Inside the Passion: An Insider's Look at the Passion of the Christ [Hardcover]

John Bartunek (Author), Mel Gibson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 10, 2005

Deepen your journey into the unforgettable film, The Passion of The Christ. In this authorized, behind-the-scenes look at the movie, Fr. John Bartunek, L.C., provides biblical, historical, and theological insights gleaned from hours spent on the set and interviews with the director, actors, and filmmaking crew. Inside the Passion is the most complete and thorough commentary on the movie you will read.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

From the Foreword by Mel Gibson:
"As a man of faith and a scholar, Fr. John carefully examines a number of issues that simmer just beneath the surface of the film—vital issues like forgiveness, love, freedom, the role of Mary, salvation, and the meaning of suffering, human and divine. The time he spent with myself and others involved in the production gives him a unique and, I think, interesting perspective."

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Ascension Press (February 10, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932645772
• ISBN-13: 978-1932645774
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #948,453 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Deeper Understanding..., February 28, 2005

By 

Catholic Mom - See all my reviews

This review is from: Inside the Passion: An Insider's Look at the Passion of the Christ (Hardcover)

This is an amazing book! The author truly sheds light on so many questions I had about the movie, but more importantly about the Passion of Christ! From artistic choices made by Mel Gibson, to the theological decisions that went behind almost every scene, this book takes you deeper into the story than you could have ever imagined. I would recommed it to anyone who desires a closer relationship with Christ, as well as those who wish to know what the director was thinking during the making of the film.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling analysis of event and film, April 12, 2006

By 

M. O'Connor (Miami, FL.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Inside the Passion: An Insider's Look at the Passion of the Christ (Hardcover)

I saw Fr. John Bartunek (the author) give a presentation on The Passion of Christ (event and film) last night to a surprisingly packed (who knew so many people would show up on a Tuesday night to discuss a two-year old film?) university campus church auditorium of over 500 people (students and community members). His presentation, like his book, gives a fascinating and compelling account of the theology and symbolism that went into the making of Mel Gibson's film. The presentation was electrifying; the book is no less moving and thought-provoking. For example, there's a very short scene in the film when, in the midst of the horrific flogging of Christ, the camera turns to what appears to be a shot of a young mother with her infant child in the crowd. As the camera moves in on them, however, we find that the woman is not beautiful, but very odd and sinister, and the baby almost inhuman, as we see when it turns its head to give the viewer an evil smile. The symbolism: The woman represents the devil and the child his handiwork. Gibson takes an iconoclastic image of Beauty (Madonna and Child) and turns it into Evil (devil and inhuman offspring). The point:
Evil is not immediately identifiable as starkly evil; rather, evil is simply beauty that has become distorted and false. It tempts us into thinking it is one thing, when in fact it is quite something else. The significance, twofold: to illustrate the devil's role in the suffering and death of Christ and, perhaps more importantly, to show that when Christ is at his weakest (including in modern society), the devil gains a foothold. Interesting tidbit: Gibson used a beautiful actress as the devil, had her head and eyebrows shaved, and used makeup to turn her into something very un-beautiful. And this was only one 20-second scene! The examples go on and on. As a liberal-minded Catholic unhappy with the "culture wars" surrounding so many issues today, I was pleased to see that this film had no agenda other than to relate the Gospel story with the major theme being Christ's love for all humanity, including not only us simple sinners but also those who beat, mock, and kill him, in various ways. It's an invigorating story and makes the book well worth reading.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Get this one, October 16, 2005

By 

Kimberley Wilson (VA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Inside the Passion: An Insider's Look at the Passion of the Christ (Hardcover)

Inside the Passion is a behind the scenes peek at how the movie was made. It explains why certain things were shown and is surprisingly useful as a meditation tool.

A lot of folks flipped out because they thought the scourging and crucifixion scenes were too strong. The book explains why Mel Gibson and his team decided that they were not going to sanitize the Passion the way other movies had in the past.

Some folks nitpicked becuase Gibson and the team decided to have Jesus speak Latin to Pilate but the book shows that they made this decision for pretty sensible reasons: 1. The Romans had been in Palestine for 40 years. In Gallilee, which was heavily gentile by that time, a smart person must have been roughly familiar with Latin if for no other reason than that it was important to know how high to jump when a Roman soldier demanded that you do so. 2. Jesus was God. He could've spoken in any language He chose when He decided to speak to Pilate's ignorance.

Finally, the great strength of this book is that it so closely follows the movie step by step that even if you never saw the film after reading the book you will understand it. This is an excellent work and I plan to buy more copies as gifts.