(con't)
It's a pretty polarizing movie--most of the Jews yell and jeer and have rotting teeth, while the good Jews, Mary the mother, Mary Magdalene, the disciples--get a pass because they've already embraced the faith (their teeth, I might note, are in pretty good condition too). I suppose Gibson was depending on the figure of Simon of Cyrene to counterbalance all the nasty Jewish stereotypes, but Gibson dwells so much on his increasingly sympathetic face that a different message is clear: not all Jews are evil; all they have to do is believe in Him, and they are saved.
The message is reinforced by the two Jewish thieves hanging besides Jesus: one mocks him, the other doesn't. Hey presto, the mocker gets a particularly painful surprise, courtesy of Gibson (this wasn't in the bible either).
Incidentally, not a lot of people have mentioned the homophobia as well--an androgynous Satan, a rouged and eyelinered Herod.
(con't)
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