began, and also why everything happened the way it did. The Passion of Christ is His trials that began after entering Jerusalem, which became the trigger point for the torment of Jesus. Although outwardly the entry of the Lord into Jerusalem was very solemn, had a bright festive color, this holiday had a very tragic character, which was proved by the events that happened next.
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Everything you need to know about the Passion of Christ
Considering in detail the topic of Christ's Passion, it is worth saying that the terrible torment of Jesus began with his solemn entry into Jerusalem. On that day, almost everyone perceived Jesus as a King and rejoiced at his arrival, regardless of the discontent of the high priests and teachers of that time. People laid not only palm branches, but also their own clothes under the feet of the Savior, who came to save them, to prove their respect. People's joy and admiring shouts turned into complete discontent in a couple of days, and people who saw Jesus as a true King turned into an angry crowd wanting to see Jesus die on the cross.
One can debate for a long time why it happened there, but most likely, the admiring shouts turned into hatred and a desire to crucify the Savior for the following reasons:
- the people expected to see in Jesus a political leader who could ensure a comfortable existence and free them from previous laws, and not a savior of the soul;
- people expected that Jesus would take the rule of Israel into His hands, but they did not expect to hear that His Kingdom was not of this world;
- The Kingdom preached by Jesus did not promise physical benefits, money, a luxurious life, or an end to the persecution of the Israeli people, so people came to the conclusion that such a Ruler would definitely not be of any use to them.
At a time when people were expecting earthly victory, Jesus invited them to comprehend the Kingdom of Heaven in order to be with the Lord forever. Of course, not receiving what they expected, people were fired up with incredible hatred from within and were ready to give Jesus to death, which is what ultimately happened. Even though on the day of his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Jesus was surrounded by a crowd, He gradually seeks solitude, because He knows what the future awaits Him. Completely alone, Christ remained precisely on the night of Gethsemane, when after the Last Supper he went out into the garden to pray. It was at this moment that a series of His torments and sufferings began, which ended in death.
About the film
Over the centuries, the life of Jesus Christ has become a theme for the work of many artists, including filmmakers. The first film about the Savior was made in 1927, followed by a series of films on the same topic.
Mel Gibson's film stands out from the rest in that the director did not seek to use history as a basis for self-expression, but tried to reproduce the last days of Christ with documentary accuracy.
The script was written by Mel Gibson himself and co-written by Benedict Fitzgerald. When working, they strictly adhered to the texts of the four Gospels. To convey the cost of Christ's sacrifice, Gibson decided to make the film as realistic as possible. The film “The Passion of the Christ,” for which actors were invited from different countries, was filmed in Italy.
A little about the chronology of Christ's passion
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As mentioned above, it can be considered that the Passion of Jesus began with the entry into Jerusalem, but the main torment that led to death began precisely in the Garden of Gethsemane. After Christ went to the Garden of Gethsemane, the following events began:
- Having moved a short distance from the disciples, Christ begins to pray, asking them to watch;
- the disciple Judas brings the teachers of that time and soldiers to Christ, betraying Him with a kiss;
- after the Savior is taken away by soldiers, He goes to trial before Pilate;
- They mock Jesus, mock him, dress him in a crown of thorns, allow him to carry a heavy cross to Calvary;
- Jesus was crucified on the cross along with two thieves.
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Many thought that with the death of Jesus everything ended, there was no Kingdom of Heaven, no miracles of the Lord, and the crucified man was an impostor. Judging by the torment Jesus had to endure as a man, one might think that He really endures this because of His completely human nature and there can be no talk of any Divine origin. In fact, everything happened exactly so that the Son of the Lord would save humanity, and since this could be done precisely through torment, He had to endure the Passion and death.
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By His painful death on the cross, precisely as a man, Christ was able to reunite man with God for eternal life, which was His main mission. Jesus took upon himself all the consequences that sin brought to man, endured all the suffering in the human body, which lasted almost a whole week, so that everyone could now think about the consequences of bad deeds. Such a sacrifice of the Lord makes you think that it is still worth changing your life for the better, because even if reading the words about the Passion from the Gospel gives you goosebumps, then what feelings should everyone have, realizing that he crucifies Christ with his actions every day . The Passion of Christ has a very deep meaning, which everyone should understand in order to save their soul and finally reunite with God.
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The execution of Christ, even in the movies, was not easy
Actor James Caviezel, who played the role of Christ, complained that he had received a whip on the back inadvertently. A powerful blow cut his shoulder. To this day, the actor still has a 14-inch long scar on his back.
Caviezel didn’t have to figure out how to portray physical torture—he actually experienced it. His body was covered in blisters from the layers of makeup, and he couldn't sleep. The cross that Caviezel carried to Golgotha was not a fake one - it weighed about 70 kilograms. Although filming took place in winter, the actor was dressed only in a lion skin. Often he became so cold that he could not speak - his frozen face had to be warmed up so that he could move his lips even a little.
Video sequence
Gibson asked Caleb Deschanel, the cinematographer, to make the film look like a Caravaggio painting, with sharp contrasts of light and shadow. Half of the film was shot at night to achieve the desired effect.
The costumes are historically accurate, handmade and in black, brown and beige, just like the artist’s paintings.
The film crew consisted almost entirely of Italians, but the best make-up artists were invited from Hollywood to make the crucifixion and scourging scenes look authentic. The performer of the role of Jesus was put on makeup for seven hours every day.
Maya Morgenstern
Gibson invited Romanian Maia Morgenstern to play the role of Our Lady. She saw the offer as a chance to do something truly important. The actress was inspired by works of art and literary sources. In order to get used to the character, Maya read the script more than 200 times.
Maia Morgenstern is a leading Romanian theater actress. She plays in major theaters and has received numerous awards. She made her film debut in 1983, starring in both Romanian films and international projects. Among his famous works are the films “Nostradamus”, “The Seventh Room”, “The View of Odysseus”.
Monica Bellucci
Mary Magdalene was played by Monica Bellucci. When she found out that they were planning to shoot a film, she contacted the director herself and asked to give her this role. In the image of Magdalene, the most sought-after and attractive actress was attracted by her humanity.
Bellucci successfully debuted as a model while still a student. In 1990, she was offered the main role in a mini-series, and a year later she starred in the first full-length film, “The Lottery.” The film “Malena” brought the beauty worldwide fame. Bellucci attracted the attention of foreign directors. The list of famous films in which she took part is very extensive: “Dracula”, “The Matrix: Reloaded”, “The Matrix: Revolution”, “Brotherhood of the Wolf”, “Irreversible”, “007: Spectre”, “Shoot ‘Em Up”, “ Brotherhood of Stone."
Claudia Gerini
Italian actress Claudia Gerini played the wife of Pontius Pilate. She grew up in the capital of Italy and since childhood dreamed of working as an actress, dancer, and singer. At the age of 13, she won a beauty contest and became a model and starred in commercials. Already at 15, the girl starred in her first film, and soon her stage debut took place. She has recorded several albums in English and Italian. She gained popularity thanks to her roles in comedies. The most famous films with her participation: “Under the Tuscan Sun”, “Greyhound Beach”, “Deception”, “Don’t Move”.
Mattia Sbraggia
The name of the actor from the film “The Passion of the Christ”, who played the role of the high priest Caiaphas, who condemned Christ to death, is known mainly only to Italians. Mattia Sbraggia is one of the best and most respected theater and television actors. He has been playing for over 30 years. He made his debut in 1974 and became a favorite of Italian directors. Mattia starred not only in domestic films (“Portrait of the Bourgeoisie in Black”, “The True Story of the Lady with Camellias”, “The Story of Boys and Girls”), but also in foreign works (“Year of Arms”, “Only You”, “Golden”) cup", "Paradise", "Sin Eater").
About the script
The script, according to Mel Gibson and his co-author Benedict Fitzgerald, was based on the four canonical Gospels: Matthew, Mark, John and Luke. Also, fragments of the Old and New Testaments were used to create the story. The script was written over several years. Gibson started filming only in 2002, and he had the idea for the film back in the 80s.
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Interesting Facts
In conclusion, a few interesting facts about the film “The Passion of the Christ”, the actors and roles, the filming location, the features of the translation of which arouse genuine interest in the viewer.
- The film was shot entirely in Italy, and the Jerusalem sets were built at the famous Cinecittà studio.
- The film's director, Mel Gibson, is an orthodox Catholic, meaning that services should be conducted exclusively in Latin.
- When the leading actor was casting, he was sure that he would participate in a film about windsurfing.
- The performer of the role of the mother of Christ, Maya Morgenstern, was pregnant during filming, but hid her pregnancy from the film crew for a long time.
- Mel Gibson wanted the film to be shown in theaters without any translation, but the distributors persuaded him to at least use subtitles.
- During filming, the actor playing Christ and one of the crew members were struck by lightning, but they were not injured.
- James Caviezel received 2 blows from the whip when the sign protecting his back fell. The first knocked him down, and the second dislocated his arm.
Rosalinda Celentano
The audience was interested in the actor who played Satan in “The Passion of the Christ.” It came as a surprise to many that the role was played by Rosalinda Celentano, who is the youngest daughter of the famous actor. Satan is a fallen angel, and angels have no gender, so in the film he is an androgenic figure. The actress was made up so that it was not clear who was in front of us, a man or a woman. The lines were voiced by a man.
We continue to talk about the actors involved in the film “The Passion of the Christ”. The devil must have seemed strange, different from something normal. Therefore, Rosalind's eyebrows were shaved to make her look expressive and hypnotizing, and the footage of her was shot in slow motion so that the actress's movements looked unnatural.
Rosalinda Celentano made her debut as an actress in 1975, she played in the same film with her father.
