Sunday, March 07, 2004

All Out of Proportion

Being as my ISP was OOC this morning, the lovely Melis and I went to the theater.  We viewed The Passion. Interesting film.  I’d watch it again.  Mel did take some poetic license within the film, but what film maker does not?  For all the sadistic drum beaters out there, I counted, as I best I could, the beatings administered to the central figure in the film.  I counted 32 bastinado strikes, vigorously applied by Roman soldiers.  I counted 48, plus or minus, whip scourgings, even more vigorously applied, flaying the skin front and back, also applied by Roman soldiers.  I did not count the number of strikes adminstered on the walk to Golgotha, but I did notice that the types of whips utiliized were of a different style than the ones utilized to scourge.  More of a crowd control whip I’d say.  Meant to raise a welt, but not necessarily flay the skin.  In other words, it appeared to this viewer, quite realistic.  I then considered all I have read of punishment inflictions throughout history; The Medieval ages, the Roman empire, the British empire, the Catholic led Inquisition, the Nazi’s, the glorious states of socialism, Aztec human sacrifices, etcetera; and I was led to conclude that those who reviewed this film, and were only able to see sadism, facism, or anti-semitism didn’t go to the theater to view this film.  They went to the theater to ingratiate themselves to their adoring readers by writing scathing reviews, but they only ended up abasing themselves.

Posted by John Venlet on 03/07 at 01:13 PM
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