The Passion of the Christ

This article is about the film. For the religious incident on which the film is based, see Passion of Jesus. For the set of paintings, see The Passion of Christ (Strasbourg).

The Passion Of The Christ
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Mel Gibson
Produced by	Bruce Davey Mel Gibson Stephen McEveety
Screenplay by	Mel Gibson Benedict Fitzgerald
Based on	The Passion in the New Testament of the Bible and The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ by Anne Catherine Emmerich
Starring	Jim Caviezel Monica Bellucci Maia Morgenstern Sergio Rubini
Music by	John Debney
Cinematography	Caleb Deschanel
Edited by	John Wright Steve Mirkovich
Production company	Newmarket Films
Distributed by	Icon Productions
Release date	February 25, 2004 (2004-02-25)
Running time	127 minutes
Country	United States
Language	Aramaic Latin Hebrew
Budget	$30 million
Box office	$622.3 million

The Passion of the Christ is a 2004 American biblical drama film produced, co-written and directed by Mel Gibson and starring Jim Caviezel as Jesus of Nazareth, Maia Morgenstern as the Virgin Mary, and Monica Bellucci as Mary Magdalene. It depicts the Passion of Jesus largely according to the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. It also draws on pious accounts such as the Friday of Sorrows along with other devotional writings, such as the reputed Marian apparitions attributed to Anne Catherine Emmerich.

The film primarily covers the final 12 hours before Jesus' death, consisting of the Passion, hence the title of the film. It begins with the Agony in the Garden in the Garden of Olives (or Gethsemane), the betrayal of Judas Iscariot, the brutal Scourging at the Pillar, the suffering of Mary as prophesied by Simeon, the crucifixion and death of Christ, and ends with a brief depiction of his resurrection. However, the film also has flashbacks to particular moments in Christ's life, some of which are biblically based, such as The Last Supper and The Sermon on the Mount, and others that are artistic license, such as when Mary comforts Jesus and the scene where Jesus is crafting a table.

It was, for the most part, shot in Italy. The dialogue is entirely in Hebrew, Latin, and reconstructed Aramaic. Although Gibson was initially against it, the film is subtitled.