If you're a lover of mystery mixed in with a little conspiracy, then this video is for
you!
Today we're going to dive into one of Hollywood's most cursed movies, The Passion Of The Christ.
It’s one of the most controversial movies ever released, and the making of it was riddled
with many, many strange events, from several lighting strikes that were considered signs
from God, to ruined careers and numerous accidents on set.
It seems all too easy to pass them off as simple coincidences; perhaps the movie truly
is … cursed.
The Passion of the Christ, released in 2004, is a film directed by Mel Gibson about the
last twelve hours of Jesus' life.
This film goes as far as to cover Jesus' resurrection.
It was also filmed in the ancient languages of Latin and Aramaic.
So the film in itself was a fascinating account of the life and times of one of the most popular
biblical characters in history.
However, the film itself wasn't an accurate depiction of what occurred in the Bible.
Because the film contained highly religious content, certain scenes were exaggerated to
fit Hollywood's habit of dramatizing the biblical events for entertainment.
Naturally, because this was a movie of strong religious belief, it was received with mountains
of criticism.
Despite the fact that it was a box office hit, taking more than $400million worldwide,
it was condemned for its graphic violence and alleged antisemitic undertones.
Unfortunately, it wasn't just the film's release that didn't go well.
The making of the movie was riddled with accidents, most of them affecting the lead actor, Jim
Caviezel , who starred as the son of God.
In fact, Jim himself blames the film for his failed career.
People couldn't help notice that Gibson's personal life and career also took a dark
turn, and the timing of it all coincided with the film’s release.
During the early 2000s, Jim was considered a heartthrob, and one of the hottest up and
coming actors.
However, following the film's release, Jim confessed that offers for other movie roles
stopped coming his way, and he was made an outcast by Hollywood.
In fact, Caviezel said he was warned against taking the role by Gibson, who explained to
him that he would never work in Hollywood again.
When Mel offered him the role of Jesus in the upcoming film, he tried to talk him out
of it only moments after offering him the controversial role.
"He said, "You'll never work in this town again."
I told him, "We all have to embrace our crosses … We have to give up our names, our reputations,
our lives to speak the truth."
Jim admitted.
Sadly, his failed career was not the only thing the actor had to suffer.
While most actors understand the dangers in taking on roles that require scenes with excessive
violence or dangerous stunts, in The Passion of the Christ, many of these scenes quickly
got out of hand.
Caviezel had to film several scenes with almost no clothes on in the middle of winter.
The absolutely freezing conditions nearly gave the actor hypothermia.
However, the actor suffered a deadly bout of pneumonia and a terrible lung infection.
And unfortunately, the conditions on set didn't get any better from there.
While filming The Passion of The Christ's notoriously bloody whipping scene, a hidden
whipping post was set up behind Caviezel.
So instead of actually flogging Jim, his fellow cast member was to hit the hidden post.
According to Jim though, the actor who was supposed to do the whipping didn't have very
good aim while swinging the whip.
The actor recalled the painful incident, "His lash just extended over the board and hit
me with such a velocity that I couldn't breathe.
It's like getting the wind knocked out of you.
The stinging is so horrific that you can't get air."
Naturally, Jim was furious.
He turned around and shouted several profanities at the man who had just whipped him.
"I tell you, I may be playing Jesus, but I felt like Satan at that moment."
Unfortunately, that wasn't the last time he was whipped, either.
Moments later, Caviezel accidentally received another blow of the whip and was washed over
with that same horrific pain all over again.
Not only did the actor have to endure a couple of misplaced lashes, but he also dislocated
his shoulder while carrying the film's massive crucifix.
Jim explained that the wooden construction weighed 150 pounds.
As filming went on, the crucifix only seemed to get heavier and heavier, and as a result
of the exhaustion, his shoulder popped out.
However, Jim wasn't the only one who suffered on set.
Something else happened on set that is sometimes described as 'An Act of God' - and when it
happened on the set of this film, the cast and crew couldn't help but think that it was
just that.
According to one study, lightning strikes roughly 240,000 people per year.
In other words, it's an extremely rare occurrence.
We've all heard of the saying that 'Lightning doesn't strike twice in the same place,' but
in 2003, it happened three times on the set of The Passion of the Christ.
Caviezel has claimed he was "lit up like a Christmas tree" while filming the Sermon on
the Mount sequence of the film.
"I knew it was going to hit me about four seconds before it happened," the actor explained.
"I thought, 'I'm going to get hit.'
And when it happened, I saw the extras grab the ground."
The actor shared that after the strike, fire was coming out of his head, and his body was
illuminated.
"By the time the cameras got to me, I hear Mel screaming out, 'What the heck happened
to his hair?'"
You might be surprised, but Caviezel was not the only person who got struck by lightning
on the set.
Just five minutes after he was struck an assistant rushed over to Jim to make sure he was okay,
and suddenly - BOOM, he was hit by lightning too.
The difference was that they saw the bolt come down.
The actor described hearing a loud noise and seeing a flash of pink, red static in front
of his eyes.
Both men were extremely lucky to come out with almost no injuries.
Unbelievably, that wasn't even the first time the assistant director had been struck on
set.
Mikalini had already been the victim of "The Act Of God's" electrostatic discharge once
before, when lightning struck his umbrella.
Thankfully, it only caused light burns on his fingertips.
It’s not unusual for films to have a few ‘bumps in the road’ during their process.
However, the accidents that happened during this film had several set and cast members
concerned.
Was the making of this film a mistake?
Was God truly trying to send a message through to them?
Some couldn’t seem to shake the feeling that they shouldn’t have been making this
film.
Perhaps all the events that happened on set were a sign that the film was truly cursed.
Following all of these crazy accidents, it may shock you to find out that Gibson has
planned a sequel to this film that's due to release in 2022.
Caviezel shared that he will be taking on the role of the son of God yet again for the
upcoming sequel, tentatively titled 'The Passion of the Christ: Resurrection.'
So perhaps Jim's own acting career will be resurrected itself when the film releases,
"I won't tell you how he's going to go about it.
But I'll tell you this much, the film he's going to do is going to be the biggest film
in history.
It's that good."
The actor explained.
The actor had better buckle up because if the making of the first film was any indication
of what could happen on set, who knows what could happen while making the second one.
The film could perhaps be even more controversial than the last, considering the target audience.
It's been reported that the sequel is tackling a theological question that's dicey even among
Christians: What happened during the three days before Jesus rose from the dead?
Gibson might need a boost for his career too.
Since the release of ‘The Passion Of The Christ’, the actor’s addiction to alcohol
landed him in some very hot water with the law when he was arrested for driving under
the influence in 2006, during which he ranted antisemitic comments.
Mel had also previously made derogatory comments about homosexuality.
For a while, it seemed he was on everyone's bad side.
After an affair during his marriage went public, not only did his reputation hit rock-bottom,
but his wife of over 30 years packed her bags and left him too.
With the hints of antisemitism throughout The Passion Of The Christ, critics couldn't
help but wonder if Mel was attempting to push his own beliefs through the film itself.
Which only led to a lot more criticism.
The Passion of the Christ has been no stranger to controversy - in fact; it's one of the
most controversial movies ever made, as well as one of the worst-reviewed historical movies.
However, there were numerous Biblical errors in the film, as well as some major historical
errors.
For example, the movie gets almost everything about crucifixion wrong, including what people
wore.
On top of that, there's the graphic content and the depiction of the Jewish characters.
Some critics believe that the brutality of this film takes away from the main message,
which to many, is a story of redemption.
For those who followed the Christian faith, they believed it was the several Biblical
inaccuracies that brought along the terrible events that happened on set.
For others, it was the negligence and harsh environment while making the film that led
to the accidents.
Whatever the cause of the accidents may be, these events only added to the rumour that
the film was cursed.
After all the accidents that happened on set, we can only imagine what could happen during
the filming of the sequel.
What do you think about The Passion of The Christ?
Do you think all the accidents were pure coincidence, or do you think something else had a hand
in all the strange events?
Let us know in the comments below!
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