The film "Passion of Christ": actors and roles, plot. Reviews and reviews

This film caused a lot of talk before the release and even more after it. Many call this controversial and controversial. Consider the film "Passion of Christ." Actors and roles, plot, reviews and reviews - all this will be the subject of our review.

About the film

The life of Jesus Christ over the centuries has become a topic for the creativity of many artists, including filmmakers. The first film about the Savior was shot in 1927, followed by a series of films on the same subject.

Mel Gibson's film stands out from the rest in that the director did not seek to use history as a basis for self-expression, but tried to reproduce the last days of Christ with documentary accuracy.

The script was written by Mel Gibson himself in collaboration with Benedict Fitzgerald. At work, they strictly adhered to the texts of the four Gospels. To convey the price of Christ's sacrifice, Gibson decided to make the tape as realistic as possible. The film "Passion of Christ", the actors for the filming of which were invited from different countries, was shot in Italy.

Plot

The film tells about the last twelve hours of the life of Jesus Christ. The action begins in the Garden of Gethsemane, where the Savior offers a prayer after the Last Supper. The devil is trying to tempt Him. Jesus was arrested after the betrayal of Judah, he was brought to Jerusalem, where the high priests sentenced him to death on charges of blasphemy.

To execute the sentence, the permission of the authorities was necessary, and Christ is brought to Pontius Pilate, who sends the Savior to King Herod. The tetrarch asks Christ to reveal a miracle, but in vain. Then Herod drives him away. Pontius invites the people to punish and release Christ, since the wife of the procurator had a dream about the Savior. Pilate gives the crowd the opportunity to save Jesus and offers to pardon one of the convicted criminals in honor of the holiday. However, people choose the killer and robber Barabbas.

Jesus is scourged and put on a crown of thorns. Pilate again shows him to the people, calling for release, but people demand execution. Jesus carries the cross through the streets of Jerusalem to Calvary, where he is crucified. On the mountain, he is subjected to the last temptation, but does not succumb. The devil’s idea fails. Jesus dies, and rain spills on the earth, an earthquake begins. The Savior is removed from the cross and transferred to the hands of the Mother. The film ends with the scene of the Resurrection.

James Cavizel

Mel Gibson from the very beginning understood that the most important thing for the film “Passion of Christ” is the actors, and the main secret of success is to find the right person for the role of Jesus Christ, the performer who can convey His spiritual power. What was needed was a master who was able to completely dissolve in the role. Gibson saw such an actor in James Cavizel. The director’s proposal surprised him, but the Catholic James, who was just 33 years old, was inspired by his faith and agreed to the proposal.

The actor who played Jesus in The Passion of Christ was warned in advance about the realism of the film, and that the suffering of the Savior would be shown with maximum certainty. The torment of the actor on the set was not only a game, he really had a hard time. James's body was covered with blisters due to make-up, he was diagnosed several times with hypothermia, which ultimately ended in pneumonia, dislocated arms, numerous cuts and wounds can be added to the list of injuries.

The cross, which Cavizel carried, weighed about 70 kilograms. Despite the cold season, he was dressed in the lion's skin and froze so much that he had to stop shooting.

James Cavizel was born and raised in the United States, Washington. He wanted to become an athlete, like his parents, but because of an injury, his dream was not destined to come true. He began to participate in school productions, and after graduation he moved to Los Angeles, where he worked as a waiter and went to auditions. The actor received several small roles in television and cinema. A career breakthrough was the role of a pacifist soldier in the film The Thin Red Line.

James showed not only a good command of acting techniques, but also a deep insight into the character's character. Among his famous works are the films “Eyes of an Angel”, “Chasing with the Devil”, “Frequency”, “Count of Monte Cristo”, “Deja Vu”.

Maya Morgenstern

Gibson invited Romanian Maya Morgenstern to the role of Our Lady. She appreciated the offer as a chance to do something truly important. The actress was inspired by works of art and literary sources. In order to get used to the image, Maya read the script more than 200 times.

Maya Morgenstern is a leading Romanian theater actress. She plays in major theaters and has received numerous awards. She made her film debut in 1983, starred in both Romanian films and international projects. Among the well-known works are the films “Nostradamus”, “The Seventh Room”, “The Glance of the Odyssey”.

Monica Bellucci

Maria Magdalene was played by Monica Bellucci. When she found out that filming was planned, she contacted the director herself and asked her to give her this role. In the image of Magdalene, the most popular and attractive actress was attracted by humanity.

Bellucci, while still a student, successfully made her debut as a model. In 1990, she was offered the main role in the mini-series, a year later she starred in the first full-length film "Lottery". The movie "Malena" brought world fame to the beauty. Bellucci attracted the attention of foreign directors. The list of famous films in which she took part is very extensive: Dracula, Matrix: Reloaded, Matrix: Revolution, Brotherhood of the Wolf, Irreversibility, 007: Spectrum, Shoot 'Em Up, “ The Brotherhood of Stone. ”

Rosalind Celentano

The audience was interested in the actor who played Satan in The Passion of Christ. It was a surprise to many that the role was played by Rosalind Celentano, who is the youngest daughter of the famous actor. Satan is a fallen angel, and angels have no gender, so in the film he is an androgenic figure. The actress was made up so that it was not clear who was in front of us, a man or a woman. The replicas were voiced by a man.

We continue to talk about what actors are involved in the film “Passion of Christ”. The devil should have seemed strange, different from something normal. Therefore, Rosalind shaved her eyebrows to make her look expressive and mesmerizing, and shots with her were shot in slow motion to make the actress's movements look unnatural.

Rosalinda Celentano debuted as an actress in 1975, she played in the same film with her father.

Mattia Sbraj

The name of the actor from the film “Passion of Christ”, who played the role of high priest Caiaphas, who condemned Christ to death, is known mainly to Italians. Mattia Sbraja is one of the best and most respected theater and television actors. He has been playing for over 30 years. He made his debut in 1974 and became the favorite of Italian directors. Mattia starred not only in domestic films (“Portrait of the bourgeoisie in black tones”, “The True Story of a Lady with Camellias”, “The Story of Boys and Girls”), but also in foreign works (“Year of Arms”, “Only You”, “Golden” Chalice "," Paradise "," Sin Eater ").

Hristo Naumov Shopov

Hristo Naumov Shopov played the role of procurator Pontius Pilate. He is the son of a famous Bulgarian actor, popular in the 50s. Hristo made his film debut in 1981 and became a sought-after actor in Bulgaria. He also starred in low-budget American films. The film "Passion of Christ", whose actors have gained tremendous experience, has become one of the most significant in the career of Hristo.

Claudia Jerini

The Italian actress Claudia Jerini played the wife of Pontius Pilate. She grew up in the capital of Italy and from childhood dreamed of working as an actress, dancer, singer. At the age of 13, she won the beauty contest and became a model, starred in commercials. Already at 15, the girl starred in the first film, and her stage debut soon took place. She has recorded several albums in English and Italian. Gained popularity thanks to roles in comedies. The most famous films with her participation: “Under the Tuscan Sun”, “Greyhounds Beach”, “Deception”, “Don't Move”.

Languages

Initially, Mel Gibson planned that all the characters in the film would speak the same languages ​​as their prototypes. Jesus spoke in the army - this is an ancient language close to Hebrew. He is considered dead, but is still used in remote areas as a dialect.

In ancient times, Aramaic was a common language of international communication, akin to today's English. Jesus spoke in the Hebrew dialect, Western Aramaic. Early descriptions of the Savior's life were also written in this language. To revive the dead language to life, the director turned to the leading specialist in the culture of the Semitic peoples, William Fulko. He translated the script into Aramaic for the characters of the Jews, and into folk Latin for the Romans.

Gibson consulted speakers of modern Aramaic-based dialects to hear how the language sounds. The actors of the film “Passion of Christ” were from different countries, and learning one language united them. In addition, the use of an unfamiliar language prompted the actors not only to rely on the power of the word, but also to actively use acting abilities.

Footage

Gibson asked Caleb Deschanel, the cameraman, for the film to look like Caravaggio's paintings, with a sharp contrast of light and shadow. Half of the film was shot at night to achieve the desired effect.

The costumes are historically accurate, made by hand and designed in black, brown and beige, as in the artist’s paintings.

The crew was almost entirely Italians, but the best make-up artists were invited from Hollywood so that the crucifixion and flagellation scenes looked authentic. The performer of the role of Jesus was made up for seven hours daily.

Reviews

The film “Passion of Christ”, the actors of which showed the real suffering, caused a lot of emotions from the audience and critics. Reviews about him are the most controversial. The film shocked many, but everyone without exception called it heavy and thought-provoking.

Interesting Facts

In conclusion, several interesting facts about the film “Passion of Christ”, the actors and roles, the location of the shooting, the features of the translation of which arouse genuine interest in the viewer.

• The film was completely shot in Italy, and the scenery of Jerusalem was built at the famous Chinechitta studio.
• The director of the film, Mel Gibson, is an Orthodox Catholic, that is, he believes that services should be held exclusively in Latin.
• When the lead actor was casting, he was sure that he would participate in the film about windsurfing.
• The performer of the role of the mother of Christ, Maya Morgenstern, was in a position during the filming, but for a long time she hid the pregnancy from the film crew.
• Mel Gibson wanted the movie to go to the cinema without any translation, but the distributors persuaded him to use at least subtitles.
• During filming in the performer of the role of Christ and one of the members of the crew, lightning struck, but they were not injured.
• James Cavizel received 2 scourges when a sign protecting his back fell. The first knocked him down, and the second dislocated his hand.