Jesus in Movies Analyzed

[This paper was written for my Jesus Through The Ages class at Capital University, where I'm seeking a minor degree in religion.  In this assignment, I was to analyze three films that depict the images of Jesus: one a traditional film, a non-traditional film, and a film that isn't about Jesus, but could be seen as a metaphor for Jesus.]

Jesse Harmon

RELIG 210

April 16, 2012

Movie Images

            I chose to watch the following movies to see their various depictions of images of Jesus: The Passion of the Christ (2004), Jesus Christ, Superstar (1973), and The Matrix (1999).  This paper will analyze all three films to find literal, figurative, and metaphorical images of Jesus.           

            The first film I am analyzing is The Passion Of The Christ.  This movie, released in 2004, is a direct story of the death of Jesus, so analyzing it for the image of Jesus wasn’t hard at all.  This movie portrays Jesus just like the image at a Brazilian church.  Jesus is horrifically mortified and mangled, and in intense pain.  I think this is one of the most graphically detailed films I have ever seen.  I have never seen such intense pain and agony in one person than I have with this film. 

            During the start of the film in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus is obviously tortured mentally about his impending doom.  He is pleading to be spared.  He prays so hard that he is sweating blood.  When Judas and the authorities come to arrest him, his confidence grows and his golden eyes pierce you.  When Judas kisses Jesus, Jesus’ expression changes to one of disappointment.  After a fight ensues between Jesus’ followers and the police, and one of the guard’s ears is cut off, Jesus heals the man and reattaches the ear; the man is in shock and awe the rest of the scene.  This shows the compassion that Jesus has for everyone, and reflects what he said at the Sermon on the Mount: love your neighbor, and love your enemy.

            Jesus doesn’t resist or put up a fight when he was arrested.  He just accepts his fate and goes along with the brutality that is upon him.  The guards whip him and wrap chains and rope around him.  Arrests that are made today are much more human than thrown a man over the side of a bridge and catching him with a chain around his torso before he hits the ground.  I cannot imagine the internal damage done when something like this happens. 

            When the movie cuts to the scene in the woodshop, Jesus is seen working hard building a table.  Jesus is seen conversing with his mother about the rather tall table, and then when he washes his hands before dinner, he playfully throws water onto Mary.  Why would he do such a thing?  It’s because he’s human, just like us.  He likes to have fun and enjoys a good laugh.  I like to have fun and enjoy a good laugh.

            Back to the arrest scene, Jesus expresses disappointment after Peter denies him three times.  Peter, who then goes crazy, leaves the area crying.  Jesus again is shown with human attributes.  After confronting the Pharisees, Judas goes nuts as well and is assaulted by hallucinations of demonic children.  I would think any normal person would have a mental breakdown after turning someone so special, like Jesus, into the police (I know I would). 

            One of the more surprising things about the trial scene is how gently the Romans treat Jesus at first.  They don’t throw him around.  Pilate, as I will describe later, is very adamant about prosecuting an innocent man.  Jesus, who by now has about 75% of his skin torn off, is in dire need of help.  A King of Kings wouldn’t be seen as this bloody and this mangled.  A King of Kings would probably be seen in a nice air-conditioned courtroom with seven lawyers and many supporters around him.  This man, who is mangled and writhing in pain, is not a king.  He doesn’t even look like a king.  He is stooped over and desperately wanting to sit down.  I couldn’t even watch the scene where Jesus is being whipped.

            Along the Via Dolorosa, Jesus is in dire need to rest.  The cross (which interestingly is pre-made, unlike the other two) appears to be very heavy, making it nearly impossible for the very fragile and weak Jesus to carry alone (he eventually gets help).  Jesus here isn’t the superman that some pictures show.  He doesn’t have a rock-hard six-pack of abs and his biceps and triceps aren’t bulging.  His flesh is nearly falling off, and he can barely walk.  Why would a king or a savior be in such a condition?  Only a man could be like this.

            When the movie cuts to the Last Supper scene, Jesus is seen as a calm and compassionate man, unlike what I will describe later in Jesus Christ, Superstar.  He is talking calmly to his disciples and has a smile on his face.  He is happy explaining to his disciples that the only way to God is through him.

            Even though the nailing on the cross was graphic, it was nothing compared to what he had previously endured.  I don’t think it really makes any difference, after watching this movie, if Jesus died while nailed to the cross.  He suffered so much in this movie, and death seemed almost kind.

            His followers obviously see Jesus as a sweet savior.  His mother gently kisses his feet while he is on the cross, as to signify that she is kissing the feet of God himself.  Her hands are trembling a lot when she does this.  Who wouldn’t think he is God after experiencing an earthquake right after a man has died?  That seems too much like a coincidence to me.  The priests are obviously wondering what just happened.  Are they wondering if the death of a man caused this?

The second film I will analyze is the film adaption of the hit musical Jesus Christ, Superstar, by Andrew Lloyd Weber and Tim Rice from 1973.  This film portrays Jesus very differently than The Passion Of The Christ or The Matrix. I believe this film portrays Jesus as humanly as it can, much like the Gospel of Mark does.  It does so by showing Jesus’ emotions, and his almost being tempted by what appears to be a seductive Mary Magdalene.  We will discuss this later.

            I was reminded why I never liked this musical to begin with.  I think the story and the plot are fantastic, but the music, words, and acting can be severely improved upon.  Since I am seeking a degree in music technology, I tend to analyze things as an audio engineer.  The sound in this film is atrocious.  There are many horrible tape edits that I noticed (since digital recording wasn’t prominent until about 1982).  Recording was mainly done on old reel to reel tapes, which were poorly made to save money.  I noticed that there were absolutely no background noises.  I didn’t hear any birds chirping, or any sounds of sand shifting in the wind.  I wonder if this was intentional.  Did the director want us to focus on the storyline and the words instead of distracting us with noises from the background?  This also seems to reflect the Gospel of Mark.  Mark was probably the first gospel written that is included in the canon, and it is the shortest gospel.  Mark is very fast paced, almost like a journalist who wants to be the first person to get his story out.  He writes down just the basic facts, and doesn’t elaborate much on it.  For example, the story of Jesus’ temptation (which is not in the movie, but written here to explain a point), is fairly short.  Mark 1:12-13 says, “The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness.  And he was in the wilderness for forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts.”  While Luke’s account of the temptation is nearly 13 verses long, and Matthew’s is 10 verses long, both are about equal length (Aland). 

            Jesus Christ, Superstar can reflect the style of the Gospel of Mark.  Each song is a different part of the story of the Holy Week.  The first song shows us Judas’ personal conflict with Jesus.  He sees Jesus as a person, and not divine.  The song, “Heaven On Their Minds,” talks about Judas’ doubts about Jesus being the Son of God.  One of the lines is “strip away the myth from the man.”  I’m reminded of what Thomas Jefferson did to two Bibles back in the 1700s.  He took a razor, destroyed the sections of scripture that describe the “supernatural” aspects and miracles of Jesus.

Mary Magdalene is very touchy of Jesus during the song, “Everything’s Alright.”  She is putting oil on his face and being very seductive of him.  Some of Jesus’ expressions make me wonder what he’s thinking.  It’s not very obvious, but I think he’s very tempted to have sex with her by the way she’s seducing him.  I know I would be tempted by if a woman were to start caressing me and touching me like Mary Magdalene was touching Jesus.  Judas was obviously upset about the way the disciples were talking to Jesus and how they marveled at his works and teachings, since he thinks Jesus is simply a teacher of morals.

            Something interesting happened during the scene that comprised of the song called “Hosanna.”  I’m not sure if this was intentional, or just a glitch in the copy of the film that I have, but when the chorus was singing, “Hey J.C. J.C. would you die for me,” the camera froze on Jesus’ expression, and his expression was that of, “oh, no.”  If it is a glitch on my DVD, then it’s a great coincidence.  The expression shown also shows that Jesus was a human just like everybody else, and that he felt pain and emotion. 

            I never really imagined what would have gone on in the Temple when Jesus drove out the venders, but this film really showed me what might have happened.  I was horrified when I saw strippers and women prostituting themselves in the Lord’s house!  “This is appalling,” I thought, and then I wondered if Jesus thought of the exact same thing.

            The Jesus in Jesus Christ, Superstar experienced stress after being overwhelmed by the sheer amount of people outside the city of Jerusalem after driving the venders out of the temple.  I can only imagine what really happened to Jesus when hundreds of people storm him and crowd around him wanting to be healed.  I’m reminded of when country superstar Garth Brooks appeared at the old Fan Fair in Nashville, Tennessee, unannounced.  Fan Fair, now renamed the CMA Music Festival, is a day long event where country music stars conglomerate together in one place and sign autographs for fans.  They usually stay 3-5 hours and then leave.  Garth, on the other hand, signed for 23 hours.  I can only imagine how much time Jesus spent healing people and performing miracles.  Scripture says that many of the miracles haven’t been included in the Bible.  He stood on his feet for 23 hours straight signing autographs for people who didn’t expect him to be there.

            The Last Supper was an interesting scene.  In this scene, Jesus and Judas reach their climax.  Jesus and Judas are yelling at each other.  Judas, who has already offered to turn Jesus into the authorities, has asked Jesus who will betray him.  Jesus gets up, and storms over to Judas and yells that Judas will betray him.  I remember from the Bible that Jesus took Judas aside, and from what I understand, had a very calm and collected conversation about what is going to happen.  Matthew 26:20-25 shows a very calm and collected Jesus.  “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.”  It is fairly hard to express emotion on paper, but to me that seems calm.  The Jesus in the movie is very different.  His fuse is short, and his temper is flaring. 

            During the scene in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus is pleading with God to not die.  He even says, which surprises me, “If I die what will be my reward?”  I’ve never wondered what reward Jesus got for dying.  I really cannot come up with any conclusions as to what Jesus got out of dying except to say that he has been the only person who has been to hell, earth, and heaven.  This obviously shows the confusion and the sadness and anxiety expressed by someone who knows he or she is about to die.  There are five stages of death: Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.  This scene obviously shows the bargaining aspect.  The depression and acceptance stages are seen during the scene when Jesus and Pilate meet for the second time.  Pilate, in the movie, is a very condescending character, unlike what I see in the gospels.  The Pilate in the gospels seem confused and bewildered, and not at all the uptight and conceited man seen in the film.  He seems to have the “guilty until proven innocent” mind set (recall the Casey Anthony trial and the mindset that many people had about her killing her child, even though the evidence wasn’t there).  Pilate is like this the first time he meets Jesus, and also after the second time (after the atrocious King Herod Song). 

            The crucifixion itself is not at all bloody and gory that The Passion Of The Christ was.  This was like the first picture I showed during my art presentation; very modest and calm and collected.  The Passion Of The Christ, as I mentioned before, is like the image of Jesus at the Brazilian church.  The final stage of death, acceptance, takes place when Jesus says the last words, “Into your hands I commit my spirit.”

The third and final film is The Matrix, released in 1999.  The main character indirectly shows attributes to various Biblical characters such as Doubting Thomas and Jesus himself.  Trinity, another main character, is an obvious play on the Holy Trinity (God: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).  The Matrix (seen in a green color scheme) can be seen as the world of sin, and the real world (seen in a blue color scheme), can be seen as the salvation.

Neo, or Thomas Anderson, is not a direct parallel to Jesus, but has a lot of similarities to Jesus.  He was a man who was found to be “The One” to help the people of Zion (a Biblical city) survive.  Morpheus, who can be seen as John The Baptist, gives Thomas Anderson (whose first name, Thomas, can be seen as Doubting Thomas, and his last name means “son of man”), or Neo, the choice of taking a red pill or a blue pill.  This choice could mirror the belief or unbelief in the teachings and salvation that Jesus Christ brought to us when he died on the cross.  The One could be seen as God, and Neo could be seen as Jesus.  Why is this?  Neo is called as a successor to The One.  I find it interesting that the name Neo has the same letters as the word One.  Not only is Neo a good representation of Jesus, but also the whole story line can be paralleled to that of the Bible.  The first matrix was designed to be perfect.  This could parallel what God had in mind before destroying the world with a flood.

When Agent Smith captures Morpheus, he is drugged and nearly dies.  This struggle can be seen as someone entering the world of sin (the Matrix) and becoming stuck.  Sin is the pulling away from a relationship with God, and Morpheus can be seen as pulling away from the real world.  Neo and the gang go back into the Matrix to retrieve Morpheus from his captors.  Jesus came into this world to retrieve us from the bondage of sin. 

The climax of the movie involves Neo getting shot.  He is in a great battle with Agent Smith, and as Agent Smith shoots Neo, he dies in the Matrix and in real life.  This can sort of be seen as Jesus dying on the cross.  Neo was crucified.  Jesus was crucified.  After three days, Jesus rose from the dead.  In the movie, Trinity (acting as the Holy Spirit) kisses Neo and he comes back to life.  Neo has been resurrected from the dead, and is in love with Trinity.  After being resurrected, Neo is now Super-Neo is enters Agent Smith.  Agent Smith’s skin then starts to bubble, and eventually Neo destroys Agent Smith from within, just like Jesus destroyed sin and death from within. 

I personally believe The Passion Of The Christ portrays Jesus the best.  It shows the humanness of Jesus, while still maintaining a mystic figure.  It shows the humanness of Jesus.  It shows the Son of Man.  Jesus died on the cross to save us from sin and death.  The brutality that is shown in this film is almost too much to believe.  It’s hard for me to wrap my mind around the fact that someone took a bullet to save my life.  Sometimes, when I think about what Jesus did, I tear up because I know I’m not worthy of being saved.  I’ve done some horrible things in my life that aren’t worthy of being forgiven.  I’m very grateful for Jesus and what he did for me.  I wrote before that a king or a savior cannot be in such a condition that his skin is nearly falling off.  Only a man could do that.  However, Jesus wasn’t just a man.  He was God, and Man.  He had the best (or worst) of both worlds.  He had the divine power that God had, and he had the weight of the world on his shoulders.  He had the intimacy to be close to people, and he felt pain and suffering.

I’ve come to the conclusion that the main difference between The Passion of the Christ and Jesus Christ, Superstar, is that in The Passion, Jesus mainly feels physical pain and agony.  In Jesus Christ, Superstar, Jesus mainly feels emotional turmoil, rage, and frustration.  The Matrix really made me think about what it meant for someone to die from someone else.  I would really like to find a good movie that shows the divine aspect of Jesus, as well as a film that shows the continuing influence of Jesus on people today. 

Works Cited

Aland, Kurt. Synopsis of the Four Gospels. 3rd. United Bible Societies, 1979. Print.

Gibson, Mel, dir. The Passion Of The Christ. Newmark Films, 2004. Film.

Jewison, Norman, dir. Jesus Christ, Superstar. Universal Studios, 1973. Film.

Wachowski, Andy, dir. The Matrix. Warner Bros. Pictures, 1999. Film.