Mary Magdalene [DVD] [2018]

Well done good film tks

I waited eagerly for this DVD to be released as I missed it when it was at the cinema. The Gospel of Mary is a gnostic text written in the first century AD and has been hidden for a long time, first buried in the desert of Egypt, then rediscovered in 1890s. It was hidden again by the Catholic Church, the very ones who cast her as a prostitute and denied her discipleship for so long. So this film, hopefully, will address some of the censure this woman has been subject to by an elitist few who decided her treatise wasn't credible or worthy of respect. The scriptwriters are clearly aware of the extant codex, and have incorporated that in the film. It is beautifully told, acted and visually stunning. The character of Mary says little - some have even commented that she simply stares at Jesus throughout - but it is her inner journey: the way the teaching is revealed, the actions that arise from the spiritual teaching gives this film a maturity that moved me a great deal. She watches, listens, and acts accordingly, in strength and Silence. It's clearly not going to be everyone's cup of tea, but it's one I will watch again and again. By the way, if anyone is interested in reading further I can recommend The Gospel of Mary Magdalene by Jean-Yves Leloup or google the translated gnostic text of the Gospel of Mary.

Having missed the film at the cinema I was really looking forward to the DVD release and it didn’t disappoint.The film starts off with Mary living in Magdala with her family. A strong independent young woman, her family wants her to marry. She doesn’t wish to follow such a traditional path. Her family think she is demon possessed and half drown her trying to exercise the demons.Mary is shown as a devout Jew and she becomes interested in a wandering Rabbi, Jesus. Her family warn her against the cult of the Baptists. But she breaks free and follows Jesus.The film then follows Jesus through Mary’s eyes.There are four main characters in the film. Mary, Jesus, Peter (who doesn’t want Mary as a fellow disciple) and Judas (who befriends Mary).Mary’s importance as an Apostle is emphasised as in first century Judea it would have been inappropriate for a man to touch a woman he was not related to. So Mary was needed to Baptise the new female followers.In the Bible it states Mary helped finance Jesus’ movement (Luke 8) but there is no reference to such financial support in this film. Sadly by missing this point out the film ignores the importance of other prominent women in Jesus’ movement like Joanna and Susanna who also helped finance Jesus’ ministry.The film concludes with Judas betraying Jesus to try and provoke him into using his Godly powers against the Romans. Mary both witnesses Jesus’ death and resurrection. But having told the other Aposels the Good News she is sent away by Peter.It’s a good film with some strong acting.I’m not sure I’d of cast someone as old as Joaquin Phoenix as Jesus as he is clearly much older than the historical Jesus. Also the traditional stories in the Bible, like the raising of Lazarus, do not follow the written text and instead the writer uses their own interpretation. But that aside it’s a good film. Like all Biblical films it’s an interpretation of the written material. But it does have a depth to it placing women at the heart of Jesus’ story and showing what life was like for first century women in Judea.

I call myself a Christian Humanist - or perhaps a non-believing Christian - but I have always found the Christian narrative compelling . but never as compelling as it is here. The fact is that there are versions of the Christian story that are not included in the Bible. These versions are called the Gnostic Gospels - and among them is the Gospel of Mary Magdalene. The story of events from about 33 CE to the Crucifixion to the Resurrection are told in the Bible by Mathew Mark Luke and John - all men. There is no version told by a woman. Yet Mary of Magdala was a woman of intelligence and character and she seems to have understood Jesus better than any of the men. So this is the Gospel story told by an intelligent woman who knew Jesus very well and often understood him when others did not . from beginning to end. They call this a "revisionist" version of the story. I think the producers of this film are mainly Australian and not fettered to the established churches. I must have watched it ten times . and am still moved and convinced, Strongly recommended.

This film is a bit of a curate’s egg – good in some parts but not so good in others. There are certainly some memorable moments. The scene showing Mary baptising women in the Lake of Galilee is very moving; and the sequence where Jesus overturns the tables of the moneychangers in the temple court is powerful and very tense. The raising of a dead man to life is riveting and quite shattering too.On the other hand, the picture of Jesus and his disciples constantly wandering in the wilderness and living under the stars offers a very limited view of the gospel record. On no occasion do we see Jesus living in a normal house as a guest of a family, even though this certainly happened. They pass through Cana in Galilee, so why the scriptwriters didn’t incorporate the wedding at Cana (John 2) is beyond me! If the thought was that the key person in the film was Mary, not Jesus, I still think it was a bad call, because it misrepresents the social background to the story.Rooney Mara does a very creditable job as Mary Magdalene, and Tahar Rahim gives an interesting portrayal of Judas. However, I found Joaquim Phoenix entirely unconvincing as Jesus. At no point does he say anything particularly remarkable, and there is nothing about the performance that would have inclined me to follow him, even though I am constantly challenged when I read the biblical record.Although I’ve scored the movie as 3 out of 5, this is a little generous. Out of 100, I’d give a mark in the mid-50s; a good 2.2, but certainly not a 2.1. Overall, I think this was an opportunity missed – a great shame.

Je suis très satisfait du DVD. Il est arrivé à temps.

I found this movie to be very well done. The locations, custom selections, acting, cast, and special effects were all excellent.But, alas, the USA distributor backed out so it's not readably available in this country. Hopefully another will be found and this will be available to those who don't have multi-region DVD players.For those who are The Da Vinci Code fans, Mary and Yeshua aren't married. Those that think that a man and a woman can't be spiritually close should study saints Francis and Clare of Assisi.Don't look for a Christian gospel message here. This is more the background of the Gospel of Mary, a book that is normally considered gnostic but that classification is contested.In this movie Mary is one of Yeshua's disciples and is the one who understands his message. The male disciples are focused on the idea of the Jewish Messiah who is going to lead a bloody conflict against the Roman ocupiers. Mary gets that the kingdom of heaven is with in you and you have to look for it there. She also baptizes the women who come to Yeshua and request it.A well done movie the will probably offend a lot of people, but for those with open minds, it is well worth seeing.

Good quality DVD thanks

It gives you insight to the true happenings

This movie is not for the true Christian to watch. It's biblically inaccurate, makes Jesus look like a weak, aloof man who cannot function without Mary or his disciples. It draws a picture that Mary is the big heroine everyone looks to. It's such a farce that I regret spending $75 for the movie, DVD player and connections.The catholic church put this movie out because (this is even stated at the end of the film) they decided that Mary is now one of the 12 disciples who spread the gospel of Christ. Total sham. My advice, unless you like to watch fictional movies, don't waste your money.