There's been a lot of huffing and hyperbole coming from a variety of directions regarding Mel "Mad Max" Gibson's The Passion of the Christ. Now in keeping with what appears to have been the traditional position, at least up until Wednesday, I'm going to comment on the film without actually seeing it.
It probably won't be any surprise that I do intend to see it, of course, I just haven't had chance yet. There's a certain amount of mental 'girding of loins' that I suspect would be a wise idea before I go out and sit through it. By all accounts it's a pretty harrowing movie and not one to take viewing lightly.
That aside, I'm going to give my two cents on the charge that the film is essentially anti-Semitic. Now remember, I'm going to comment from a position of not having seen it, but please do bear with me. I think you'll understand that this isn't such a ridiculous position as it might first appear.
First, was the intent on the filmmakers to make an anti-Semitic movie? Well, I think no-one with any sense has yet argued that they wanted to turn the audience into a bunch of neo-nazis. Even those people who have accused the film's content of being anti-Semitic have stopped short of accusing Mel et al of willfully propagating a message of anti-Jewish tone. The argument runs, I believe, that you can't make an honest movie about the death of Christ without ultimately inciting anti-Semitic feelings among those already inclined to feel that way. Mel's intention might have been to show that all mankind was responsible for the death of Christ, but the actuality of it would seem to point the finger squarely at the Jews and their alleged Roman accessories.
In this, it's hard to not to agree. Certain historical truths must be faced when one makes a movie about Jesus' death and primary among them is the fact that it was the Jewish hierarchy that wanted him dead and out the way. Now whether, as has been suggested, the movie paints the Romans as too weak in the face of Jewish pressure is something that I'll suspend judgment on until I've seen the film. Nevertheless, the bottom line is that the Jewish authorities wanted Jesus dead and their rent-a-crowd pretty much convinced Pilate that if he knew what was good for Judea (and thus himself,) he'd better get nailing fast.
Alas, history does not always paint people in the most flattering light. As you may recall if you know me personally, I've ranted about Mr. Gibson's previous forays into 'historical' movies in the past, being English and thus part of those villainous peoples from both Braveheart (which I loved) and The Patriot (which was drivel.) Likewise, were I German, I might get sensitive about movies such as Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan and so on. The fact is, it's possible to go pick a period of history and make pretty much any ethnic or religious group look bad, intentionally or otherwise.
So everything's all right then? Well, not quite. There's a difference between irritating me by portraying the English soldiers in revolutionary America as a bunch of child-killers and making a film showing Jews baying for the blood of Jesus. The most fundamental difference, of course, if that unlike the Jews, English people having suffered millennia of persecution of the most appalling kind. Nor, for that matter, are there currently political movements whose stated aim is the eradication of the English people. (Unless you count the French, possibly.)
The fact is that when you make a movie which ultimately portrays Jews in a bad light, whether accurate or not, one must understand that there really *are* people out there who are going to seize on it as just one more reason to hate. I can't pretend to understand the reality of being a Jew, but I can imagine to some degree the burden of those horrid years in the middle of the last century and how that brutal reality must still pervade everything you see, hear and experience.
As the Pope so eloquently put it, for Christians, Jews are our elder brothers and sisters. Christians, above and beyond all others, must take the charge of anti-Semitism extremely seriously. We have an obligation to put right centuries of disinterest, bigotry and hatred perpetrated by people who behaved in a very non-Christian way, while professing to do so in the name of Christ.
Ah ha! So old Lictor comes down finally on the side of wishing the moving hadn't been made?
Alas, it's not that simple. Were this a film about historical Jews doing pretty much anything else, I'd be inclined to say 'better left alone,' but it isn't. The fact is that the life, and especially the death, of Christ are for Christians the single defining moment in human existence. Literally. There is, in short, no story that can be told which carries greater significance or importance for Christians across the world.
Even for non-Christians, Christ's life is still one of the pivotal moments in the development of Western culture and its impact has rippled across pretty much the entire planet. So it's a story that's rather hard to ignore.
In the end, the harsh reality is that in the real world there are no simple answers. To believe that a movie such as this should not be made because of fears of anti-Semitism is a view that is understandable, but not one that I can subscribe to. When you look at the life and death of Christ, I'm afraid it is inevitable that one is faced with uncomfortable truths. For Christians, true Christians, the painful truths are nothing whatsoever to do with the complicity or desire of the Romans and Jewish leadership to get rid of Jesus. They are far more personal and often more distressing. For Jews, especially those living in some European countries, I can understand their fear.
I don't want to see a movie like this come out every year. But it's a story that is simply too important not to examine honestly and I guess we all get to live with the consequences of that.