I found the first half of this movie to be not very interesting and sometimes extremely slow. But the movie picks up in the second half. The story is then more inspiring and some remarks are causes for deep thoughts.

There's a lot of irony in the second half. One of them brings Daniel (Jesus, played by Lothaire Bluteau) to Ste-Marthe hospital. No one will take care of him there and he has to be brought to the Montréal Jewish Hospital to get some care!

Interesting to hear what Father Leclerc has to say about his life as a priest and how, if he quits his job, he will have nothing remaining.

It seems every actors in Québec had a role in this one. Cameos inlude: Marc Messier (Les Boys), Roy Dupuis (Being at Home with Claude), Denis Bouchard (Les Matins infidèles), Jean-Louis Millette (Bouscotte) and more.

Out of 100, I gave it 74.

Made 30 years ago, 'Jesus of Montreal' is one of those films upon which time seems to have passed without a trace. The movie was created by director Denys Arcand and it is likely that the recent launching on-screens of his 'The Fall of the American Empire' has led to the re-screening of some of his older films at our local cinematheque. The original theme and the interesting structure of his 1989 film shows that Arcand is one of those directors consistent with the art and messages of his films, pursuing quality and waiting to gather enough material, substance and emotion before involving himself into a new project. In the three decades that have passed since 'Jesus of Montreal' was made, the Quebec film maker directed less than ten movies, but each one is special, is worth seeing and invites debates.

The enacting of the Passion is part of the Christian tradition in many places around the world. It is a story about faith and love, about suffering and redomption, which lends itself well to theatrical performances, and 'Jesus of Montreal' is built around such a performance in Montreal in 1989. The modern city is always in the background. Invited by the local priest, a team of actors and its director enter, with talent and passion, in the roles of the New Testament drama, creating an event that resonates in the souls of the spectators. The well-documented and modern vision created by the director, brings to the hills that dominate the city the old story with its historical and human truth, however, the show starts to disturb despite or perhaps due to success. The church authorities consider it too daring, the show-business world is trying to turn it into a source of profit, and during this time the actors begin to pay the price of their passion for theater and of their spiritual involvement in the enacting of the story in the Bible.

The religious and artistic messages of the film reach the viewers. The script is cleverly written, the characters are alive on the screen, drawn from a few replicas each, but still real and expressive. The film talks about the passion for the art of theater and about the state of faith in the corrupt and mercantile world of the late 20th century. Faith lives on, but Jesus can die many times in many ways and salvation is possible in multiple forms. Denys Arcand builds his film by sprinkling it with symbols from the Passion, both through scenes inspired by the Biblical parables but also through expressive visual elements. The team of actors does a wonderful job, especially Lothaire Bluteau in the lead role. 'Jesus of Montreal' is a film that induces emotion and engages its viewers.

I had been impressed by this on first viewing (despite its being in French only), watched on another Good Friday several years ago; a second look (and the benefit of English subtitles) only reinforces its inherent quality. This is an absorbing, original, savage, funny, and frequently stunning piece of work - although, in view of its subject matter, it does have the occasional heavy-going passage. In fact, Jesus OF MONTREAL was expected to emerge victorious at that year's Academy Awards as the Best Foreign Language Film: facing stiff competition from the likes of CAMILLE CLAUDEL (1988) and CINEMA PARADISO (1989), the honor was eventually bestowed on the latter - a nostalgia piece with child interest, it was an altogether safer bet (though I've yet to catch the film in its entirety myself!)...

Despite their over-familiarity, the 'Passion Play' sequences are quite powerful - thanks also to excellent performances all around. Lothaire Bluteau is quietly impressive in the demanding central role (of an actor who eventually goes mad from playing Christ!); incidentally, he followed this with another spiritual film - BLACK ROBE (1991). Arcand seems to be one of the most interesting auteurs around, as the only other film of his that I've watched - THE BARBARIAN INVASIONS (2004; which did win him an Oscar) - is also superb (apart from being equally thought-provoking and controversial). Speaking of which, I find Jesus OF MONTREAL to be superior to that other notorious Christ-movie of the day - Martin Scorsese's THE LAST TEMPTATION OF Christ (1988)...