'The Passion' elicits varied and intense reactions locally

A crowd lines up outside the Marshall Cinema Saturday evening in anticipation of "The Passion of the Christ" which opened to sold-out shows over the weekend. [Click to enlarge]

The Marshall Cinema saw sold-out crowds at its first few showings of Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" during the past weekend.

Manager Dan Vermillion, who has worked at the theater for more than 50 years, said he hadn't seen such a turnout since "Titanic," with 200-plus people attending the evening shows and matinees during the past few days. He said "Quo Vadis" in 1951 and "The Robe" in 1953, were also quite popular, but they were Hollywood productions instead of independent films.

Having seen the "The Passion," Vermillion said he was very impressed with the film.

"There are times when you want to turn your head, but we've not had probably two or three people leave because of the violence," he said. "Most people were very moved by the movie, so we allowed them to stay in their seats for a while after the credits if they needed to. I know I needed to. As a Christian, it's a hard movie for me to deal with, knowing all that Jesus did for us."

Graphic scenes portraying how Christ was beaten and how he suffered made some viewers cry while bringing others to a better understanding of what Jesus endured during the hours leading to his crucifixion. However, some thought too much violence was shown.

"It's a piece of art, people take from it what they can and need," said Rev. Jim Long, pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church in Marshall, which brought a group of about 65 people to the Saturday early evening screening. "I had trouble with the amount of violence. It seemed over the top for me. The violent parts were so overwhelming I thought it was kind of counterproductive. That was my main concern."

Long said one of the things he has heard people talking about is that even 15 years ago that kind of violence would have been unheard of in a movie. However, he said maybe Gibson thought those scenes were what it would take to reveal what happened, when today's world seems to be so desensitized to violence in various media forms.

While a number of church groups purchased advance tickets and brought large numbers of people to the theater, many pastors and church leaders advised families to consider whether they wanted their young children to watch "The Passion" because of its violent scenes and intensity. For that reason, and to provide support and guidance for anyone having difficulty with the movie or questions that arose, several ministers were available to speak with people after the show. Some groups even had discussion sessions to allow people to talk about their reactions and feelings.

"It was very real to me and it really made me think about what Jesus went through for all of us," said Haley Black, who watched the movie with some youth from Marshall Church of the Nazarene. "At the end, the theater was very silent, almost like a funeral procession. It was so serious."

As a young Christian, Black said she hopes others who see the movie will evaluate their lives and relationships with Christ.

"Christ did all that for us and we have a choice, and if we don't choose him -- if we go to hell -- that's a choice," she said.

Nazarene youth group leader Rebecca Jones said one part of the movie that made an impression on her was when Jesus proclaimed how God, through Christ, makes all things new.

"Everybody has that option," Jones said to her youth. "You can stay old and yucky or you can be made new. But he did it for everyone."

Rev. Jerry Scott, pastor of Olivet Free Will Baptist Church in Marshall, which brought a group of about 60 people to the movie Saturday night, said several individuals he spoke with had watched "The Passion" and then turned to their Bibles to look up everything.

"What was said in the movie followed really good with the scripture," he said. "It reinforced the suffering Jesus did. But, still, I don't think it completely showed the suffering he did. The physical, maybe, but not all the spiritual, except for when he was in the garden."

Scott said he, as well as other ministers, tend to "candy coat" the death of Jesus, but through "The Passion," the eyes of many were opened.

Contact Naomi Campbell at

marshallfaith@socket.net