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"The Passion of the Christ"

It took me a few days, but I finally made it to see "The Passion of the Christ" yesterday afternoon with my mom, my sister Karen and my niece Lauren. My mom hadn't been to a movie theater for 30 years because she didn't like some of the trends of language, sex and violence in the movies, so my sister and I thought it ironic that she decided to see a R-rated movie.

And believe me, the movie deserved its R rating. It is bloody. It is violent. And it is a good -- but not great -- piece of filmmaking.

For those of you who are used to seeing the sanitized images of the passion of Jesus Christ presented in centuries of religious art or in previous films, it will be a shock. It is not a pretty picture, but then again, scourging and crucifixion are not pretty. While it can be debated whether Mel Gibson went over the top with the violence in this film, my bet is that is closer to the truth than the images we are used to seeing.

As most critics have pointed out, the technical aspects of the film are well-done. The images throughout the film make an impact. Intersperced among the brutal scourging and crucifixion scenes are flashbacks to the words and teachings of Christ. Those were the scenes that had the most impact on me. Jesus delivered a truly radical message, and it was a threat to the powers that be. And it still is a threat to the powers that be today.

I did not get an anti-Semetic message from this film, although I do understand the concerns of the Jewish community that the film will fuel anti-Semetic behavior. But the Romans aren't exactly portrayed in a flattering light. As a lifelong Catholic, I believe that Christ died for everyone's sins, and I thought that the film did a good job of spreading the blame around.

But the film still suffers from a lack of balance. While the suffering servant is a critical part of Christ's redemption of mankind, the Resurrection completes the redemption. Very precious little time was spent on the Resurrection, and that where I think Gibson fell short in his presentation of the passion of Christ.

If I were a movie critic, I would give "The Passion of the Christ" three out of four stars. It does pack a powerful emotional punch. My mom, like many others who have seen the film, thought the scourging went on way too long. But I think Gibson prolonged the agony of the film to give people an ideal of the physical and mental agony that Christ endured in his final hours. How historically accurate the portrayal was never will be truly known, but the impact is profound. But the film remains flawed because it did not present the full picture of Christ's redemption.

I'm still not sure whether I would recommend parents taking their children to the film. My niece, who will turn 12 later this week, handled it well, but she is more mature than most 12-year-olds.

The film had an impact on my mom, but it's likely it will be another 30 years before she sees another film at a movie theater. That would make her 101 years old.

Happy Casimir Pulaski Day

My niece, like most schoolchildren in Illinois, was off Monday because of Casimir Pulaski Day. For those of you who don't know who Casimir Pulaski is, he was a Polish military figure who played a role in the Revolutionary War and died while fighting for the American troops. So why do we celebrate it in Illinois? Well, it has something to do with the fact the Chicago area has the highest number of people of Polish ancestry of any city outside Warsaw.

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