loading...
Jesus Of Montreal
1989
When attendance at a church's annual Passion Play flags, a troupe of young actors is hired to stage a newer interpretation of the teachings of Jesus. While their newer, more modern version brings the house down, it also brings down the condemnation of church hierarchy, creating a strange parallel between the actors--now .. Read more
| Starring | Lothaire Bluteau, Catherine Wilkening, Johanne-Marie Tremblay, Remy Girard |
|---|---|
| Director | Denys Arcand |
| Genres | Drama |
loading...
Jesus Of Montreal
When attendance at a church's annual Passion Play flags, a troupe of young actors is hired to stage a newer interpretation of the teachings of Jesus. While their newer, 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 (Christ), insists that the show will go on... no matter what happens to him in the process.
| Starring | Lothaire Bluteau, Catherine Wilkening, Johanne-Marie Tremblay, Remy Girard, Yves Jacques, Robert LePage, Gilles Pelletier |
|---|---|
| Director | Denys Arcand |
| Studio | ARROW FILMS |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 54 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Drama |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Released | DVD: 11 Aug 2003 Production year: 1989 |
| Format | DVD |
-
Critics' reviews (6)
View all -
Having charted The Decline of the American Empire in his previous picture, Québecois director Denys Arcand turned his attention to the Kingdom of God in this scathing satire. Mammon and the mores of the modern world also come in for some serious denunciation as actor Lothaire Bluteau revives the spirit of Christ the Social Radical while revamping a long-running passion play. Touching on everything from religious hypocrisy and artistic integrity, to petty bureaucracy and the public's insatiable appetite for sensation, this compelling parable forces you to re-evaluate as you laugh, although the contrived ending dissipates some of the impact.
-
A modern morality play, surprisingly effective despite sometimes forced parallels between the actor's experience and those of Jesus, and fuelled by a passionate irony.
-
Most helpful member's review
View all -
8 out of 9 people found this review helpful
Interesting but flawed Canadian dram
Montreal priest Fr. Leclerc(Gilles Pelletier) is determined to spice up the local Passion play and bring it to a fresh audience. To do this he hires a group of young actors to rewrite it. But when their unorthodox version becomes an unexpected success, the church takes a dim view if proceedings and orders the play to be stopped. To add to their problems, the actor playing Jesus is starting to experience strange parallels with the life of Christ.
An intriguing setup, it's a pity Denys Arcand's script doesn't develop it fully. It starts of well with the actors being selected and then preparing the show, but then it goes off the rails with Arcand's decision to show us almost the whole play. At this point the film grinds to a halt and almost never recovers, a real shame because up to that point it's been a clever, funny and original prospect.
Lothaire Bluteau is excellent as the lead actor, Daniel, who starts to lose his identity. The rest of the cast is also accomplished, but aside from Catherine Wilkening's Mireille (the Mary Magdalene character), none of the characters is allowed to blossom. Still, Daniel's martyrdom and eventual resurrection are inspired, so much so that it makes you wish Arcand had left the staging of the play to the viewer's imagination and kept the rest of the film on that level. -
Most recent members' review
View all -
8 out of 9 people found this review helpful
Interesting but flawed Canadian dram
Montreal priest Fr. Leclerc(Gilles Pelletier) is determined to spice up the local Passion play and bring it to a fresh audience. To do this he hires a group of young actors to rewrite it. But when their unorthodox version becomes an unexpected success, the church takes a dim view if proceedings and orders the play to be stopped. To add to their problems, the actor playing Jesus is starting to experience strange parallels with the life of Christ.
An intriguing setup, it's a pity Denys Arcand's script doesn't develop it fully. It starts of well with the actors being selected and then preparing the show, but then it goes off the rails with Arcand's decision to show us almost the whole play. At this point the film grinds to a halt and almost never recovers, a real shame because up to that point it's been a clever, funny and original prospect.
Lothaire Bluteau is excellent as the lead actor, Daniel, who starts to lose his identity. The rest of the cast is also accomplished, but aside from Catherine Wilkening's Mireille (the Mary Magdalene character), none of the characters is allowed to blossom. Still, Daniel's martyrdom and eventual resurrection are inspired, so much so that it makes you wish Arcand had left the staging of the play to the viewer's imagination and kept the rest of the film on that level. -
More like this
View allShowing 1 to 4 of 20
Related user collection
Great Canadian Films (13)
72.4% from 4 members
Buy from the LOVEFiLM shop
-
-
- Jesus Of Montreal
- DVD: £7.93
Free Delivery - RRP £17.79 (you save: 55%)
When attendance at a church's annual Passion Play flags, a troupe of young actors is hired to stage a newer interpretation of the teachings of Jesus. While their newer, more modern version brings the ... -