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Tom Crane comments on review of The Passion of the Christ

I have written the following message based upon the article that was written in the New York Daily News on February 28, 2004, by Jami Bernard, Professional Movie Critic, regarding the "hate mail" that she received for her review of Mel Gibson's movie, "The Passion of the Christ."  To say the least, Ms Bernard was quite offended.  I am hoping that my message to her will cause her to practice a bit of self-reflection.

Best wishes,  Tom Crane

----- Original Message -----

Sent: Sunday, February 29, 2004 1:42 PM

Subject: My Comments Regarding Your Review Of Your Review

Hi Jami,

After having read your review of the experiences that you encountered due to your previous review regarding Mel Gibson's, "Passion of the Christ," I have come to the conclusion that you might be missing the point and that is that Mr. Gibson has placed on film the Four Gospels of the New Testament.  In essence, he has simply repeated what had actually taken place according to a Christian's belief and perspective. 

Now then, I can accept the idea that you might react to the brutality that was depicted in the film, but life being what it is, a lot of brutality does take place in real life.  Unfortunately, a lot of people live sheltered and pampered lives and especially in this "New Age" where people are taught to live in a politically correct type of world.  This is especially true when some people take for granted many of the luxuries that they enjoy by living in America.  In effect, they are insulated from some of the horrors that take place elsewhere and at the same time they seek to regulate whatever evils they see around themselves in order to prolong life here on earth.  I am referring to anti-smoking laws, seat belt laws, gun laws, environmental laws and etc. and on and on to infinity.  The expectation being that if one observes these laws then they just might eke out one more day of existence.   The problem is that if one were to take a walk through the many nursing homes that dot the landscape, one has to wonder if it is really worth it.  Many of those people don't even know they are alive, but they go on living due to the advances of modern medicine and the "evils" that they avoided.

The thought that cannibalism still exists in some parts of the world does seem a bit repugnant.  Scraping the brains of some suicide bomber off of one's blouse or coat sounds a bit extreme, but it does happen.  The awful scene of watching someone hit the ground after jumping off of the Twin Towers in New York on 9/11 might also leave a bit of distaste in one's mind.  These are all things that have been removed from public view in order to sanitize our existence. 

As you escape into the "Never, Never Land" of the movies, I can appreciate the fact that you do, sometimes, envision a world that suits your own fancy or fantasies.  We approve what we like according to our own tastes and beliefs and reject that which is alien to our own world view of life.  It takes a bit of introspection on the part of ourselves to allow for someone else's interpretation of the world from their perspective.  I am reminded of the "Hit Man" that I once ran across one time that said to me when I expressed remorse at the death his brother who was a "Stand-Up Guy."   When I saw him at his brother's wake and expressed my condolences on the death of his brother, he simply looked me directly in the eyes and said, "You live and then, you die."   As I reflected upon his statement later on, I suddenly realized that this might have been the message that he repeated over and over again as he took some person's life all in the interest of "business."

So what does all this lead up to, you might ask.  Well, first of all, I would suggest that you allow for Mr. Gibson's interpretation on the death of Christ.  This is something that Christians have accepted, but have diluted over time because of the distractions that have affected them in life.  In other words, they have drifted into sin much as they have done over and over again in the Old Testament only to seek God's forgiveness when times got tough.  Mr. Gibson has used shock value to bring back the reminder of what Christ suffered on their behalf.  Unfortunately, you might have reviewed this film in the context that you normally do and that is, "A night at the movies."  This is not a movie, but a religious experience.  Perhaps this thought or idea might cause you to shake your head, but without realizing it, you might be walking on unfamiliar and hallowed ground.  I believe that it would serve you well, in this one instance, to leave well enough alone.  Once you start attacking a person's belief system, all Hell can break loose, so to speak. 

This movie, "The Passion of Christ,"  will be more than a one-time box office experience.  It will stand the test of time as a true rendering of the suffering of Christ for the sins of mankind or womankind, if you will.   It will serve as a tool to remind Christians of what it took to cleanse them of the sins that they inherited and propagated since the beginning of time.  It will also cause them to reflect upon whatever sins they my have or are about to commit against their fellow man or woman be they Moslem, Christian or Jew.  There is no blame factor assigned to the death of Christ in Mel Gibson's film other than the fact that we are all members of the human race and as such, whether we realize it or not, were saved from the wrath of God towards His imperfect creatures by the sacrifice and death of Christ.  In effect, Christ served as the "scape-goat" that is recorded in the Old Testament.

So in summary, Dear Jami, all that I can say is, live your life the way you see fit, but allow for the differences in your fellow man or woman.  This statement or idea is otherwise known as, "Live and let live."  In the words of the man who I had made reference to previously, "You live and then, you die."  Whatever happens to you after you die will be based upon your own belief system.  It might take a bit of will power on the part of yourself to get over the indignation that some others have heaped upon you for what you have written about "The Passion", but if you accept these indiscretions much the same as Christ had done by suffering on the cross, you might stand the test of time as He has done for over 2000 years. 

As the Irish often say,

God Bless,  Tom Crane

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