There is a 15 cert cut of this movie with parts of the flogging and crucifixion scenes removed to make it slightly more palatable.
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During the scene where the Romans soldiers raise Jesus' cross, they use two ropes on each arm of it. If you look at the rope on the left side of the screen, you can see that it is slack, it's obviously not supporting the weight of the cross. There must have been some device lifting it off screen. See more...
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The Passion of the Christ (2004) - 28 trivia entries
Directed by Mel Gibson, starring James Caviezel (add more)
Genres: Drama
There is a 15 cert cut of this movie with parts of the flogging and crucifixion scenes removed to make it slightly more palatable.
Jim Caviezel was struck by lightning while filming the Sermon On The Mount scene.
Satan is actually played by a woman - the Italian actress Rosalinda Celentano.
Is the highest-grossing ($370 million) R-rated film in North American box office history, breaking the previous record held by "The Matrix Reloaded" (2003).
During filming, Jim Caviezel (Jesus) was accidentally whipped in the back, and since the crew were filming, his real reactions were incorporated for his role onscreen.
With box office receipts of over $370 million (as of September 5, 2004), "The Passion" has become the highest-grossing religious-themed film of all time.
The hand that draws the line in the sand during Mary Magdalene's flashback is Mel Gibson's.
Mel Gibson filmed the scene where Pilate is offering to release either Barabbas or Jesus and Pilate says "why do you want to crucify Jesus, he has done nothing wrong" (paraphrased) and the people shout, "Give us Barabbas, let His (Jesus) blood be on our children" which is taken directly from the gospel of Matthew; however, Gibson deleted the subtitle for the line because he felt it would fuel anti-Semitism.
Maia Morgenstern read the script for the movie 200 times before filming.
In that grisly scene where Jesus is being flogged, Jim Caviezel stated that he was actually struck twice. The first time knocked the wind out of him, and left a 14 inch scar on his back. The second time hurt so badly that is caused him to wrench his hand from the shackle, scraping his wrist. What with also getting struck by lightning in a different scene, he wasn't exactly undertested for the role.
James Caviezel's initials are JC (like Jesus Christ), and was 33 years old around the time of the film's shooting, about the same age Jesus when he was crucified.
Until October 2003, the film was originally called "The Passion" until Mel Gibson found that Miramax owns the rights to that name (from a romantic fantasy book), so he decided to add "of Christ" to it. Then a month latter, Gibson added an additional "the" between "of" and "Christ" which makes it "The Passion of the Christ," the title which was released in theaters.
As a rarity for a dramatic film, there is no disclaimer that states it is a work of fiction and that the characters resembling actual people are coincidence.
Mel Gibson wanted originally to present this film without subtitles until negative responses to the radical idea from potential distributors compelled him to change his mind.
Before an Israeli arthouse theater decided to screen the film in Israel, no theater in the country was willing to show it because of the anti-Semitism controversy.
The movie apparently has some beneficial effects as well, for there are at least two real-life cases in which a murderer and a Neo-nazi terrorist have turned themselves over to the police after having watched this movie.
The film has become the highest grossing foreign-language film in North America, grossing more than Cantonese-language film "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" (2000).
Is currently the fastest major theatrical film to earn back its production and marketing costs ($55 million in three days). It is also the fastest film to earn a profit (grossing over the $110 million threshold within five days), since a film needs to earn twice the production and marketing costs to make a profit.
Contrary to earlier media reports, Pope John Paul II never publicly endorsed the film after receiving a private screening of it.
Aside from being struck by lightning and a scourge, accidentally, Jim Caveziel also suffered from hypothermia during the filming of the crucifixion.
A robotic Jesus is used for some of the more graphic parts of the crucifixion.
Not only is the film the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time in North America, it was the first to pass the $300 million mark on March 24, 2004. However, it is only second ($609 million) to 2003's "The Matrix Reloaded" ($739 million) as the highest-grossing R-rated film worldwide.
As of September 5, 2004, the film has become the highest-grossing independent (not owned by a major Hollywood studio) film of all time, surpassing "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" (2003).
Director/producer Mel Gibson wanted the film to look like the paintings from the Italian baroque painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1573-1610). The artist is known for works marked by intense realism and revolutionary use of light. His best work is the "Deposition of Christ" (1604).
There is a lot of debate about where the nails went during crucifixion, through the palms or the wrists. In the film, director Mel Gibson chose the palms. The Shroud of Turin has the nails through the wrists and skeletal remains (mentioned in books about the Shroud) had the nail through the wrist also.
According to the movie's official web site, 40% of the film was shot at night or indoors under wraps.
James Caviezel spent between four to eight hours in the makeup chair each shooting day transforming into his role as Jesus.
The hand holding the nail as it is being driven into Christ's hand is none other then director Mel Gibson's.
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