MARY
US, 2005, 95 minutes, Colour.
Juliet Binoche, Forest Whitaker, Matthew Modine, Stephanie Arocca, Marion Cotillard.
Directed by Abel Ferrara.
Abel Ferrara's career has been a strange mixture of violent films, films where characters were drug-dependent, but also a number of films that dealt with religious themes: The Addiction, Bad Lieutenant and Mary. Mary won the Grand Jury Prize in Venice, 2005, as well as the Catholic SIGNIS award. The Mary of the title is Mary Magdalene. Juliet Binoche is playing her in a film with Matthew Modine, the director of the film, This is my Blood, as Jesus. When the filming has finished she remains in Jerusalem to sort out her life. He returns to New York and encounters an atheist journalist (Forest Whitaker) who is preparing a television series on Jesus. This gives Ferrara the opportunity to offer some scenes for his Jesus film, familiar enough in style, focussing on the disciples, Mary Magdalene and Judas, as well as some discussion about the claims of Jesus.
At the television station, there is a comment on the commercial success of The Passion of the Christ. And, Mary was made when The Da Vinci Code was a best-seller, the film being released in the year following Mary. This film has suggestions about Mary Magdalene’s relationship with Jesus. It opens with the resurrection sequence, the rolling back of the stone, the absent body, the angels speaking. Mary sees Jesus and hears him telling her not to touch him because he has not yet ascended to the Father. Mary is given various monologues with a Gnostic emphasis on the ‘nous’, the mind and the spirit. Peter and the other apostles are called by Jesus with Mary present on the shore with later suggestions of a rivalry with Peter. We also see Jesus at the Last Supper, the washing of the feet, Jesus’ words and his legacy of love, unconditional love.
By way of comment on Jesus as a holy person, actor, Tony, who portrays him is vain with a high estimation of himself. In real life he is no Christ-figure but the point is made that it is he who wrote the screenplay and was quite aware of the themes that were expressed in the dialogue. This contrasts with Ted who questions his TV show guests about Jesus, historicity, the Romans and the crucifixion, the blaming of the Jews, the Jews seeing Jesus as the Messiah, not wanting to kill him. There is a variety of experts who include actual scholar, Elaine Pagels, with her feminist approach and her comments on the Gospels of Thomas, Philip, of Mary Magdalene. There is also a French theologian with the emphasis on Mary as a woman as the first disciple, along with an archaeologist and historians.
Thematically, Ferrara makes a comment through atheist Ted’s poor treatment of his wife and missing the birth of the child. However, after arriving at the hospital and speaking with his wife, he goes to the chapel, prays a desperate outburst, the acknowledgment of his sinfulness, asking to be punished. The crucifix is glimpsed. He invokes the sacrifice of Jesus for his son and wife to live. There is a strong parallel between Harvey Keitel’s outburst in the church in Bad Lieutenant with that of Ted’s prayer and the iconography of Jesus. Ferrara offers a theology of punishment, love and sacrifice, something of a Mel Gibson theology.
1.Abel Ferrara’s work? The religious dimensions? His religious background? New York, Italian? Old-style devotion and piety? Reparation spirituality? As embodied in this film?
2.The filming in Italy? For the film within the film? The studios, the homes? The New York street sequences? The musical score? The biblical-style music?
3.The film within the film: the focus on Mary Magdalene, Juliet Binoche’s presence and performance? Mary Magdalene’s relationship with Jesus? Opening with the resurrection sequence, the rolling back of the stone, the absent body, the angels speaking? Mary seeing Jesus, his saying not to touch him, not having ascended to the Father? The various monologues of Mary, her emphasis on the nous and the spirit? The gnostic background? Her relationship with the other disciples? A leader? The boat sequence? Mary on shore? With Peter, the clashes with Peter, perhaps a rivalry with Peter? The sequence with Jesus and the Last Supper, the washing of the feet, Jesus’ words and his legacy of love? Unconditional love? The title of the film, This is My Blood – as visualised on the screen?
4.Marie, the effect of the acting experience on her, her performance in the film, after the film’s finishing, her being bewildered, the stone being carried past her, Tony and his urging her to get in the car, her decision to stay? Going to Jerusalem? Her wandering through Israel? The newsreel about the attack on the Palestinians, the father and the son and the cameras, deaths, cruelty? The phone calls from Ted, her discussion about going on the program, her explanation of her dropping out of her career, a complete change of life? Her wanting to be someone who embodied love? The scene of the supper with the Jewish family, the rituals? The bomb exploding, her wandering the city in the aftermath?
5.The film, the screening for the critics, Tony and his speech, his comment about Mel Gibson’s success? The deal with Ted, his protesting when he went to the studio, the discussions about Corsese and protests? His motivations, Mel Gibson’s box office? His anger at Marie interrupting his interview? Confronting Ted? Ted asking him about the meaning of his film, love, his boasting about being Jesus because he was the best actor? The build-up to the screening, the police, Ted’s absence, Brenda taking over, Tony and his anger? The comment about protests and fanatics? The cinema being cleared by the police? Tony urging them to go back, locking himself in the projection room?
6.Tony as Jesus, his own personal vanity, estimation of himself? In real life his not being a Christ figure? The fact that he wrote the screenplay, the credibility of his knowing the themes that were expressed in the dialogue?
7.The introduction to Ted, his program? His questions of his guests about Jesus, historicity, the Romans and the crucifixion, the blaming of the Jews, the Jews seeing Jesus as the Messiah, not wanting to kill him? The variety of experts? Elaine Pagels, her comments on the Gospel of Thomas, Philip, of Mary Magdalene? Her feminist approach? The French theologian, the emphasis on Mary as a woman, as the first disciple? The archaeologist and historians and their perspectives?
8.Ted’s private life, relationship with Elizabeth, neglecting her, his comments about stress? Coming home, her reaction to him, her pregnancy? Her feeling that they didn’t talk? His staying the night with Gretchen, using Gretchen to get to Marie? His neglecting Elizabeth, the argument on the phone, his apology? His coming home, missing the birth, his anger, the blood at home, the hospital, touching the baby, the baby’s illness, talking to Elizabeth? Going to the chapel, the prayer, the outburst, the acknowledgment of his sinfulness, asking to be punished, the glimpse of the crucifix? His paralleling the sacrifice of Jesus for his son and wife to live?
9.Ferrara making a Jesus film, his Catholic perspectives? The parallel between the sequence in Bad Lieutenant and Harvey Keitel’s outburst with that of Ted’s prayer? The iconography of Jesus? The theology of punishment, love and sacrifice, a Mel Gibson theology?
10.The background of the New York world, the television world, the technicians, the producer, the adulation for the presenter, careers? The film world and the detail of the people on-set, wrapping the shoot, getting the special effects, gear and costumes? The background of the Jewish world, the Palestinian world? The contrast with New York?
11.How well did the film combine these various strands – providing stimulus for reflection rather than drawing conclusions?
