Jesus of Montreal [DVD] by Lothaire Bluteau

This 1989 drama centres on Daniel [Lothaire Bluteau] an actor, who has been hired by the priest at a Roman Catholic site of pilgrimage, to update and present a Passion play in its gardens. He soon assembles a group of actors and stages the play, but will their lives ever be the same again as each confronts their own doubts and flaws?The film is a brilliant reworking of the life of Jesus into the modern era as well as being highlighted in the play itself. The parallels are obvious and often trite, but that’s much of it’s charm, that basic simplicity overshadowed by an over complex world.The film is in Quebecois being subtitled in English, although some small scenes are in full English. There is some moderate male nudity, swearing and violent behaviour and will not sit well with many religious ideologies, thus meriting an unfortunate 18 rating. This is well filmed and acted making it an easy ***** for those looking for a different view.

Truly difficult to say if this is Denys Arcand's best movie, as The Barbarian Invasions is another fantastic movie. Amazing performance by Lothaire Bluteau as the Jesus character, well supported by the other actors and actresses, like Johanne-Marie Tremblay and Catherine Wilkening as a modern Mary the Magdalene. Movie about theatre, religion, our society and its materialism, great blend of a little comedy and much more drama, something Denys Arcand excels at. DVD in French with English subtitles. Possible drawbacks: Very 80s style in soundtrack--that electric guitar. Some parallelisms between Jesus's life and what happens to the actors a bit obvious.

Jesus of Montreal was a Palme d'Or winner at Cannes, and must certainly count as one of the more intellectual and challenging films even to have won that accolade. The group of actors, putting on a revised version of the passion play, fall foul of the Church authorities who find it too radical, while living lives that come to mirror their roles quite closely. It seems to get to the heart of the enigma of Christ, and questions how he would be received if he were alive today. It could be read as a Christian film, or a debunking of Christianity, presenting at the same time an apparent mystery of coincidence without any divine explanation, and focusing on context as all-important. It also shows how many Christian precepts obviously make sense as a code for living, while the mystery of events near the end adds one layer of enigma over another, like a palimpsest. The core group of 'actors' are very good, while Lothaire Bluteau astonishes in his psychological radiance, becoming something quite sublime - or possibly just delirious - after he has bumped his head. So there's the mystery of great acting as well - is it 'faking' something or does it get to deeper truths than normal existence? My only criticism arises out of its distancing stance - there is something detached about it, taken as a whole, that leaves you slightly unsatisfied, in the way you might be by Brecht. In one sense this throws Bluteau's heartrending flights into stark relief, but there is a slight sense of an intellectual puzzle that demonstrates rather than inhabits. If you like the classic German playwright, you're more likely to respond positively to this.

Here we are reminded, yet again, how radical Christ's teachings were and are. Stereotypical Christians will be frightened and challenged by this film's daring honesty. It is brilliantly made and left me shaking with awe and fear at how distant modern Christianity seems from it's roots. It needs to be watched many times!

It is so good to watch this film again after so many years. It is like meeting an old friend who was away too long. Jesus of Montreal impressed me when I first saw it in New York when it was released and it did it again this week.

A very moving and thought provoking film .Whilst dealing with a very serious subject there was a lot of humour in it and the acting was sublime . I could watch it again and again

I would give this film five stars because I think it is one of the best and most interesting films about Christianity released in recent years. Unfortunately the picture quality is very bed in this print. Otherwise I unhesitatingly recommend the film.

This feels more like a student project and feels very amateurish at times. The story is a bit flimsy too and there's not enough interest or purpose in the narrative to hold your interest. Sadly, despite being a fan of Montréal and quebecois cinema in general, I was not impressed with this and only just made it to the end.

Ce film est une œuvre québécoise majeure réalisée par Denys Arcand qui a également créé ''Le Déclin de l'empire américain'' et ''Les Invasions barbares''. Pour ma part, je trouve que ''Jésus de Montréal'' est meilleur que les deux autres. Dans le film, une troupe d'acteurs marginaux créent une pièce de théâtre sur la Passion de Jésus-Christ basée sur l'Évangile selon Saint-Marc. La pièce est jouée sur les terrains de l'Oratoire Saint-Joseph à Montréal qui sont la propriété du clergé. La pièce a d'abord l'aval des autorités religieuses jusqu'à ce que son représentant assiste à la représentation. Celui-ci la trouve trop originale et trop en dehors des préceptes de l'Église et refuse aux acteurs de nouvelles représentations. Les acteurs refusent l'interdiction et jouent la pièce quant même, ce qui fait que les événements tournent mal. Lothaire Bluteau, qui joue le rôle du chef des acteurs et celui de ''Jésus de Montréal'', est très bien entouré par Rémy Girard, Johanne-Marie Tremblay, Robert Lepage et Catherine Wilkening. Je m'en voudrais de ne pas mentionner Gilles Pelletier dans le rôle du prêtre qui a peur de prendre des initiatives car il ne veut pas finir sa vie dans un coin perdu. Le scénario original est à la fois drôle et tragique. Un film culte du cinéma québécois.

Signalons le mauvais référencement par Amazon : "Jésus de Montréal" n'est pas de Lothaire Bluteau (qui est l'excellent acteur principal), mais de Denys Arcand. Celui-ci est sans doute plus connu pour les grands films que sont "Le Déclin de l'Empire américain" et "Les Invasions barbares". Mais "Jésus de Montréal" est un chef d'œuvre (qui même s'il n'a pas la notoriété de ces deux derniers films, a quand même été primé à Cannes) : il bouleverse et peut constituer une étape non négligeable dans la vie des spectateurs (eh oui !).

Ein arbeitsloser Schauspieler wird angeboten, Jesus zu inszenieren, er tut es, sein Ensemble besteht aus "Sündern", so wären sie im Neuen Testament genannt worden. Letztendlich wird "Jesus" vom Kreuz erschlagen, seine Organe gespendet, so das blinde sehen können (Herz)Tote wieder leben.Ein Außerordenlicher Film

Why is it that the most truly moving spiritual films tend to be either those made by non-believers, or else brash, untraditional, even avant-garde reinterpretations of the basic story? Yet that's the case once more in this lovely version of the life & death of Jesus, as presented by a somewhat motley troupe of French-Canadian actors.What begins as an attempt by a cynical local cleric to essentially jazz up the annual Passion Play, in order to get more people in attendance, turns into an actual living out of the story by the lead actors. It's indeed a literal imitation of Christ, one that transforms the actors & invites them to become more than what they are, drawing out "the better angels of their nature" in a very real way.Soon the actors find their roles merging with their everyday lives, particularly on the part of Jesus. It's both amusingly satiric & painfully pointed, asking the audience to consider just how honestly they live out their most firmly-held beliefs in their own everyday lives. And it demonstrates how troubling & even threatening an actual return of Jesus would be to those who claim to follow his teachings, but tend to talk the talk rather than walk the walk.Of course the story has a tragic ending ... or does it? It makes the viewer reflect on every idealistic movement & belief that's captured an instance of glowing goodness, only to be snuffed out by the powers that be as a danger to the status quo. Even so, the film ends on a note of hope, a reminder that we don't have to settle for the lowest common denominator, that we don't have to compromise everything -- if we're willing to make the necessary sacrifices & live the lives we could be living.For believer, agnostic, and atheist alike, most highly recommended!

Great, provocative movie telling the Jesus story in 1990s Montreal. Great conversation starters about who in our day would be the Romans? the Sanhedrin? the disciples? French language film has BOTH English subtitles (pretty accurate of the French, but cleaned up a bit) AND an English dubbed version. I tend to use subtitles as closed captioning, but Don't Do That with this movie, as the dubbed version and subtitles are not exactly the same and it's a bit off-putting. The dubbed version is pretty true to the original and sound is clear most of the time. (just the first few opening scenes are not - about 5 minutes long)