SEPT. 29, 2003

FILM
Screen saviors: beyond 'Passion'

The impassioned debate over The Passion, Mel Gibson's upcoming movie about the death of Jesus, has roiled the religious world with charges and countercharges about its portrayal of Jews in the crucifixion story. But The Passion is hardly the only Jesus movie at the box office today, nor the first to stir controversy. And the arguments go well beyond questions of anti-Semitism to fundamental issues of how Christians envision their savior.

On Friday, Visual Bible International began a rolling release of its multimillion-dollar feature film version of The Gospel of John, the latest in a series of movie versions of books of the Bible planned by the Toronto-based Christian media company. The Gospel of John aims to be a straightforward docudrama using only the Gospel text. Several other projects are in production by other filmmakers. One is a biblical epic, The Lamb, which is being produced by former Paramount Pictures chief (and non-Christian) Frank Yablans for a 2005 release. And that's not counting other religion-themed films such as Luther, starring Joseph Fiennes as the 16th-century reformer, which also opened Friday.

Experts say the latest wave of Jesus films may be the biggest since the 1970s, which saw the release of such diverse takes as Franco Zeffirelli's realistic Jesus of Nazareth, the musicals Godspell and Jesus Christ Superstar, and the irreverent Monty Python's Life of Brian. Since the advent of motion pictures, scholars have counted as many as 119 films about Jesus, starting with an 1897 filming of the Passion Play in Germany.

Scholars say examining the depictions in these films - and the debates they touch off - offers clues about the public's changing views of Jesus, as well as the evolving nature of Christianity's role in public life. Moreover, the figure of Jesus is important - in different ways - to Jews and to Muslims as well.

Why it Matters
The scarcity of details about Jesus' life encourages investigation - and artistic invention. Experts say the popularity of film, combined with the explosion of knowledge about the historical Jesus, has made cinema one of the primary means for communicating knowledge about the Gospels, particularly to a public whose worship attendance and Bible literacy is low.

Questions for reporters
Questions to ask about each film:

• How human and how divine is Jesus in the film? It is a central Christian belief that Jesus was both man and God, but striking the right balance in that equation has been a source of dispute - and schism - since Christianity's inception. Art has reflected that struggle: Early Christian painting and sculpture depicted Jesus on the cross, but alive and triumphant. Elsewhere he was the all-powerful Judge or Lawgiver. Over the centuries, however, Jesus has been portrayed as the suffering savior who shared humanity's pains. Scholars say the controversies over Jesus films often focus on this question. • Which Gospels - or what other sources - are used as the basis for the script? How were the decisions made and by whom? Were there religious advisers for the film? Is dialogue that doesn't come from any source created? What purpose does it serve? • What is the focus of the film? Some prefer to focus on the trial and death - the "Passion" - because that is the most graphic and historically reliable part of the Gospels, and does not require an interpretation of Jesus' teachings during his public ministry. • Earlier Jesus films, especially in 1970s, reflected contemporary life - Jesus as a hippie. Some experts think the hyper-realism of the newer films reflects a return to tradition - taking Jesus "out of time" and putting him back into a more remote, ancient world.

• Find churches, synagogues or other places of worship where films are used as teaching and discussion tools and find out what they're talking about.
• How has the portrayal of Jesus in film evolved? How has scholarship about the historical Jesus affected it, if at all?
• How have cinematic depictions of the role of Jesus' fellow Jews in his death changed? Or have they? Is Jesus' "Jewishness" being represented on film today more than in the past?
• How successful are Jesus movies as art?
• Are some Jesus films viewed differently years after their release, such as Martin Scorsese's Last Temptation of Christ?
• Are movies that tell the Jesus story indirectly - such as Arcand's Jesus of Montreal or Bunuel's Nazari - more effective than those that use a docudrama style?

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National/international sources

• Mark Goodacre, a theology professor at the University of Birmingham in England, maintains a web site called "Celluloid Jesus," which has a host of resources and information. It includes a valuable filmography of Jesus movies and a listing of several good scholarly articles. Contact M.S.Goodacre@bham.ac.uk.
• Peter Gilmour is on the faculty of the Institute of Pastoral Studies at Loyola University in Chicago, where he teaches a graduate course on Jesus in the movies. He maintains a web site of resource information called "Jesus: Real to Reel" together with Richard Ascough, a professor at Queen's Theological College at Queen's University in Ontario, Canada. Contact Gilmour at 773-508-2320, pgilmou@wpo.it.luc.edu. Ascough can be reached at Queen's Theological College, Kingston, Ontario, 613-533-6000 ext. 78066, rsa@post.queensu.ca.
• The Journal of Religion and Film is edited by William L. Blizek of the department of philosophy and religion at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. The main web site has links to many articles and authors. Contact Blizek at 402-554-3347, wblizek@mail.unomaha.edu.
• Ted Baehr is founder and president of the Christian Film & Television Commission, a ministry that has been publishing and broadcasting MovieGuide: A Biblical Guide to Movies and Entertainment since 1985. Baehr delivers sharp critiques of most new releases and is a fan of The Gospel of John. Contact 805-383-2000, Office@MovieGuide.org. His office in Atlanta is run by Sandra Bell, 800-883-3883 or 770-825-0084.
• Sharon Pucker Rivo is executive director of the National Center for Jewish Film at Brandeis University in Massachusetts and an associate professor of Near Eastern and Judaic studies who teaches a course on Jewish film. Contact 781-736-8600, rivo@brandeis.edu.
• Stephen R. Prothero is associate professor of religion and philosophy at Boston University and author American Jesus: How the Son of God Became a National Icon, which will be published by Farrar Straus & Giroux in December 2003. Contact 617-353-4426, prothero@bu.edu.

Background

• Read Jesus at the Movies: A Guide to the First Hundred Years, excerpts from a Polebridge Press book of the same name by W. Barnes Tatum and posted on Beliefnet.com.
• An Open Directory Web site hosts an array of links to Christian filmmakers, Christian production companies, Christian reviews, and churches that use movies.
• Read an Associated Press story about Mel Gibson's movie The Passion, posted on Beliefnet.com, along with links to commentaries on the film from different viewpoints
• Read the Anti-Defamation League's statement of concerns about The Passion.
• Read the National Conference of Catholic Bishops' "Criteria for the Evaluation of Dramatizations of the Passion."