The Passion of The Christ (18)

Director: Mel Gibson, 2003

Stars: James Caviezel, Monica Bellucci, Maia Morgenstern

Out to buy and rent: On DVD

With an authenticity unmatched by any other cinematic rendering of the Crucifixion, Gibson’s controversial epic might be the best film of his chequered career. It is almost impossible not to be moved by Caviezel’s vulnerability as Christ, and Gibson utilises all the special effects at his disposal to capture details that would have made the painter Matthias Grunewald blanch. The Aramaic and “street Latin” adopted by the Roman soldiers lend the dialogue credibility, even if it sounds like pure Orc to untutored ears.

This is an emotive blood fest, an orgy of prejudice where hate takes the place of reason. The appetite of the mob makes a nonsense of Pilate’s feeble attempts at diplomacy. But the politics are profoundly important: the governor has authentic fears of inciting a rebellion if he frees Jesus or, indeed, crucifies him. The atmosphere is one of sharks during a feeding frenzy, counterpointed by the agonised face of Morgenstern’s Mary Magdalene. But claims that the film is anti-Semitic are inappropriate. The mob is more enamoured of the scent of blood than arguments about blasphemy. Nor does it have the evangelical might to convert non- believers into Christians. Despite Gibson’s belief in his masterpiece, that would be truly miraculous.