(cont)
As for the filmmaking--well, Gibson isn't known for his subtlety. The images are gorgeous enough--Gibson has at least one artist working for him, Caleb Deschanel--but pretty pictures, even pretty pictures drenched in blood, aren't enough; there's got to be a filmmaker's sensibility putting the pictures together, deciding where to put the music (which I think took a hint from Peter Gabriel's Middle-Eastern score for "The Last Temptation of Christ"), deciding how to frame the action for the camera (slowly, to catch every drip of blood), deciding what story to tell. By focusing on the last twelve hours of Jesus, Gibson does away with the theology working behind the crucifixion (he has flashback excerpts--"Jesus' Memorable Quotes," in effect) and focuses on Roman torture and death, on the physical instead of the spiritual.
I'd say, go watch Pasolini's "The Gospel According to Matthew" if you want a more faithful, in-context rendition of the story, Scorsese's "The Last Temptation of Christ" if you want something a little different, or Monty Python's "The Life of Brian" if you want something a little more sane. This one is strictly for them, not us.
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