Mel Gibson's "Passion"...Is it good or bad?

[Larry_OHF]

Link to news bit

More info and Trailer

<font color=skyblue>Let's open a discussion about this film. Mel Gibson is making a Jesus movie, and doing something nobody else has ever done. Portraying it in all the bloody gory horror that is available to filmmakers, as well as having the whole script in Latin and Aramaic. ]

The Jewish community is very concerned because they think this movie will result in a Christian vs. Jew war of sorts. Gibson is pretty upset about the negativity he is receiving for it, because he has many Jewish friends and has never been called out for being an advocate of bigotry before.

It is definately a disturbing movie, even if you are not Christian. The portrayal of such bloody hatred that a people have against one man would stir anyone's emotions, regardless of religious views.

I will want to see it, but I bet it is going to be rated "R" for violence.</font>

[Xen]

I wanted to see the trailer but it shows nothing. Am i the only one? [img]graemlins/1ponder.gif[/img]

[Faceman]

I shudder in anticipation of "original" Latin dialogues.
Nobody exactly knows how Latin was pronounced (e.g. philologists are still fighting over the c/k issue) and you of course cannot speak a dead language without an accent. So basically it will sound like Latin to British/US/Canadian/Australian people but for Italians, Germans or any other folks who don't speak English as a first language (that includes me ) it WILL sound terrible.
The second downside is that this movie may make people actually believe that Latin was spoken with the same pronounciation the actors use and spoil their sense of history like movies already did with several cultures.

[Melusine]

It's true we don't know the exact pronounciation, but I'm not too bothered by that. If I hear Mozart's Requiem performed, the Latin doesn't make me cringe - I find it beautiful even though it might not sound precisely like it used to when it was actually a living, spoken language. I wonder if they'll go for Church Latin or Classic Latin... I think if they'd use Classic Latin (e.g. semper kreskis, aut dekreskis instead of semper creshees oat decreshees, kailestis instead of tsheylestis) it would sound less anglicised. And take for instance the Elvish spoken in LOTR - most of the actors manage very well to sound authentic and to mask any English accents. I think it could be done and I think it's a very very nice idea. Who cares if it's not perfect? I agree it would suck if they spoke Latin with thick English accents (Dutch and German pronounciation of Latin comes much closer to the original, that much is known) but if they avoid that trap, I like the idea. And I think the film itself might be good too - will have to watch the trailer first to be sure. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Heatmiser]

I will look forward to seeing this movie, period. But, I will be much more likely to see it with subtitles (since I speak neither Latin nor Aramaic!)
I don't think people need to be worried about any anti-Semetic feelings. Mel has taken the Gospel of John from the Bible and if it stays true to that text, there is nothing anti-Jewish about it. Jesus himself and all of his disciples were Jews. Yes, the Jews were the ones who wanted him crucified, but it was actually the Romans who performed the execution. I for one, welcome a realistic portrayal of the last week of Jesus' life. Being beaten, whipped and crucified is gory and horrible, as well as about the most painful way possible to be killed. I see no need to gloss over this, or 'sugar coat' it in any way, because it will be true to the record of how things happened in the Gospel of John.

[Spelca]

Didn't he first want for the film to be without subtitles? But now it seems he changed his mind. [img]smile.gif[/img]

Edit - spelling.

[ 09-05-2003, 05:54 PM: Message edited by: Spelca ]