Jesus of Montreal
by Denys Arcand
List Price:
Our Price: $3.34
You Save: $16.64 (83%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Category: VHS Video
See more movie releases
Buy this VHS video movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
VHS Tape Cover Information
Actor: Boris Bergman, Christine-Ann Atallah, Denys Arcand, Lothaire Bluteau, Paule BaillargeonDirector: Denys Arcand
Primary Contributor: Lothaire Bluteau
Edition: VHS Tape
Format: NTSC
Running Time: 120 minutes
Release Date: 1999-06-08
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Publisher: Orion / MGM
Studio: Orion / MGM
VHS Movie Reviews of Jesus of Montreal
Movie Review: Smart, moving, and thought-provoking.
Summary: 5 Stars
Denys Arcand's "Jesus of Montreal" may be one of the best movies ever made about Christian beliefs and ethics; it is certainly one of the best movies ever to come out of Canada. This French-language film tells the story of Daniel Coulombe (Lothaire Bluteau), an intense and ascetic young actor hired by the Archdiocese of Montreal to freshen up the basilica's fusty annual Passion Play. The resulting drama--which throws in bits of Roman-Judean history and "historical Jesus" research, with Hamlet's "To Be Or Not To Be" soliloquy for good measure--becomes a smash hit, particularly Daniel himself in the role of Jesus. But the play also arouses the ire of the archdiocese for veering too far from traditional Catholic dogma.
Meanwhile, the lives of Daniel and his troupe of actors begin to mirror the story of the Gospel in clever ways; wait till you see the film's updated take on Jesus in the Temple with the money-lenders.
Some viewers find this movie too clunkily allegorical for their tastes; others--who vastly prefer Mel Gibson's "Passion of the Christ"--object to it for the same reasons the archdiocese objected to Daniel's play. Personally, I was totally charmed, pleased and moved by it. I found the allegory both witty and appropriate, and the performances--particularly Bluteau as Daniel/Jesus--absolutely first-rate. The film moves almost imperceptibly from witty satire at its beginning to tear-jerking tragedy at its end, with a fragile but real message of hope. Above all, it asks discomfiting questions about what it truly means to be a Christian, and not just someone who accepts Christian doctrine out of laziness or self-interest. "Jesus of Montreal" is a smart, moving and thought-provoking film. Whatever your spiritual orientation, it will get you thinking about what you believe, and why.
Summary of Jesus of Montreal
What happens to the people putting on a Passion Play? Someday Mel Gibson may tell us, but Denys Arcand's Jesus of Montreal proposes an engaging possibility. In hip present-day Montreal, a group of actors stages the Passion in an outdoor, somewhat avant-garde style, led by the quietly charismatic and increasingly uncanny young man (Lothaire Bluteau, Black Robe) playing Christ. His identification with the role, and the way it bleeds into real life, gives director Denys Arcand plenty of opportunities for social comment--some of it spot-on, some of it a little facile. But the fragile Bluteau is such a fascinating lead presence (the other actors are familiar from Arcand's Barbarian Invasions and Decline of the American Empire) that the movie's spell lasts long after it's over. Turns out the French-Canadian approach to the Passion can be just as intriguing as the original Aramaic. --Robert HortonArt House & International VHS Video
VHS Video Movies
- Action & Adventure
- African American Cinema
- Animation VHS Video
- Anime & Manga
- Art House & International
- Classics VHS Video
- Comedy VHS Video
- Cult Movies
- Documentary
- Drama VHS Video
- Educational
- Fitness
- Gay & Lesbian
- Horror VHS Video
- Kids & Family
- Military & War VHS Video
- Music Video & Concerts
- Musicals & Performing Arts
- Mystery & Suspense
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Special Interests
- Sports VHS Video
- Television VHS Video
- Westerns VHS Video
Movies most talked about in Art House & International VHS Video
War of the Buttons (1994)Warner Home Video; Release date: 1998-09-01; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $28.95
Stalin (1992)MGM (Video & DVD); Release date: 1998-09-01; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $75.00
The Call of the Wild - Dog of the Yukon (1997)Hallmark; Release date: 1998-07-14; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $59.98
Phar Lap20th Century Fox; Release date: 1993-05-19; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $112.99
Anne of Green GablesWalt Disney Video; Release date: 1995-04-16; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $7.93
Price in other shops:
Ivanhoe (1982)Sony Pictures; Release date: 1994-06-24; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $135.99
A Cry In The WildMGM (Video & DVD); Release date: 1994-12-14; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $64.50
The African QueenCBS/Fox VIdeo; Release date: 1997-08-26; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $2.99
Price in other shops:
Treasure Island (1990)Turner Home Ent; Release date: 2001-12-18; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $74.85
Shadowlands (1993)Hbo Home Video; Release date: 1995-01-31; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $17.87
Similar VHS Movies
The King of Kings - Criterion CollectionRelease date: 2004-12-07; DVD
Best price: $19.98
Price in other shops:
Jean De Florette / Manon of the Spring (MGM World Films)TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENT; Release date: 2007-07-24; Published: 1987; DVD
Best price: $10.49
Price in other shops:
The Passion of the Christ (Widescreen Edition)TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENT; Release date: 2004-08-31; DVD
Best price: $4.64
Price in other shops:
Monty Python's Life Of Brian - The Immaculate EditionSony; Release date: 2008-01-29; DVD
Best price: $13.06
Price in other shops:
The Gospel of JohnRelease date: 2005-03-15; DVD
Best price: $6.69
Price in other shops:
King of KingsWarner Brothers; Release date: 2003-02-25; DVD
Best price: $5.28
Price in other shops:
Jesus of NazarethLions Gate; Release date: 2002-03-01; DVD
Best price: $16.49
Price in other shops:
The Barbarian Invasions (Les Invasions Barbares)Release date: 2004-07-13; DVD
Best price: $4.98
Price in other shops:
The Last Temptation of Christ - Criterion CollectionRelease date: 2000-04-25; DVD
Best price: $24.70
Price in other shops:
The Gospel According to St. MatthewWELLSPRING/GENIUS; Release date: 2007-03-27; DVD
Best price: $11.96
Price in other shops: