IMDb RATING
7.5/10
7.6K
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A group of actors put on an unorthodox, but acclaimed Passion Play which incites the opposition of the Catholic Church while the actors' lives themselves begin to mirror the Passion itself.A group of actors put on an unorthodox, but acclaimed Passion Play which incites the opposition of the Catholic Church while the actors' lives themselves begin to mirror the Passion itself.A group of actors put on an unorthodox, but acclaimed Passion Play which incites the opposition of the Catholic Church while the actors' lives themselves begin to mirror the Passion itself.
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 18 wins & 12 nominations total
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaMore instances that mirror the life of Christ as recorded in the Gospels: - Daniel recruits actors to work with him similar to the way Jesus recruited his disciples. The first, Constance, is found working charitably in a soup kitchen, and Daniel says simply, "I came for you." - The judge (like Pilate) sends Daniel to a second-opinion person (the psychologist is like Herod) who finds nothing wrong with him and sends him back to the judge/Pilate.
- GoofsAround 1:46:21. Boom mic enters the shot twice above Constance when she's talking to the ambulance paramedic at the hospital.
- SoundtracksPritouritze Planinata
Performed by Les Voix Bulgares
Featured review
Jesus OF MONTREAL (Denys Arcand, 1989) ***1/2
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)...
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)...
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- Bunuel1976
- Apr 12, 2007
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Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official sites
- Languages
- Also known as
- Jesus von Montreal
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $1,601,612
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $20,388
- May 27, 1990
- Gross worldwide
- $1,601,612
- Runtime2 hours
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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