An art-house version of the Passion—a story-within-a-story so powerful that the it can't be contained with the performance.
Structurally, this is a story-within-a-story so powerful that the it can't be contained with the performance. That, in itself, is a profound statement about Christ and Christianity, though the film is marked by irony as well, so that there is enough complexity for viewers to be either inspired or reviled. The filming, pacing, and soundtrack uphold the art-house feel of "Jesus of Montreal" throughout, so that just as Coloumbe was hired to update the Passion play to make it more relevant for the audience, Arcand updates it so that it becomes more relevant for filmgoers, and he gives the performance of the play itself quite a prominent role—so much so that we feel like one of the audience members following along at night outside the Basilica.
"Jesus of Montreal" is rated "R" for male nudity, female frontal nudity, and strong language.
Video:
"Jesus of Montreal" is presented in color at an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, and the overall quality is decent. There are moments when patters—bricks on a wall, say—pulsate slightly, and when the picture is stretched to 4.3 expanded mode for widescreen televisions there's more edge distortion than usual. Exterior shots appear slightly hazy or smoky, a bit washed out. Surprisingly, the most difficult lighting conditions—the nighttime exterior performance of the Passion, including a step into a cavern—is among the most technically striking.
Audio:
Audio options are the original French with English and Spanish (bright yellow) subtitles in either 5.1 Surround or 2.0 Stereo. I tried watching the film in 5.1 and simply couldn't. Other than the music, there's little in the way of sound effects or ambient noise. Mostly it's voices talking center-stage, and so most of the sound is channeled through the center speaker. When it was on 5.1 the voices sounded hollow, as if they were captured deep inside my television set, or trapped underneath it. The switch to 2.0 provided brighter, clearer, and more natural voices. For those who can't stand subtitles, there's also an English dubbed track. For me, that would be like watching a John Wayne movie and hearing someone else's voice. It changes the entire performance.
Extras:
Aside from cast biographies and the original trailer, there are no extras.
Bottom Line:
"Jesus of Montreal" is a sophisticated, intelligent, and thought-provoking film about Jesus that manages to adroitly straddle two worlds—the realm of biographies that would attempt to help audiences understand more about the one we call the Christ, and the coffee-house atmosphere of experimental theater. That's no small feat. But this is a character-driven film which moves at the pace Jesus moved and taught. There's no rush to the ending, which feels just right to me, but may seem slow-paced to others.
"Jesus of Montreal" is rated "R" for male nudity, female frontal nudity, and strong language.
Video:
"Jesus of Montreal" is presented in color at an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, and the overall quality is decent. There are moments when patters—bricks on a wall, say—pulsate slightly, and when the picture is stretched to 4.3 expanded mode for widescreen televisions there's more edge distortion than usual. Exterior shots appear slightly hazy or smoky, a bit washed out. Surprisingly, the most difficult lighting conditions—the nighttime exterior performance of the Passion, including a step into a cavern—is among the most technically striking.
Audio:
Audio options are the original French with English and Spanish (bright yellow) subtitles in either 5.1 Surround or 2.0 Stereo. I tried watching the film in 5.1 and simply couldn't. Other than the music, there's little in the way of sound effects or ambient noise. Mostly it's voices talking center-stage, and so most of the sound is channeled through the center speaker. When it was on 5.1 the voices sounded hollow, as if they were captured deep inside my television set, or trapped underneath it. The switch to 2.0 provided brighter, clearer, and more natural voices. For those who can't stand subtitles, there's also an English dubbed track. For me, that would be like watching a John Wayne movie and hearing someone else's voice. It changes the entire performance.
Extras:
Aside from cast biographies and the original trailer, there are no extras.
Bottom Line:
"Jesus of Montreal" is a sophisticated, intelligent, and thought-provoking film about Jesus that manages to adroitly straddle two worlds—the realm of biographies that would attempt to help audiences understand more about the one we call the Christ, and the coffee-house atmosphere of experimental theater. That's no small feat. But this is a character-driven film which moves at the pace Jesus moved and taught. There's no rush to the ending, which feels just right to me, but may seem slow-paced to others.
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[release]14111[/release]