Winner of the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival
Winner of 13 Genies, Canada's Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Director
This audacious contemporary classic dramatizes a fascinating experiment with the question "What would Jesus do?" The film put a welcoming spotlight on boyish Quebec actor Lothaire Bluteau and firmly cemented Denys Arcand (Decline of the American Empire and Barbarian Invasion) as the leading filmmaker in French Canada.
With their modern audience growing bored with a church's annual Passion Play and attendance on the wane, the clergy hires a troupe of dynamic young actors to stage a fresher interpretation of the teachings of Jesus. Their method takes them deep into living their characters in present day context, leading inevitably to trouble with the Establishment. Although their resonant and more modern version brings the house down, it also brings down the condemnation of church hierarchy, creating a strange parallel between the actors--now persecuted believers--and the authorities. But the actor, who is beginning to feel at peace with the character he plays (Jesus), insists that the show will go on... no matter what happens to him in the process.
Reviews: "...A sharply perceptive satire....[An] ardent, richly comic film..." -Peter Travers, Rolling Stone "...Intelligent, audacious....Beautifully filmed..." -Caryn James, New York Times "...JESUS OF MONTREAL is a soaring, multifaceted delight..." -Sheila Benson, Los Angeles Times
I am not particularly religious, but I was moved by this film. The acting and writing were great. In the story, a group of underground actors get a new take on the passion play derived from real evidence unearth by archaeologists working the Middle East. The play is a huge hit with audiences and critically acclaimed; however, the Catholic church is, to say the least, not happy about the play. If you don't mind subtitles, this one might be nice for you. I am happy to have it in my library.
Reviewer: good on 01/01/10
good movie
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