http://blogcritics.org/ A sinister cabal of superior bloggers on music, books, film, popular culture, politics, and technology - updated continuously. en Copyright 2005-2007 by the authors Fri, 25 Apr 2008 19:47:49 EDT http://backend.userland.com/rss Blogcritics.org custom software http://blogcritics.org/archives/2008/04/24/182229.php#comment-713533 This is a well-made and moving film which was widely condemned by some fundamentalists who never saw it, but can't bear to let their god out of the small box they have constucted for him. It is reverent and thought-provoking, and based on a novel, NOT the Gospels--a fact that its harshest critics ignored. It's an inspired sermon on film, about the mixture of "holy" spirit and human weakness we all carry inside and often struggle to reconcile. 713533@blogcritics.org Fri, 25 Apr 2008 19:47:49 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2008/04/24/182229.php#comment-713378 Thanks for the warm reception; as for the Wikipedia entry, I sincerely don't recall using Wikipedia as a citation, and I am wondering if it was included as an afterthought. With that said, always good to take some advice from seasoned writers on Blogcritics, and I absolutely welcome that. 713378@blogcritics.org Thu, 24 Apr 2008 20:18:52 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2008/04/24/182229.php#comment-713377 Mr. Clayton, Your analysis is thoughtful, and I enjoyed the way you presented it. A word of warning, though. Be careful using Wikipedia as a citation in an article. While I admit to using it myself for cursory research and insights, it is very unreliable. Better to track back to any sources used to write the Wikipedia article since those are more likely corroborated journalistic sources. I've had wikipedia bite me in the ass when I wasn't looking. All of this is IMHO, of course. 713377@blogcritics.org Thu, 24 Apr 2008 20:07:52 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2008/04/24/182229.php#comment-713373 El Bicho, things have changed with time. While that point of view is still prevelant in some groups, the mainline Christian position on the film has evolved beyond a point of acceptance. Many groups now use Scorsese's film as a teaching aid. Go figure. 713373@blogcritics.org Thu, 24 Apr 2008 19:07:50 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2008/04/24/182229.php#comment-713370 Very good analysis. I was surprised more people didn't see the humanizing of Christ in the story wasn't heresy, but elevated the meaning of his sacrifice and acceptance. Same goes for Judas. In a sense, he is a hero of the story in the larger context because he sacrificed as well, cursed to be thought of as a villain throughout history, and either committed suicide, burst asunder, or was stoned by his fellow Apostles depending on who's telling the story. 713370@blogcritics.org Thu, 24 Apr 2008 18:42:28 EDT