a gem that will move you and make you think..
Of all the depictions on film of the crucifixion of Christ, I find this one the most harrowing...it's wrenching as well as uplifting, and the always wonderful Lothaire Bluteau is extraordinary as Jesus in the passion play, and as the actor who won't compromise his art for commercial success, and starts to acquire aspects of Jesus' character into his own.
On a lighter note, the "hot" dubbing scene early in the film is hilarious, and there are many other extremely humorous parts. The talented ensemble cast is superb, as good in the comedy as in the drama.
Perhaps this is not a film for those with strict beliefs, but if you can accept diverse views, it will move you on many different levels.
This Bilingual Edition DVD is THE ONE TO GET!
I've deleted my earlier comments on the French-language-only DVD that was first released in North America. This brilliant film is now available in two separate versions: the original Quebecois French soundtrack and this edition with language options: the original French, dubbed English (I avoid this because I only ever knew this film in its subtitled version), and French, Spanish, or English subtitles (optional). There are also bilingual stereo and a French 5.1 surround sound audio mixes. Amazon has also finally separated the two releases in its listings and labeled them more clearly, so I hope this eliminates the confusion that formerly surrounded this DVD and led many to buy the "wrong" version, myself included. You'd have to be a pretty fluent francophone to catch all the nuances of this story without subtitles, and the Quebec patois is very different from the standard French taught in U.S. schools or spoken in France today.
Enough of the technicalities. And please...
A very human Passion Play
It's been quite a few years since I've seen this movie, but for some reason, I've recently started thinking about it and connecting all the dots. As much as I enjoyed it originally, I've developed a new appreciation of it. Other reviewers have described it well, so I'll just give an "Amen" to their praise. I now marvel at how subtly and ingeniously the film's makers made the characters surrounding the theater troupé mirror the characters surrounding the main people in the original Passion story. Could the people in the Gospels' account have been real flesh-and-blood people, and not just characters in a mythical morality tale? This film will convince you they could have been. All aspects of the production are excellent. Blutheau was superb as Daniel/Jesus. His motivations and actions are as inscrutible as those of the original Jesus. When Daniel died, nothing happened. Or did it? You decide. Just as you must decide concerning the original Jesus' death. A...
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