Basically in cinema there are three kinds of movies. One is the basic, ordinary kind of movie done in cookie-cutter fashion, churned out for the masses, and there are lots of movies. Then there are films, big in size and scope, epic in nature, or serious in storytelling, and there are quite a number of films. Then there are experiences. This is the category of filmmaking that leaves you simply stunned beyond belief because of its uncompromising nature and the deep effect it leaves in your heart. It could be small scale in budget and scope, or it could be so big that it causes a huge stir of controversy. "The Passion of the Christ" is a film that can only be described as an experience.
It seemed at the time like the last person who could conceive a large-scale, serious retelling of the final hours leading up to Jesus' crucifixion would be, of all people, Mel Gibson. Here was the star of such well-known Hollywood vehicles like the "Lethal Weapon" series, "Maverick", "Conspiracy Theory", and the 1990 adaptation of "Hamlet" who began to make a name for himself as an accomplished director with "The Man Without a Face" and his 1995 Oscar-winning epic "Braveheart". And yet he had the idea in mind all along since before "Braveheart". What took so long was the idea of doing it right.
For centuries the portrayal of Jesus' crucifixion has always appeared neat and tidy, from visual paintings to the majority of film productions over the last 50 years. But Jesus' crucifixion, and the hours leading up to it, was anything but neat and tidy, and Gibson was determined to portray it as the Bible accurately described it. As singer-songwriter Todd Agnew states, "Sometimes I doubt we'd recognize Him." And this is the central problem a number of people have had with "The Passion of the Christ". "Passion", in the ancient Hebrew, translates as "suffering", and anyone who was crucified, including Jesus, suffered for hours from blood loss, the pain of having nails driven into their hands and feet, the tearing of flesh, near paralysis, scourging, dehydration, losing consciousness, public mocking, and in most cases the breaking of bones, all of which led to death. In most of these cases a crucifixion was a deserving punishment for a crime, but in Jesus' case He had willingly chosen that path so that He might bridge the gap between Earth and Heaven, taking on all of humanity's sin and punishment so that He would be the prophesied fulfillment of redemption. And still to this day there are those people who doubt and ask, "Why would anyone willingly give up his own life like that?"
Against all odds Gibson spent $25 million of his own money to bring "The Passion of the Christ" to life, which in Hollywood's mindset is certain career and financial suicide, and no major studio would even consider touching or funding his project at all. He and co-writer Benedict Fitzgerald, and co-producers Bruce Davey and Stephen McEveety, were determined to bring to the screen an unflinching yet brutally honest portrayal of how far Jesus went to be humanity's redemption. And with only two significantly recognizable faces in the Hollywood community in lead roles - Jim Caviezel ("Frequency") as Jesus and Monica Bellucci ("The Matrix Reloaded") as Mary Magdalene - Gibson was determined to give the film an equally honest international flavor, casting many European actors in key roles, lending the film an authenticity that most other films of similar caliber sometimes lacked. And just as much as Gibson wanted the right story and look for his cast, he was equally determined to give it the right setting, filming entirely in Italy. To top it off, GIbson would give "The Passion of the Christ" an extra added impetus that nothing else before or since had done: he would film it entirely in Latin, Hebrew, and ancient Aramaic, the actual languages people spoke in Jesus' time. In the Hollywood mindset, that's a lot going against it... but God had bigger plans for this project.
Newmarket Films, an independent film studio, released "The Passion of the Christ" on Ash Wednesday, February 2004, amid overwhelming anticipation and box-office success from filmgoers and the Christian community, and harsh and obvious attack from critics because of its graphic brutality. Like Jesus Himself, Gibson bore the brunt of the attack because of the amount of bloodshed in the film, which had never been so blatant in any previous onscreen portrayal of the life of Jesus. This, then, is the next problem. If Hollywood is so unconcerned and unrelenting about pushing the envelope further and further with its continued reliance upon language, graphic sex, and violence to sell its movies en masse, why then could it not accept "The Passion of the Christ" for its honest portrayal of what happened two millennia prior? Because of the compromises made at the hands of Hollywood filmmakers of potentially offending viewers, which over the decades had become more and more desensitized at the ever-increasing language, sex, and body count in one movie and TV series after another. They thought that the public wouldn't accept anything less than something neat and tidy and reverent in any film or TV portrayal of Jesus. Could a violent, independently produced $25 million foreign-language film be a success? Rubbish, they thought. They were wrong.
Gibson, however, got it right because he stayed honest to the Bible. Of course, he took a few liberties for dramatic effect, including a scene of the Devil further tempting and taunting Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, a lighter scene of Jesus and Mary (Maia Morgenstern) talking some time before He began His three-year mission, and a quick moment of Mary embracing a young Jesus, lending the film a level of speculation of what might have also happened before and during those final hours leading up to Jesus' crucifixion. But those moments are not as important as getting the core story right, which is what Gibson did. And just as important is the fact that Jesus actually endured that suffering for all of us.
This brings me to the main point of why "The Passion of the Christ" speaks to all of us - it is brutally honest because of our own inner nature of always wanting to do what is right but failing at times. It is brutally honest because like the Bible, here is a story of the one perfect man, fully God and fully man, who took it upon Himself to bear all of the scorn and hate and shame so we wouldn't have to bear it and suffer and die in such a similar manner. It convicts us inside our hearts to get our own act together, to know that we are forgiven of our sins, and to share that message with everyone around us, "He did this for me; He can do it for you, too." Some people reject that message, and some people have rejected "The Passion of the Christ", and they continue to do so to this day. But let me just end this part of my commentary on the film by saying that this is the first time that after the end of a two-hour film that I have ever felt that things were just getting started, simply because of that brief final moment that says it all.
Fox (which ironically was one of the major studios who rejected the film for initial consideration for distribution, yet owns the home video rights to Newmarket Films) previously released "The Passion of the Christ" in August 2004 as a bare-bones single-disc release of just the film. A couple of years later that same bare-bones release had been reissued on DVD from Warner Home Video and Equinox Films. For most of that time I had held off in getting the bare-bones release simply because I knew that a film of this caliber deserved a full and comprehensive DVD treatment. Earlier this year Fox Home Video, in conjunction with its new Fox Faith line, reissued "The Passion of the Christ" in a deluxe two-disc Definitive Edition that came out of nowhere yet truly lives up to that title.
As with the preivous DVD releases, the original 126-minute theatrical release is presented in a crisp-looking anamorphic widescreen transfer that brilliantly reproduces the film in its original 2.40:1 aspect ratio. The colors are rich and vibrant, balancing perfectly in conjunction with the stark black and white photography that permeates and fulfills the atmospheric look of the film. This is because Gibson and director of photography Caleb Deschanel (who shot "The Patriot" and "The Right Stuff") were determined to give the film an authentic look and feel that echoed the classical paintings from centuries past. Sonically, the film is an audio marvel, as it is reproduced in Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound in the Latin, Aramaic, and Hebrew languages conveyed in the film. From that ominous lightning bolt at the start of the film when the Icon Productions logo appears on the screen, all the way through the film, the sound is wonderfully balanced throughout. And you have a choice of watching it with optional English or Spanish subtitles or with optional English closed captioning. My wife had difficulty keeping up with the film because of the subtitles, which I have to admit is a common problem for any foreign language film. If you want a real challenge, try watching it without any subtitles, because just the imagery alone will tell the whole story for you.
In addition, the film is presented with five - yes, five! - different audio commentaries on the DVD. The first audio commentary I must make mention of is one I have not seen utilized all that often on home video releases, and that's the optional commentary for the visually impaired. This is a great running descriptive commentary of the action in the film that is a real boon for those with visual impairments. More studios should take advantage of this feature. Next up are a pair of audio commentaries - one with Gibson, Deschanel, and film editor John Wright; and the other with McEveety, Ted Rae, and Keith Vanderlaan - that focus on the production aspects of bringing "The Passion of the Christ" to life. All of the participants involved share their thoughts of working on this film and giving it the right authenticity and feel to its appearance. We then have a most interesting audio commentary with Gibson, Father William J. Fulco, Gerry Matatics, and Father John Bartunek that focuses on the theological aspects of the film. This is especially intriguing to me personally because it centers on Gibson's desires to get everything scripturally accurate for the film, and while some discrepancies do appear throughout the film, all of the theologians agree that Gibson's portrayal of Jesus is spot on with the Bible. Finally we have a running audio commentary with composer John Debney on the creation of the film's atmospheric musical score. Debney is also an engaging listen who relates his desire to create an accurate sound and feel for the film's various settings and the portrayal of its characters. I've only sampled each of these commentaries, to be honest, but you've got to simply listen to each one to get the fullest feel that's presented here on this DVD.
In addition, there is a sixth commentary included on the disc, and that is the optional text commentary. This is presented in "Pop-Up Video" style and runs throughout the original theatrical version of the film, giving viewers further additional information into the Scriptures, as well as production aspects. Anyone who is familiar with the text commentaries on other DVDs, such as the different "Star Trek" series and films, the "Spider-Man" films, and the "Gladiator" extended edition, should be familiar by now with this feature. This text commentary, however, applies only to the original theatrical cut.
This brings me to the final bonus feature on Disc 1 of this release, and that is the 121-minute unrated "Passion Recut", which was released to theaters in the spring of 2005. This is an interesting addition, since most feature films that are re-released to theaters or issued on DVD are usually extended longer versions with additional footage, but this is one film that ran six minutes shorter than its original release. This version was prepared with the intention of silencing those critics who had originally decried the film for its seemingly excessive violence and bloodshed, yet still wanted Gibson to maintain the integrity of the film's central core and make it more family-friendly. Like the original theatrical cut, "Passion Recut" is presented in its original 2.40:1 aspect ratio in anamorphic widescreen, 5.1 sound, and optional subtitles, closed captioning, and commentary for the visually impaired. None of the other previously mentioned commentaries are accessible through "Passion Recut". While this is a first in my book, seeing a shorter edited re-release accompanying the longer original cut, it's an interesting feature nonetheless.
Moving onto Disc 2, we have a wide selection of additional bonus features that round out the entire experience. All of these extra features have been divided into three main sections: Filmmaking, The Legacy, and Galleries. First off, in the Filmmaking section, we have the feature-length documentary "By His Wounds We are Healed: The Making of 'The Passion of the Christ'", which runs approximately 100 minutes in length. In this comprehensive documentary we have new interviews with Gibson, Caviezel, Deschanel, Debney, and various cast and production crewmembers discussing their thoughts and reflections on making a project that was uncompromised by Hollywood production standards. Gibson's presence is highly evident all over the new commentaries, interview segments, and production video shot on location in Italy, as he completely immersed himself into wanting this project done right. No amount of detail went unnoticed, from the script's development to the photography, visual and sound effects, makeup, and music; from the artistic inspirations for the film to the lighter moments that transpired on the set (given Gibson's penchant for practical joking and humor); to the deeper emotional suffering Caviezel experienced in immersing himself into the part; and finally to the guerrilla marketing campaign in churches prior to the film's release. This insightful documentary can be viewed in a "play all" form or through each of the 21 individual chapters. It's one of those rare documentaries that will leave you simply stunned and all the more appreciative of a true creative vision.
From there we have a "Below the Line" panel discussion, running 14 minutes in length, and featuring several members of the production crew talking about bringing "The Passion of the Christ" to life. It's an insightful commentary that looks at how they sought to honor Gibson's vision and bring it to the screen.
The third and final part of the Filmmaking section focuses on two deleted scenes cut from the film that run four and a half minutes in length and occur just before and during Jesus' walk on the Via Dolorosa. The second, "Don't Cry", focuses on Jesus' encounter with some of the women who according to the Gospels wept for Him. The first, however, simply entitled "Pilate", is the more intriguing of the two cut scenes, as it features Pontius Pilate declaring to the crowd that Jesus' blood would be on his hands. Upon viewing this scene, it becomes clear that Gibson made the wise artistic decision to remove this scene from the film and move Pilate's line to the crowd, thereby sticking to the account recorded in the Book of Matthew.
The next section on the DVD, The Legacy, is a collection of five featurettes running over an hour in length that look at the different inspirations for Gibson and company to make the film. The first featurette, "Through the Ages" (12:00), features interviews with scholars and art critics on the historical artistic portrayal of Jesus and the crucifixion over the centures. The second featurette, "Paths of a Journey" (9:30), narrated by Salome Jens, takes a look at the actual Via Dolorosa and the 13 Stations of the Cross as held by Catholic and Episcopalian beliefs. The third featurette, "On Language" (13:00), analyses the usage of the Latin, Hebrew, and Aramaic languages and their place in history and the film's development. Next is "Crucifixion: Punishment in the Ancient World" (17:00), the longest of the featurettes, which eximes the brutality of crucifixion over the centuries, how many like Jesus had been crucified for any crime in particular, and how Simon Peter had asked to be crucified upside down. Finally there is "Anno Domini" (10:00), also narrated by Jens, which is a look at what happened to those closest to Jesus in the years following His death, burial, and resurrection.
From there we move to the final section, Galleries, which is mainly a collection of different still galleries pertaining to production artwork and paintings, Biblical references, descriptions of the different actors and their characters, and on-set photographs shot during production. Another gallery is comprised of two theatrical trailers and two TV spots for the film, while the final gallery is a detailed listing of DVD production credits.
I really cannot think of anything else that could be included in this DVD set. Other DVD releases have focused on Diane Sawyer's 60-minute interview with Gibson for ABC News, as well as a look at the impact of the film on viewer's lives. Probably the only thing that is left is the 60-minute documentary that aired on the PAX Network at the time of the film's release, but once you've seen "By His Wounds" on this DVD, you've really got all the meat there is. I also remember seeing a number of locally produced TV spots incorporating footage from the film into various churches' promotions for the film and attendance at services, which would have made for a nice montage of how different churches got into the act of promoting the film - the local church I attended at the time of the film's release had at least three such spots. Finally, there is a trailer for this DVD, which was not included on this release but oddly was included on the Fox Faith DVD release of "One Night With the King" in cross-promoting the film and touted as part of a trailer gallery, but that's another argument for another time.
Bottom line, the Definitive Edition of "The Passion of the Christ" is just that - definitive. Simply put, you can't get much more thorough than this content-wise, and it doesn't get any better than this film-wise. I for one am glad that I held out for this release that's packed to the brim. And this is one experience that definitely deserves repeated viewing and sharing with those around you. Kudos to Fox Home Video and Fox Faith for a DVD release that is a must-add to any serious DVD collection!
See you next time!
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