Jesus of Montreal (1989)

"Jésus de Montréal" is probably the best film of Denys Arcand who also made "Le déclin de l'empire américain".

Unfortunately this film had a less big commercial success than "Le déclin de l'empire américain", but it was made with a biggest budget. Even though, it is an accessible film for almost everybody (the Quebequers may be advantaged because it was filmed in Quebec).

I highly recommend this film especially for the Quebequers and all other Canadians.

Vincent Leclair

Fmovies: Yes I have seen, the classics, Citizen Kane, Casablanca, Gone with the Wind. Yes I know about Scorcese, Coppolla, and the rest.

But this is my favourite film of all time. It is heartwarming, passionate, funny, spiritual, uplifting, and all encompassing that it lifts your soul no matter who you are. It is universal. I don't think I will ever find another movie that will beat this and I have seen many good... no ... GREAT films..

And of course it is Canadian (and so Am I) and that is a plus.

During the first half of this movie I was trying to figure out if it was a not-so-subtle spoof of Christianity, or an outright sacrilege. As I got angrier and angrier at what was going on in the film, a sudden chill went down my back as I realized I was thinking just like the Catholic church sponsors in the movie, AND just like the Pharisees and Sadducees of Jesus' time. I was trying to fit Christ into my own expectations, and I was just as guilty as Jesus' opponents and killers. Tears welled up in my eyes as I realized that Jesus of Montreal was trying to depict in a very real way exactly what went on in Jesus of Nazareth's time. This is not a movie for the faint of heart. People bleed, they are naked, and they die. But just as Jesus of Montreal died for his followers and his neighbors, so did Jesus of Nazareth.

Jesus of Montreal fmovies. 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.

"Jesus of Montreal" is a beautiful film about the real meaning of spirituality. Pitted against the inflexibility of religious institutions, Daniel (played wonderfully by Lothaire Bluteau) shows his rag-tag disciples the real meaning behind the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. The story-within-the-story works well. Director Denys Arcand subtly begins to blend the story of the biblical Jesus with the day-to-day lives of a group of actors performing in a play about the last days of Jesus. The turning over of the tables in the Temple, the temptation of Jesus overlooking the city of Jerusalem, being abandoned by the male disciples, and many other tales of Jesus find their parallel in the lives of Daniel and his friends. The resurrection scene at the end of the film is a particularly moving overlapping of the two stories. In the hands of a lesser writer/director, this could have all been really trite. Instead, the film becomes in the truest sense of the term a parable in which we see how great truths from a great teacher really do apply in our own lives. Every performance is pitch perfect, the pace is just right, and the message is, as always, what we all need to remember: Real happiness lies not in what we have but in what we give. A ten out of ten film.

This film was utterly astonishing. It was one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen. Every word, every action and every track of music that was played was completely appropriate. It really gave me, and I'm sure, all of it's other audiences, something worth thinking about regarding modern religion's morals and even hypocrisy. The film,to me, was like three revolutionary religious ideas in one. First, there was the actual Passion story that caused a stir in it's time, secondly the much disputed portrayal of the Passion performed by the actors, which is what the film basically revolves around, as well as the actual film itself. All three stories, incredibly similar in their own way, are not against religion but simply point out the irrationalities and stupidity of organized religion of the past and of the present. It was a truly wonderful film, and I recommend it to all who are willing to sit down for a couple of hours and be completely absorbed in a very intense yet delicately put together film. The film was one of the most clever I have ever seen.