Fueled by charges of anti-Semitism for its depiction of the
death of Jesus, the release of Mel Gibson’s “The
Passion of The Christ” may have already ignited enough
controversy to be considered an event of biblical proportions.
But how the film will change popular culture’s perception
of Jesus’ death after the immediate debate dies down is still
largely unclear, leaving many to ponder just how influential such
films as “The Passion” are on our collective
beliefs.
For many, “The Passion” is part of a larger trend of
visual culture becoming more and more critical to our comprehension
of history. According to Claudia Rapp, a UCLA history professor,
the vast majority of people today get most of their information
about history from films and television.
“Films can have a lot of impact, as they bring the human
aspect much more vividly before our eyes,” she said.
“It is a great tool to show the very concrete context of how
people lived.”
While some have criticized the film for its graphic use of
violence in depicting the torture and crucifixion of Jesus, others
argue the detailed account in “The Passion” is bound to
have a profound effect on people’s understanding of this
biblical and historical event.
“People are going to perceive it as more than just a
normal film,” said third-year sociology student Ashley Grant.
“I don’t think a lot of people think of the passion as
a gory, violent event, and this movie is really going to challenge
that.”
Many are in agreement about the film’s potential
significance. In fact, many local churches are even screening
“The Passion” at a reduced cost to promote the film, as
well as the religious message it contains.
But while many are using the film to supplement their own
religious knowledge, whether or not it can be used to learn about
history is difficult to evaluate, largely due to the religious
significance of the events recounted in the film.
“The events depicted in this film belong to a unique genre
of core-faith events that transcend history,” said history
Professor David Myers. “This is an event which not only
because of scarcity and contest of evidence, but because of
religious intensity, may not be fully accessible to a historical
treatment.”
For many historians, religious events often cross the dividing
line between religion and history. As a result, changing
people’s opinions on events with religious significance may
be an impossible task for any movie.
“The issue rests on the bedrock of faith for many people,
and that’s simply not susceptible to revision,” Myers
said. “This is an event that stands at the center of
self-perception, as a source of such established and fixed
opinion.”
While “The Passion” may not change people’s
religious understandings, their ability to raise questions may be
blurred when the visual images presented seem so realistic.
“It is (Gibson’s) interpretation, and in some ways
you forget this,” said sociology Professor Jeffrey Prager.
“It is easier to get swept up in visual terms because more of
the senses are involved.”
Many great films have been characterized as having the ability
to blur the line between history and fiction. According to Myers,
films such as Oliver Stone’s “Platoon” and
Francis Ford Coppola’s “Apocalypse Now” have
challenged our understandings of history, having a profound effect
on the way popular culture views the Vietnam War.
“A lot of those films had a very interesting revisionist
effect,” Myers said. “They humanized American soldiers,
they inculcated the degree of sympathy for those men and made it
clear that some films can serve to revise and upend historical
events.”
But Myers does not foresee “The Passion” having a
similar effect. While the film does attempt to present a new look
at the history of Jesus’ death, it may not be able to change
people’s religious understandings of the event.
As the first pseudo-realistic rendition of Jesus’ final
hours, the film may not the same lasting power to influence
viewers’ perceptions on history as Vietnam films have.
“I think a well-produced, well-edited, expensive film has
a capacity to draw people in almost to the point where they forget
they are watching a movie,” Prager said. “But whether
or not a single movie can change people’s faith is difficult
to say.”