Jésus de Montréal (1989)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Denys Arcand

Writer:

Denys Arcand (writer)

Release Date:

25 May 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A group of actors put on an unorthodox, but acclaimed Passion Play which incites the opposition of the Catholic Church while the actors' lives themselves begin to mirror the Passion itself.

Plot Keywords:

Passion Play | Church | Montreal | Biblical Interpretation | Philosophy

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 17 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Lothaire Bluteau	...	Daniel
Catherine Wilkening	...	Mireille
Johanne-Marie Tremblay	...	Constance
Rémy Girard	...	Martin
Robert Lepage	...	René
Gilles Pelletier	...	Fr. Leclerc
Yves Jacques	...	Richard Cardinal
Cédric Noël
Pauline Martin
Véronique Le Flaguais
Jean-Louis Millette
Monique Miller
Christine-Ann Atallah
Valérie Gagné
Claude Léveillée

Also Known As:

Jesus of Montreal

Runtime:

118 min | Argentina:120 min | Canada:119 min | USA:120 min

Country:

Canada | France

Language:

French | English | Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Singapore:M18 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Montréal, Québec, Canada

Company:

Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC)

Quotes:

René: [as Pontius Pilate] Of what are you accused?
Daniel: [as Jesus] You know that.
René: You belong to a sect? You are another prophet, is that right?
Daniel: Is that what you say? Or are you repeating what you've heard?
René: You have spoken of a kingdom that you wish to establish.
Daniel: A kingdom which is not of this world.
René: You mean a sort of Elysium? After death? Have you not preached against Caesar, for the overturning of the Roman order?
Daniel: No.
René: So... what is it that you teach to your disciples?
Daniel: Greater love hath no man than this: to give his life for his friends.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in Weird Sex and Snowshoes: A Trek Through the Canadian Cinematic Psyche (2004) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Quando Corpus Morietur

An accurate depiction of the Jesus of academia, not faith

All of us knows who Jesus is, right?

This movie brings to light a concept of Jesus that most people do not know is a topic of serious academic scholarship. The question is, "What can we reasonably say about Jesus based solely on historical sources?" Of course, the Bible is the primary source, since Jesus is referred to only in passing by nonreligious sources of his time. And, because this is an historical pursuit, one goal is also to separate those things which are clearly matters of faith from those which do not require a religious faith in the man. Therefore, we are left with a Jesus who led an iconoclastic life and was killed for it. The historian cannot say in an historical journal that Jesus was divine, walked on water, or was raised from the dead. This portrait is called "The Historical Jesus".

The historian can, however, make a personal statement of faith-- "I believe Jesus is the Anointed of God, who saves us from our sins". This is not the statement made by "Jesus of Montreal". Masterfully, the cast and crew of the film weave a tale which demands several viewings to fully consume. Both explicitly and through the use of metaphor, Jesus is depicted as a revolutionary teacher of great charisma and whose life was one of tragedy. But this film is not about the traditional Christian concept of Jesus; rather, it illustrates only the human aspects of the man who is, to me, God incarnate. This is the story of Jesus, the man-- not Jesus, the Christ. Christians may be disappointed by it, or outraged, but I encourage us all to remember that where that where faith (trust in that which cannot be observed) begins, there the historian (or scientist) must stop. Believers go further. I highly recommend this movie to anyone who wants to think, be they a believer or not.