Jesus of Montreal (1989)

Asked to helm a stage play about the life of Jesus Christ that would appeal to modern audiences, a Montreal stage actor sparks controversy when his play proves a success due to its blasphemous nature in this Canadian drama. While there are some amusing moments early on (especially as he sets about recruiting actors who dub adult films), the movie is rather slow to warm up with the juice of the material only really emerging in the film's second half. That said, 'Jesus of Montreal' is encapsulating at its best as the protagonist becomes more and more like Christ while rehearsing (and playing) the role and as the Church figures start to show their real colours with their sponsoring of his show; "not everyone can afford psychoanalysis, so they come here" bluntly states one such official at a pivotal point. There is also much to like in how innovative the play is, with audience members literally walking around as the cast members change location, and there is a fun irony in how the play captures larger audiences than anything else ever sponsored by the Catholic Church, though for what they believe to be the wrong reasons. Some elements of the film may be a little over-the-top, such as an angry fit during an advert audition; one's mileage may also vary depending on one's familiarity with the biblical elements paralleled here, but this is generally solid stuff.

Denys Arcand "Jesus of Montreal-1989" is a movie from a director with intelligence & refined sensibilities. (His best-known work is "The Decline of American Civilization. He also made The Barbarian Invasions a film which I enjoyed very much It won best foreign film Oscar 2004) Plot: A group of actors putting on an interpretive Passion Play in Montreal begin to experience a meshing of their characters & their private lives as the production takes form against the growing opposition of the Catholic church. They begin to experience a meshing of their characters & their private lives as the production takes form against the growing opposition of the Catholic Church. (Lothaire Bluteau), the actor who plays Christ, discovers that his own life is taking on some of the aspects of Christ's. By the end of the film we have arrived at a crucifixion scene that actually plays as drama & not simply as something that has been forced into the script. It suggests that most establishments, & especially the church, would be rocked to their foundations by the practical application of the maxims of Christ. The film gives us simple, powerful messages of artistic freedom, personal redemption, perseverance during a personal quest...& how heartbreaking the world, & reality, can be. The film manages to make deft, original swipes at a plethora of modern 'evils': media hype, advertising, hospital bureaucracy, & of course the hypocrisy of the religious establishment. Cinematically the film is visually elegant & an uncluttered sort of movie. In a sense, "Jesus of Montreal" is a movie about the theater, not about religion. But in the end their challenging production becomes the toast of the city, the Roman Catholic Church strongly objects to its Biblical interpretation & forcefully stops the performances. At least this film does not become overly heavy-handed on screen. This film was nominated for the 1989 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film but did not win. 4 Stars Recommended~!

I had been impressed by this on first viewing (despite its being in French only), watched on another Good Friday several years ago; a second look (and the benefit of English subtitles) only reinforces its inherent quality. This is an absorbing, original, savage, funny, and frequently stunning piece of work - although, in view of its subject matter, it does have the occasional heavy-going passage. In fact, Jesus OF MONTREAL was expected to emerge victorious at that year's Academy Awards as the Best Foreign Language Film: facing stiff competition from the likes of CAMILLE CLAUDEL (1988) and CINEMA PARADISO (1989), the honor was eventually bestowed on the latter - a nostalgia piece with child interest, it was an altogether safer bet (though I've yet to catch the film in its entirety myself!)...Despite their over-familiarity, the 'Passion Play' sequences are quite powerful - thanks also to excellent performances all around. Lothaire Bluteau is quietly impressive in the demanding central role (of an actor who eventually goes mad from playing Christ!); incidentally, he followed this with another spiritual film - BLACK ROBE (1991). Arcand seems to be one of the most interesting auteurs around, as the only other film of his that I've watched - THE BARBARIAN INVASIONS (2004; which did win him an Oscar) - is also superb (apart from being equally thought-provoking and controversial). Speaking of which, I find Jesus OF MONTREAL to be superior to that other notorious Christ-movie of the day - Martin Scorsese's THE LAST TEMPTATION OF Christ (1988)...

This film was utterly astonishing. It was one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen. Every word, every action and every track of music that was played was completely appropriate. It really gave me, and I'm sure, all of it's other audiences, something worth thinking about regarding modern religion's morals and even hypocrisy. The film,to me, was like three revolutionary religious ideas in one. First, there was the actual Passion story that caused a stir in it's time, secondly the much disputed portrayal of the Passion performed by the actors, which is what the film basically revolves around, as well as the actual film itself. All three stories, incredibly similar in their own way, are not against religion but simply point out the irrationalities and stupidity of organized religion of the past and of the present. It was a truly wonderful film, and I recommend it to all who are willing to sit down for a couple of hours and be completely absorbed in a very intense yet delicately put together film. The film was one of the most clever I have ever seen.