Locals react to ‘Passion’
In an unprecedented move, the Logan Art Cinema held private matinee showings of “The Passion of the Christ” Sunday.
The Holy Trinity Lutheran Church and the St. Thomas Aquinas Church, both of Logan, invited their members to see the film, which has already broken a few box office records.
The Associated Press reported that Mel Gibson’s surprisingly popular movie has grossed over $125 million in just five days, beating “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the Kings” for the most profitable five-day opener ever.
According to www.boxofficeguru.com/, this is even more astonishing considering the movie’s R rating and Latin and Aramaic dialog. “Passion,” is expected to pass up “The Matrix Reloaded,” also rated R – the No. 1 R-rated movie of all time. “Reloaded,” grossed $281 million in its three-month release. “Passion,” which opened on Ash Wednesday, is expected to pass “Reloaded” before Easter.
Many critics dwelled on the violence in the film, among them, Chicago Sun-Times columnist Roger Ebert. Although he gave the film four stars, he said it was “the most violent film” he had ever seen.
He also added that if it had been anyone other than Jesus on the cross, the film would have been NC-17.
The general sentiment among locals who saw the film, which details the final 12 hours of Jesus’ life, was that the violence was extreme, but necessary.
“It’s very sad, but it’s very realistic,” said Angelica Cardiel, who attends St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Logan. “Very graphic. For all those who see it, it will open their hearts. It has much expression and moves you to value your religion more.”
Cardiel was seeing it for the second time.
Some felt it went too far.
“It was more violent than I thought it would be,” Chuck Dalry, a Lutheran, said. “I didn’t like that.”
The Sunday showing at 1 p.m. was reserved by the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church. About 70 people showed up, including Pastor Scott Holder.
“I think it’s a very good film,” Holder said. “It definitely shows what we see in the scriptures of Christ going through to pay the price of our sins.”
Holder added that the violence was helpful for people to understand what Christ went through physically.
“I commend Mr. Gibson for putting it together,” he said. “It’s a great statement of Christian faith that Christ has indeed died for our sins and through faith in him we are justified.”
Holder said the reason he thinks the movie is already the top movie in 2004 is because “people are looking for something spiritual … something to believe in.”
“This film shows what we should believe in,” Holder said.
Kathy Bayn, a local Lutheran and academic adviser at Utah State University, felt the box office success was due more to “the hype and controversy beforehand.”
Whether it was controversy or Christianity, the movie about the most famous death of all time is making a killing, even at the Logan Art Cinema, where theater manager Tina Andrews said it has already sold out six times. The Logan Art Cinema, normally reserved for smaller, low-budget movies, decided to show Gibson’s great gamble to promote the theater itself. After moderate runs with Oscar winners “Cold Mountain,” “Mystic River,” and “Monster” (and no sell-outs,) the managers hope “Passion” will stick around.
“I think we were unsure of how well it was going to do,” Westates Theaters City Manager Troy Stettler said after Wednesday’s 7 p.m. debut of the film. “Seeing how it’s done tonight, it’s really made us excited about bringing it here.”
Tina Andrews, who manages the Logan Art Cinema, knew it was a big deal when the theater actually booked Sunday afternoon showings.
“Normally, matinees are only Saturday,” Andrews said.
The St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic reserved the 4 p.m. time, and the turnout was so high that some had to return for later showings.
“We were very sorry we couldn’t have everyone,” Margaret Stepan, an Adult Formation and Evangelization Coordinator at the Catholic church, said.
Stettler said the Catholics filled the theater’s 255 seats and many had to come to the public showings at 7 and 9 p.m. The afternoon screening was opened with a prayer by Father Clarence Sandoval, the bilingual priest who preaches at St. Thomas Aquinas.
Especially happy to have the viewing of the film as a church activity, Stepan said the viewers were very moved by what they saw.
Stepan said Catholics are more in touch with the movie because it depicts the traditional Catholic interpretation of the last 12 hours of Christ’s life, even parts that aren’t included in the Bible.
For example, the stations of the cross represent 14 or 15 parts of Jesus’ fateful final walk. The first is when Jesus falls for the first time, and another tradition is Veronica’s veil. Although not recorded in scripture, the movie shows a woman named Veronica wiping the face of Christ with her veil.
“Tradition says an image of his face was left on her veil,” Stepan said, adding that the movie stayed close to the Gospels of Luke and John.
She also mentioned that the movie could have even been more violent. During a crucifixion, Stepan explained, a person is technically killed by suffocation. The victim would have to heave himself up on his legs for each painful breath.
“[Mel Gibson] didn’t even show that so he even left out things like that that would be even harder to watch,” Stepan said.
The movie’s controversy was generated mainly by those who said it was anti-semitic, and Stepan didn’t take that point of view. She said it actually showed, as “Good Morning America’s” Jewish film critic Joel Siegel said, that the Romans were violent toward Jesus and those who cared about him were Jewish. Plus, she added, it is really the sinners who killed Christ.
“It’s our sinfulness that’s done it,” Stepan said. “It’s nothing to do with a certain group of people at all. We know we did it … not the Jews.”
Stepan said one Catholic ritual, done twice a year, includes a part where the congregation says “Crucify him!” a sad symbol of universal transgression. She said that in a way, because everyone has sinned, everyone has participated in the crucifixion.
The film’s emotional impact even touched a nerve with non-Christians.
Several prominent Jews, including radio show hosts Michael Medved and Paul Harvey, and Internet journalist Matt Drudge, gave the film very positive reviews.
“This may be the last movie Mel Gibson makes,” Drudge said in a July 23 interview on MSNBC. “It’s magical: Best picture I have seen in quite some time.”
“I was crying buckets,” said Muslim Fahima Afroze, a senior in electrical engineering at USU. But she added, “I don’t think I can stomach this movie again, I’m never going to watch it again. One time was enough.”
“I need to go see a happy movie now,” Afroze said. “This one was too sad.”
The Logan Art Cinema will play the movie as long as it can. The showings are 7 and 9 p.m. daily, with 4 p.m. matinees on Saturday. Andrews said USU students can get in any night with a student ID for $4.50. The other Westates Theatres in town only have discount nights on Wednesdays, and the movies must have been running for at least two weeks to get the discount.
-marklaroc@cc.usu.edu