Inside the Passion: An Insider's Look at the Passion of the Christ

by John Bartunek, Mel Gibson (Foreword)

Deepen your journey into the unforgettable film, The Passion of The Christ. In this authorized, behind-the-scenes look at the movie, Fr. John Bartunek, L.C., provides biblical, historical, and theological insights gleaned from hours spent on the set and interviews with the director, actors, and filmmaking crew. Inside The Passion is the most complete and thorough commentary on the movie you will read.

Genres: Religion, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Catholic

186 pages, Hardcover

First published February 10, 2005

About the author

Fr. John Bartunek, LC, S.Th.D, received his BA in History from Stanford University in 1990 and became a member of the Catholic Church in 1991.

After college, he spent a year as a professional actor in Chicago before entering the religious Congregation of the Legionaries of Christ in 1993. He was ordained a Catholic priest in 2003 and earned his doctorate in moral theology in 2010.

He provided spiritual support on the set of Mel Gibson’s "The Passion of the Christ" while researching the 2005 Catholic best seller, "Inside the Passion"--the only authorized, behind-the-scene explanation of the film.

Fr. John has contributed news commentary regarding religious issues on NBC, CNN, Fox, and the BBC. He also served as the English-language press liaison for the Vatican’s 2005 Synod of Bishops on the Eucharist.

Reviews

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic. I watch the Passion of the Christ every year on Good Friday. I now see it in a whole new light and am looking forward to watching it with new eyes this year.

[Michael Gietl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had no idea this book existed and had never seen the film until I saw the author, Fr. John Bartunek on Journey Home, a weekly program on EWTN (the episode can be viewed on YouTube). The movie maintains a high emotional pitch for nearly the entire two hours. Fr. John Bartunek was studying in Rome when the The Passion of the Christ was being filmed. He expressed his strong conviction to Mel Gibson that a book needs to explain the story and things that happened while filming. Mel gave that responsibility to Fr. John and this book is the result.

The blockbuster film shakes viewers with the brutal realism of Christ’s suffering. The book tells how much of the realism was achieved. Fr. John points out the emotional and spiritual union between Jesus and Mary is a recurring theme in the film. While Chrrist’s suffering is horrifying, Mary’s suffering adds the emotional pitch.

Scripture is the outline for most of the story, but some details come from visions of Sister Anne Catherine Emmerich whose bio is at the end of the book. One of the emotionally charged scenes attributed to Sister Anne is Pilate’s wife who is convinced Christ is innocent, but can do nothing to help. Feeling helpless, she brings linens to the Blessed Mother so she can wipe Christ’s wounds after the horrible scourging. Pilate’s wife did not realize Christ was going to be crucified after the scourging. No words are spoken as she presents the gift. The Blessed Mother uses the linens to wipes up the Blood of Christ from the floor in the area of the scourging. Magdalene joins her, getting down on her knees to help Mary while a tear runs down St. John’s cheek as he watches the sorrowful event.

One interesting detail that has nothing to do with the story is an assistant director holding an umbrella in a storm was struck by lightning. Fortunately he was not seriously hurt. Some days later the same assistant director again holding an umbrella was struck by lightning a second time. Again he survived.

Reading the book before seeing the movie made me aware of some subtle happenings I may have otherwise missed. The book also is helpful in explaining the meaning of events to viewers that are not familiar with the Gospel accounts.

[Bud Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating review of the film and its production, explaining some of the editorial decisions in shooting this story. I enjoyed reading about the counterpoints between the depiction of the passion with the flashback scenes, i.e. the sequencing of tension and relief in the film, as well as the theological connections. Of course, the film places significant attention of Mary; and the book does the same. A Catholic viewpoint is represented in both (and the reliance upon Anne Catherine Emmerich is, for me, bizarre). Nevertheless, a good read.

[Danita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some paragraphs repeat as if copied and pasted twice so needs a bit of editing again. I really enjoyed the insight into the movie and it was amazing to see how "accidents" had made it even better.