I will say at the start that I haven't watched "The Passion of the Christ." All of my statements regarding the content of the film are based on second-hand accounts. I wouldn't mind watching it if I could arrange it for free, but no one has seen fit to hand it to me so far. One thing is for sure... I would never want a single penny of my money to find its way, by however convoluted a path, into Mel Gibson's zealot hands.
That being said, I do have some observations about the movie and all the other retellings of this "greatest story ever told." For starters, it's NOT the greatest story ever told. It's just another story, and it's one that only means anything to self-centered little people who are so consumed by the thought of death that they'll latch onto anything that gives a hint that it can be avoided. There are plenty of other stories out there. Read "Lord of the Rings" if you want first-class fantasy.
But getting back to these movies about Jesus, it strikes me that these movies are pornographic in nature. Especially from what I've heard of "The Passion," I think the word fits pretty well. Of course, by the word "pornographic," I mean a more general definition of a fantasy built around fixation on an event that is depicted in graphic, exaggerated detail. If we look at it this way, "Passion" becomes one of the most pornographic films ever made.
Just look at the situation. Mention this film to anyone, and you'll invariably hear about the scene where Jesus is flogged. I've never heard an accurate count of how many strokes are depicted in that scene, but I think it's pretty safe to say that the resulting loss of blood would have killed any human being. It seems that Mel Gibson, along with all the fans of this movie, is fixated on pain. The more pain that can be shown on the screen, the better. Showing close ups of flesh being torn apart makes for a more satisfying experience, just as extreme close-ups of genitalia in action makes for the satisfaction of the classic porn viewer. Makes you wonder what it says about the fans of this movie. I find it pretty disturbing, frankly.
But I also can't help wondering why people seem to feel the need to produce movie after movie, showing the exact same story. This is another aspect of the situation that reminds me strongly of porn. Every single "passion play" tells the same thing. There are some minor details that differ, certainly. But Jesus always gets betrayed by a disciple, always gets convicted by a secret court, and beaten severely. He always gets put on a cross and dies between two other convicts. And Christians never seem to tire of seeing this over and over again. Once again, it's exactly the way porn users act. No matter how many times they use it, they never tire of seeing the exact same acts repeated endlessly.
But it's important to keep in mind the differences here. Traditional porn feeds an obsession with sexual pleasure. It's certainly a self-centered affair, one that is potentially destructive and doubtless harmful in terms of de-humanizing one's view of sexuality. The possibility of a user of pornography growing from a squirrely spectator into a sexual predator is there, but how serious the danger is, I'm not sure anyone knows.
But what about this "Christian Porn"? What can we say about this? Every year, all Christians celebrate the primary events of their religion, and that's understandable, I guess. But I think there's something a little more sinister when it comes to passion plays. Zealots like Gibson are consumed by their fascination with suffering and pain, blood and death. That can't be healthy.