I have not seen the film but plan to do so around Good Friday. My boss emailed this to me and I thought I would share with you.
>Subject: Movie review of Mel Gibson's "Passion" by Paul Harvey & The rest
>of
>Story Paul Harvey's words:
>
>I really did not know what to expect. I was thrilled to have been invited
>to
>a private viewing of Mel Gibson's film "The Passion," but I had also read
>all the cautious articles and spin. I grew up in a Jewish town and owe much
>of my own faith journey to the influence. I have a life long, deeply held
>aversion to anything that might even indirectly encourage any form of
>anti-Semitic thought, language or actions.
>
>I arrived at the private viewing for "The Passion," held in Washington, DC
>and greeted some familiar faces. The environment was typically
>Washingtonian, with people greeting you with a smile but seeming to look
>beyond you, having an agenda beyond the words. The film was very briefly
>introduced, without fanfare, and then the room darkened. From the gripping
>opening scene in the Garden of Gethsemane, to the very human and tender
>portrayal of the earthly ministry of Jesus, through the betrayal, the
>arrest, the scourging, the way of the cross, the encounter with the
>thieves,
>the surrender on the Cross, until the final scene in the empty tomb, this
>was not simply a movie; it was an encounter, unlike anything I have ever
>experienced.
>
>In addition to being a masterpiece of film-making and an artistic triumph,
>"The Passion" evoked more deep reflection, sorrow and emotional reaction
>within me than anything since my wedding, my ordination or the birth of my
>children. Frankly, I will never be the same. When the film concluded, this
>"invitation only" gathering of "movers and shakers" in Washington, DC were
>shaking indeed, but this time from sobbing. I am not sure there was a dry
>eye in the place. The crowd that had been glad-handing before the film was
>now eerily silent. No one could speak because words were woefully
>inadequate. We had experienced a kind of art that is a rarity in life, the
>kind that makes heaven touch earth.
>
>One scene in the film has now been forever etched in my mind. A brutalized,
>wounded Jesus was soon to fall again under the weight of the cross. His
>mother had made her way along the Via Della Rosa. As she ran to him, she
>flashed back to a memory of Jesus as a child, falling in the dirt road
>outside of their home. Just as she reached to protect him from the fall,
>she
>was now reaching to touch his wounded adult face. Jesus looked at her with
>intensely probing and passionately loving eyes (and at all of us through
>the
>screen) and said "Behold I make all things new." These are words taken from
>the last Book of the New Testament, the Book of Revelations. Suddenly, the
>purpose of the pain was so clear and the wounds, that earlier in the film
>had been so difficult to see in His face, His back, indeed all over His
>body, became intensely beautiful. They had been borne voluntarily for love.
>
>At the end of the film, after we had all had a chance to recover, a
>question
>and answer period ensued. The unanimous praise for the film, from a rather
>diverse crowd, was as astounding as the compliments were effusive. The
>questions included the one question that seems to follow this film, even
>though it has not yet even been released. "Why is this film considered by
>some to be 'anti-Semitic?" Frankly, having now experienced (you do not
>"view" this film) "the Passion" it is a question that is impossible to
>answer. A law professor whom I admire sat in front of me. He raised his
>hand
>and responded "After watching this film, I do not understand how anyone can
>insinuate that it even remotely presents that the Jews killed Jesus. It
>doesn't." He continued "It made me realize that my sins killed Jesus" I
>agree. There is not a scintilla of anti-Semitism to be found anywhere in
>this powerful film. If there were, I would be among the first to decry it.
>It faithfully tells the Gospel story in a dramatically beautiful, sensitive
>and profoundly engaging way. Those who are alleging otherwise have either
>not seen the film or have another agenda behind their protestations. This
>is
>not a "Christian" film, in the sense that it will appeal only to those who
>identify themselves as followers of Jesus Christ. It is a deeply human,
>beautiful story that will deeply touch all men and women. It is a profound
>work of art. Yes, its producer is a Catholic Christian and thankfully has
>remained faithful to the Gospel text; if that is no longer acceptable
>behavior than we are all in trouble. History demands that we remain
>faithful
>to the story and Christians have a right to tell it. After all, we believe
>that it is the greatest story ever told and that its message is for all men
>and women. The greatest right is the right to hear the truth.
>
>We would all be well advised to remember that the Gospel narratives to
>which
>"The Passion" is so faithful were written by Jewish men who followed a
>Jewish Rabbi whose life and teaching have forever changed the history of
>the
>world. The problem is not the message but those who have distorted it and
>used it for hate rather than love. The solution is not to censor the
>message, but rather to promote the kind of gift of love that is Mel
>Gibson's
>filmmaking masterpiece, "The Passion." It should be seen by as many people
>as possible. I intend to do everything I can to make sure that is the case.
>I am passionate about "The Passion."
>
>A note attached to this tells me that Mel Gibson stated he did not appear
>in
>his own movie, by his choice, with one exception: It is Gibson's hands seen
>nailing Jesus to the cross. Gibson said he wanted to do that because it was
>indeed his own hands that nailed Jesus to the cross (along with all of
>ours).
Dee
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