Free Local Showing - "The Passion of the Christ"

If you live in the Permian Basin, you might be interested in knowing that First Baptist Church of Midland is offering a free showing of "The Passion of the Christ" in its worship center on Thursday evening, March 24. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the movie begins at 7:00. The public is invited to attend.

The movie will be projected on the church's two permanently installed screens. The projectors are new and very high quality; nevertheless, the picture quality and sound will not be equivalent to that in a movie theater. But, then, neither is the admission fee. ;-)

This is the original R-rated version, and parents need to consider this when deciding if their children should attend.

The church is located at the corner of Louisiana and Garfield.

New version of Gibson's "Passion" coming before Easter

Heard on K-LOVE radio this morning: a re-edited version of "The Passion of the Christ" is being released on about 500 screens nationwide on March 11. The revised version will lack "5-6 minutes" of the most brutal scenes from the original, with the scourging scene being toned down the most. The revised version will not carry an age restriction on viewers, unlike the original's R rating.

This announcement will surely draw accusations of mercenary exploitation aimed at Mel Gibson and the movie's distributor, but I applaud the decision to provide a "milder" version. There were many people -- not just children -- who simply did feel up to the intensity of the movie, especially given the widespread publicity about the violence. The beauty and significance of the story should be accessible to those people without forcing them to endure things that they wouldn't watch anyway.

Please don't misunderstand me. I did not think that the content of the original movie was inappropriate. For those who are emotionally able to take it in, I recommend it highly. But there is a wide spectrum of feeling even among devout Christians as to how much of Christ's passion they can share (and, really, we can't share any of it; the reality is incomprehensible). From those who feel it necessary to actually be nailed to a wooden cross in order to more fully understand His suffering, to those who tear up at a simple reading of the account of the Crucifixion in the Bible, we each come to and react to the truth and implications of this story in different ways.

Unintended Consequences

Today's email newsletter from the Southern Baptist International Mission Board features an article by Erich Bridges describing some of the challenges -- and the victories -- of Christian evangelism in the Muslim world. This reference to the impact of "The Passion of the Christ" caught my eye (emphasis mine):

Paul in writing to the Christians in Rome quotes the prophet Isaiah: "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" Thank God even for those feet which carry the good news unwittingly or without good intentions; God's Word will not return void.

Passion Play Wrap-Up

The last two performances of our church's Easter drama were today (the last one is actually taking place as I type this). I went to the matinee this afternoon, ready to finally see the whole thing from start-to-finish. I was only partially successful.

For a variety of reasons, the decision was made to video today's performance, and I was asked to operate a camera. Since MLB had to be there as switcher, and since I was planning to attend the performance anyway, I agreed. However, that also meant that I didn't get to fully experience the performance, as I was on headset and focused on the shots called by the director.

However, I did catch most of it and it turned out well. It was 2 1/2 hours long, which is really too long for optimal audience comfort (not to mention camera operators!), but it presented a Scripturally-accurate portrayal of the life and ministry of Jesus, interleaved with a contemporary sub-plot that provided some modern context for the relevance of the Gospel.

There were very few technical glitches, and none were signficant. OK...the mast on Peter's fishing boat starting to keel over toward the end of the scene and had to be propped up by Jesus, but Who better to provide healing, even for an inanimate object! (That scene may make the outtake section of the DVD.) None of the actors missed cues or lines, at least none that I caught, and the music was excellent (I'm never sure how - or if - the orchestra will gel). The resurrection scene elicited an ovation from the packed-in audience, and it was, indeed, powerfully done...this was the first time I'd seen it. (I'm of the opinion that the one thing that most "Passion" movie-goers wanted more of was Jesus' resurrection, and this presentation certainly met that desire.)

One thing I do know...none of the cast or crew will regret taking a year off before returning to production in 2006. That is, of course, if the Lord doesn't return before then!

Rosalinda Celentano: Move Along Folks; There's Nothing Here to See

Thanks, apparently, to a couple of earlier posts, the Gazette continues to receive a fairly large volume of traffic from people searching for "Rosalinda Celentano."

While I appreciate the extra visitors, as statistical fodder for my insatiable ego, I'm also keenly aware that this blog is probably disappointing to them, as it contains little if anything of the sort of information they are probably seeking. (I also appreciate the irony of the fact that my posting about this will probably result in another bump in such traffic.)

Another irony is that I have actually entered into a budding blogospheric friendship with someone who has known Rosalinda for many years; that person has shared quite a bit of information about the actress*, but it's all been with the understanding that it's not for public consumption. Rosalinda's friend is very concerned for her privacy, and I respect that. So, you'll find nothing here that represents "insider information."

What I can share is the creation of a new website by a fan who hails from New Jersey, devoted to the actress. You can visit it here: www.rosalindacelentano.net. It's obviously a labor of love for the site owner, and it also contains the most detailed biography of the actress that I've found to-date. If you continue to be intrigued by the most evasive cast member from "The Passion," I suggest a visit to the new website.

*Note: I have no reason to doubt the veracity of what's been shared with me, even though I have no way to independently confirm it. Plus, since I'm not sharing any of it with you anyway, its credibility is irrelevant.

Passion Marathon

After yesterday's whiny post about the long rehearsal for our church's Passion Play, God apparently decided I needed a lesson in patience.

Last night's rehearsal went SIX hours; we got the last shot at approximately 12:30 a.m. this morning. "Dead tired" is a good start for describing the way I felt at the end of the session, although the relief of having my part finished does help to cut through some of the fog of fatigue.

I won't attempt to describe the plethora of problems that extended the rehearsal. Suffice it to say that Murphy's Law is operable, even within church walls. (OK... one example: an actor with a speaking part shows up for the scene without a body mike. How does that happen?)

We did this shoot differently than the previous night. Rather than trying to film the scenes in sequence, we skipped around in order to release actors and musicians as early as possible. Most of the children were released around 10:00, the orchestra around 10:30, and by the time we finished, there were only two actors, three keyboardists, the director...and about 20 crew members.

One of the miracles of Easter will be the way that this presentation will come together on opening night without the cast and crew having ever been through the whole thing, start to finish, without a break. It won't be perfect -- never has been, never will be -- but it will be good enough, and it will be powerful.

New Respect For Filmmakers

Following last night's non-stop five-hour Passion Play rehearsal, I have new-found respect for those who work behind the scenes on movie sets.

This rehearsal was essentially for the purposes of filming the production. (We will be doing very little filming during the actual performances...only what might be needed to fill in the gaps that are left from these pre-performance sessions.) Thus, just like on a "real" movie set, the actors were asked to repeat scenes over and over, until the director felt they had been captured on video appropriately well enough to survive the editing process.

I think I'm in pretty good physical condition, but the discomfort of standing behind a camera for five hours is something you have to experience to understand.

Keep in mind that this is a cast of actors, musicians and crew in excess of 200 (including at least a dozen children), and all of them are volunteers, and most of them showed up following a full day of work at their regular jobs. Yet complaints were minimal and mostly of the gallows-humor sort; wild clapping accompanied each successful take; and we're all geared up to do it again tonight!

After all, we only got through the first half of the presentation...

[This had better be some kinda special DVD!]

Local "Passion" vs Global "Passion"

In a comment left on yesterday's post, in which I referred to the rather hectic rehearsal schedule for our church's "passion play," Mr. Freen asked the following questions:

Those are good questions, and, in fact, I anticipated them a few weeks ago in this post entitled "Will 'The Passion' Dampen Passion For Passion Plays?".

I concluded that short post thusly:

Now that I'm seeing the actual production, albeit in a pretty disjointed and rough fashion, I'm even more convinced that we're talking apples and oranges. So, I offer the following list: "Ways in which our 'Passion Play' differs from 'The Passion of the Christ'"

1. Our production endeavors to present the entire Gospel, and doesn't focus on the crucifixion. In that regard, this is not truly a "passion play," but we use that term for lack of a better description. (In the beginning, years ago, we called it an "Easter Pageant," but that has misleading connotations.)
   
   Don't get me wrong; the crucifixion is a key part of the presentation, and it's presented in a fairly straightforward and even graphic manner. But the life and ministry of Jesus is given top billing, and His resurrection is the true climax.


2. Our production is evangelistic in focus. Our main goal is to bring people to an understanding of how they can be saved through faith in Jesus Christ; providing a worship experience for believers is important but secondary. I'm still convinced that "The Passion of the Christ" is primarily edifying to the believer.


3. We don't introduce any extra-Biblical characters, at least not in scenes with Scriptural context (more about that in a second). We push the edge a bit by giving names to a few Biblical characters who go unnamed in the actual Gospel accounts, and allow them to give voice to the impact Jesus made on their lives (these include a shepherd who was present at the announcement of Jesus' birth, the leper cured by Jesus who returned to thank Him, and a woman who was cured from an 18-year-long sickness. I'll let you find those Scriptural references on your own; they're there...trust me!).
   
   This "artistic license" gets back to our underlying goal: bringing people to Jesus. How do you best do that? By telling about your firsthand experience with the Lord. There's no more powerful witness than saying, "here's how Jesus has changed my life." So, we let these characters provide that witness.


4. Our production prominently features a pumpjack. See, the storyline alternates between a contemporary setting, focused on an oilfield worker who's learning about the true meaning of Easter, and an historical setting in which Jesus lives, teaches, ministers, dies and defeats death. So, while we do have non-Biblical characters, they're not used in a Scriptural setting.


5. Satan doesn't make an appearance in our presentation. A few years ago, Satan was a character in the script. He was played in an over-the-top fashion, complete with long black cape, and he scared some of the younger kids. So, he hasn't been invited to return.


6. You can get a [non-pirated] DVD of our presentation shortly after Easter! Yep...we're now taking pre-orders, and the DVD will include extras like program commentary, behind-the-scenes montage, outtakes (?!), trailer and casting calls. Don't ask me why. We apparently have the technical wherewithal to do it, and so we are.

There are many other differences between most locally-produced Easter presentations and the film. They are intended for different purposes and different audiences. Seeing one should not affect whether you see the other. In both cases, however, the hope is that you'll see God more clearly, love Him more dearly and follow Him more nearly.

A few questions for "Satan"

I took my sixteen year old niece to see "The Passion of the Christ" last night (her brother came down with strep throat and had to stay home). It was my second viewing of the film in less than a week, and I have to admit that it was difficult to sit through again. I'm not looking forward to the third viewing with the nephew, but a promise is a promise.

Anyway, perhaps as a defense mechanism against the intensity of the film, I paid closer attention to some of the characters, focusing in particular on Rosalinda Celentano's Satan. Her character doesn't dominate the movie, by any stretch, but her portrayal is still powerful in an understated and undeniably creepy way.

I'll admit that my interest was also piqued by a comment left by a visitor on one of my earlier posts about "The Passion." It was left by someone close to Rosalinda, expressing surprise upon learning that she had been cast in this film as she isn't a Christian, as far as the commenter knew.

I've since exchanged a couple of emails with the commenter (whose identity I'll leave undisclosed for now), and that person has asked for prayer for Rosalinda and her spiritual condition. I've also offered this humble blog as a forum for any comments that Rosalinda might wish to offer about her experiences in making the movie; I've yet to find any other interviews with her, which I find very unusual. We'll see what develops along those lines.

But, in the meantime, it got me to thinking about the questions I'd like to ask her, if I could engage her in a conversation. Here's the top 10:

1. Are you a Christian?


2. Were your spiritual beliefs and faith topics of conversation with Mel Gibson during the casting process?


3. Do you believe in the existence of Satan?


4. How did you go about preparing for this role? Did you read any of the Bible passages wherein Satan is described?


5. How did the process of acting in "The Passion" affect you from a spiritual perspective?


6. Assuming that you sought out this role, why were you interested in it?


7. Now that it has been released to such a wide audience, has your vision of the film and its potential impact changed from what it was in the beginning?


8. How do you feel about the decision to dub a male voice over yours? Did you know from the beginning that this was the plan?


9. How was the making of this movie different from other productions in which you've appeared?


10. What advice or special direction did Mel Gibson provide you that helped you in your portrayal of Satan?

Some of these questions would be somewhat unusual for any other film, but in this case, the faith and spiritual condition of the performers seem to me to be particularly relevant. I don't know if I'll ever have the chance to hear or read answers to these questions from Rosalinda, either directly or indirectly, but in coming up with the list, my fascination with her motivation and perceptions has grown considerably.

I'm not convinced that Mel Gibson's vision of Satan is scripturally accurate, but until something better comes along, Rosalinda Celentano's performance will be the standard by which other portrayals will be measured.

When Movie Critics Stumble

Joe Morgenstern is the movie critic for the Wall Street Journal. His review of "The Passion of the Christ," published in last Friday's edition, was less than complimentary, focusing on the intense violence in the film, and the several and subtle ways that Jews came off as looking bad, in his opinion.

As I've written here earlier, I find no merit to either of these arguments, as far as determining the value of the movie to believers. But I recognize that these areas are also subjective, and each person brings his or her own context to the discussion. Reasonable people may disagree.

What I do find most interesting, however, was Mr. Morgenstern's opinion regarding the prospects of commercial success for "The Passion."

He implies that any potential harm will be self-limiting, because people just aren't interested.

And here's the measurement of the actual level of interest:

Just as he was wrong about the box office draw, so, too, will his fears about the inflammation of anti-Semitism be unfounded.

Rednek Hankies

This is shoehorned into "The Passion" category, but I'm not sure where else I'd put it.

MLB and I went to see another movie on Saturday ("Barbershop II," if you must know...and that experience is worth another short post in just a sec). We noticed that the cineplex management had apparently taken an unusual step to address the emotional impact of "The Passion of the Christ." On a ledge adjacent to the entrance of each of the two theaters where the film is showing were placed rolls of...toilet paper! And I'm not talking about a nice little soft roll of Charmin; I'm talking the industrial strength 12" diameter rolls that you find in only the finest bus stations, pool halls and, um, Hollywood Theaters.

Is this something unique to Midland, or is anyone else noticing a similar thing in their neck of the woods?

New Gazette Category (duh)

In recognition that (1) the film is now an official "phenomenon" and (2) I'm the blogging equivalent of a broken record, I've established a new category for entries related to "The Passion of the Christ."

I keeping thinking that I've run out of things to write about the film, but I haven't...as you'll soon see.

Will "The Passion" Dampen Passion For Passion Plays?

I can't help wondering about the impact of "The Passion of The Christ" on attendance at the hundreds or possibly thousands of locally-produced Passion Plays at churches around the country.

Our church puts on a production every other year, alternating with another local Baptist church, and this is "our year." The production is elaborate and involves literally hundreds of people, either on-stage or behind the scenes. In the past, we've "sold out" (the performances are free) every presentation, with several thousand in attendance overall. In other words, it's a Big Deal, and has historically been an effective way of presenting the Gospel.

But, this year...I don't know. The film was so powerful, so realistic...and the production values were top notch. I wonder if theater-goers will have a mindset like, "I've just witnessed the real thing; why would I want to see a copy?"

I think the value of locally-produced presentations like we're working on is that they will generally present a more complete picture of Jesus' life. Even though we call it a "Passion Play," there's much more to it than just the last 12 hours of His life that traditionally defines His "Passion." Given the expanded context, these local offerings are probably better evangelistic vehicles than the movie. My hope is that they'll prove to be an extension, a valuable adjunct to the film.

We'll see.

Mel Gibson's On Leno Tonight

Just in case you might be interested...

Update: Leno and his potsmoking preacher's-kid band leader Kevin Eubanks saw the movie Tuesday night. Leno's first half dozen jokes in the monologue were about the film, and, frankly, were pretty funny for the most part. (Especially the one about the single bag of popcorn being sufficient to feed the whole theater, and the other about the movie doing so well that they're thinking about bringing out a book. Get it? A Book.) Leno is rarely serious about anything, but I thought I detected a trace of sensitivity and respect even in his quips. Perhaps it's because Mel Gibson is coming on later. Perhaps it's something more. I'd like to think so.

Violence In "The Passion"

[Note: If you're getting tired of reading my thoughts about Mel Gibson's movie, I'm sorry. I do actually have some other things to write about, but I feel compelled to first address something that has eternal significance, unlike those "other things." Feel free to browse elsewhere for the time being. And, if you're seeking a "real" review of the film, you'll find none better than Jared's over at The Thinklings.]

Yesterday's viewing of "The Passion of the Christ" has caused me to reflect anew on some things I'd forgotten or have taken for granted regarding the suffering and death of Jesus Christ. I've also tried to place those things within the context of the ongoing discussion about the violence that was depicted in the film. I came to the realization today that Mel understated the suffering of the Christ. It could have been...no, should have been so much worse, if we really wanted to understand it.

Fortunately for us, no filmmaker in the world could capture the reality. Why is that fortunate? Because no audience in the world could endure it.

From a purely physical aspect, Jesus' suffering was short-lived. Even Pilate was amazed at how quickly He died (see Mark 15:44). Crucifixion was intended to be a drawn-out agonizing means of death, with the victim usually suffocating or dying of thirst. The breaking of the legs of the men on the cross was, in fact, a mercy (if you can call it that) intended to speed up their death, as their inability to support themselves would bring about that suffocation more quickly.

Jesus' suffering through His arrest, "trial" and scourging was horrible, but, again, of relatively short duration. One can't help but compare this trial to those of POWs in various wars who suffered through literally years of daily torture. The stories coming out of Iraq reveal that man's ability to inflict cruelty on his fellows has not waned over time.

No, the point is that there are worse things than physical torture and death. And once we come to that understanding, we can begin to catch a glimpse of the real pain that Jesus suffered, the spiritual agony of becoming a living sacrifice for humanity past, present and future.

He Who knew no sin, became sin, so that we might be saved. "He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross..." (1 Peter 2:24) This, I believe, is the real violence done to Jesus: the turning away of His Father, and the acceptance of the sins of the world, combined to create an agony that we can try to contemplate, but will never understand. All the physical torture and brutality which can be conceived by the fallen mind of man absolutely pales in comparison to that kind of spiritual suffering. (In the movie, Satan acknowledges that fact, in a scene that borders on "throw-away" but which, in fact, is one of the pivotal moments.)

This is one reason why I think that the message of this movie is largely lost on non-believers. If you don't believe that Jesus is the Son of God, then you cannot conceive of the kind of suffering He endured on your behalf. You cannot see past the physical suffering, and while you will no doubt be revulsed by it, the truth is, you don't know the half of it. Not nearly.

10 Things About "The Passion" That Surprised Me

Spoilers ahead...click the "Continue Reading" link at your own risk...or stop here if you're coming in via a trackback or direct link.

You might notice that I've not categorized this post as "Religion." I'm not going to address any theological or doctrinal issues or questions related to the movie (although I do list a few things where the filmmaker's vision differed from mine).

1. Satan is played by a woman, Rosalinda Celentano.


2. There were several direct visual references to the reality of the existence of demons, and the physical manifestation of spiritual warfare.


3. Many spoken Latin and Aramaic words were recognizable even to my untrained ear.


4. The subtitles never interfered with the movie or were a distraction. I shouldn't be surprised by this; I found the same to be true with "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," but I somehow expected something different for a story that I knew well.


5. The crew guy who was struck twice by lightning during the filming...and I don't remember his name or job...was referred to as "Lightning Boy" in the closing credits.


6. Despite a report to the contrary, a trailer was shown before the movie. It was for "Madison", a movie starring Jim Caviezel and made in 2001. It was a little jarring to see what looked like commercial capitalization, especially when I discovered that the movie wasn't new. I'm still scratching my head about this one.


7. Pilate's wife's kindness to Mary and Mary Magdalene was touching, but not Scriptural, and not in keeping with the way I envisioned her character (someone afraid of who Jesus was, but not necessarily sympathetic to His situation).


8. Judas came off as a more sympathetic character than I expected.


9. The resurrection scene was powerful and too brief, but it also jarred a bit with my imagination as it moved Jesus seemingly immediately and directly from within the burial clothes to a physically manifested being within and walking from the tomb. Artistic license, of course...I just always picture Him vanishing from the tomb and not appearing until the Marys show up. OTOH, this ending does better explain the rolling away of the stone than my mental picture.


10. The number of popcorn eaters in the theater surprised me. Well, this was a noon showing, so that's probably understandable (we are, indeed, a weak species). But I just couldn't work up an appetite, knowing what was ahead.

Jim Denison on "The Passion"

Jim Denison is the pastor of Park Cities Baptist Church in Dallas, one of the true "megachurches" of our day. Before he went to Park Cities, however, he was the pastor of my home church, First Baptist of Midland. He's one of the smartest guys I've ever known, and a dynamic preacher.

He publishes a daily devotional, and today's issue is devoted to his reaction to "The Passion of the Christ." I won't quote anything here except the last two sentences, which pretty much sums it up for those who can see the movie for what it is:

My take on "The Passion"

I did something today I've never done before: I took off a couple of hours during the day, by myself, and saw a movie... "The Passion of the Christ," to be exact. I've heard so much hype and speculation, much of it from people who haven't seen the movie, and I wanted to judge it for myself, and to be able to provide input to others who might have questions in advance.

I'm still trying to assimilate what I saw and the feelings it engendered in me. It's a very personal film. By that I mean that one's reaction to it will flow directly out of one's personal relationship with God, and it won't really matter what anyone else thinks or says.

In my case, what I saw on the screen was nothing less than the story of a man, who in his very nature is the essence of God but who chose to take on the form of a human, and suffered, and died, and was resurrected in order that I... Eric Siegmund, currently of Midland, Texas, USA... might have the indescribable gift of heirship to the very throne of God, on which my Savior now reigns. I saw played out on the screen what I've known and understood in my heart for decades, but which I now see with a painful, wonderful clarity that was missing 'til now.

If you've read much on this blog, you know that I'm the last person to ascribe much significance to movies, beyond their superficial ability to entertain. It's just another medium...it's the story that matters, and the telling of it can enhance its value, but too often overshadows it, at least with most modern screenplays. In this case, when the essence of the screenplay comes from the very Mind of God, the telling of it can never overshadow the power of the story.

This hasn't stopped humans from trying, over the past two millenia. Whether the medium is the painting by someone like Caraveggio or Raphael, or the music by someone like Bach or Delirious, or the dancing of King David, we've sought to bring worship and honor to God by the works of our hands. Mel Gibson has sought to do the same thing in film. Whether he's succeeded from an artistic perspective, or even a theological one, I'll leave to those more qualified to judge. What I do know is that his offering caused me to move closer to God this afternoon, and for that, I thank him.