By the time Zack Snyder's long-awaited version of Justice League premiered on HBO Max last year (along with a potentially-growing demand for similar "director's cuts"), I've thought about the term "artistic integrity" quite often. Snyder has discussed, on many occasions in the past, about the difference between films made by committee and those that are clear expressions of the artist(s) behind them.
With today being Palm Sunday (and Good Friday and Easter this next weekend), perhaps no film in recent memory fits the bill better than Mel Gibson's 2004 biblical drama The Passion of the Christ. So today, I want to take a look at some of the most interesting facts surrounding this equally divisive and powerful account of the final twelve hours of the life of Jesus Christ.
1. Up in Arms
It's no secret that The Passion has been a staple of controversy inside and outside the film industry since its production was announced in the early-2000s. (Gibson financed $25 million of his own money to get the thing made.) It has primarily been criticized for reported elements of anti-Semitism (which there really aren't), as well as depictions of graphic violence (i.e., flogging, crucifixions).
Other "religious"-themed films have endured scathing criticisms before, from Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979) to Martin Scorcese's fictional The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) and Kevin Smith's raucous Dogma (1999). Gibson's film, however, seemed to take the most blows. Actor Jim Caviezel (known previously for Terrence Malick's 1998 ensemble war film The Thin Red Line) has stated in interviews that he was "shunned" by Hollywood since taking on the titular role. (To be fair, the veteran actor has maintained an otherwise successful career on television, such as the acclaimed series Person of Interest, and in film, such as 2014's When the Game Stands Tall and 2018's Paul, Apostle of Christ.)
In a poll conducted in 2006, Entertainment Weekly ranked The Passion of the Christ as the most controversial film ever made, even above Stanley Kubrick's 1971 dystopic and extreme A Clockwork Orange. (Wow.)
2. High Praise
One of the few mainstream critics to give The Passion a great review was the late Roger Ebert. He probably put it best when he wrote, "This is not a sermon or a homily, but a visualization of the central event of the Christian religion. Take it or leave it." Time Magazine's Richard Corliss, meanwhile, described it as, "a serious, handsome, excruciating film that radiates total commitment."
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| (L-r) Jim Caviezel and director Mel Gibson on the set of The Passion of the Christ |
According to an article published by Today during the 2004 Oscars ceremony, several high-profile celebrities spoke out in defense of the film, including actress Sandra Bullock, the late actor Kirk Douglas, producer Jerry Bruckheimer, actress Hilary Swank, and director Francis Ford Coppola. "I think it's wonderful that a filmmaker would put his own money and make something he has so much feeling about," said Coppola, "If people don't approve, they should make their own movie that shows another perspective. That's the beauty of our system."
3. Turning Tables and Tides at the Box-Office and In Popular Culture
In spite of its media frenzy and "sequences of graphic violence" (as the MPAA labeled under the film's R-rating), audiences flocked to Gibson's film in droves. Its accolades came from many well-known figures in the Christian community, including Rev. Billy Graham, Dr. James Dobson, and even the late Pope John Paul II.
By the end of 2004, The Passion of the Christ became the fifth highest grossing film worldwide (totaling over $611 million), behind Pixar's The Incredibles, Sony's Spider-Man 2, Warner Bros' Harry Potter and the Prizoner of Azkaban, and DreamWorks' Shrek 2.
Other accolades included three Academy Award nominations the following year (for Caleb Deschenel's stunning cinematography, Keith VanderLaan and Christien Tinsley's realistic makeup effects, and John Debney's powerfully moving score), and a "Freedom of Expression" award from the National Board of Review. The American Film Institute nominated The Passion for their 2006 poll of the 100 Most Inspirational Films, and even the MTV Movie Awards, of all places, nominated Caviezel's performance as one of the year's best. Writer/editor Steven Schneider also included The Passion in some editions of his annual book, "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die."
4. Uncompromising
This is more of a subjective fact. While The Passion of the Christ continues to be divisive, it still stands as an artistic achievement in expressing the Gospels of the New Testament in a way that challenges faith, Christianity, and belief. Therefore, the film is authentic not only in its uncompromising vision, but also in its use of Latin, Hebrew, and Aramaic languages.
It also stands as a key example in audience reception speaking louder than the industry as a whole. And things have never been the same since.
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