Jesus Was a Commie

I see many reviews referring to the lyricism, the obvious biblical connections and and the pure artistic quality of this film. What it is, along with and MORE THAN all that, is a smart, straightforward narrative reminding us that Jesus (and a handful of other historical visionaries)was handing us a message of such simple and obvious truth, such COMMON SENSE that it could NOT, not be true. This film guides us on a path toward decency. It also highlights the fact that the snake-oil brand of spirituality packaged under Jesus' label by the rich and politically powerful, is exactly that. Go see it when you get a chance.

Chris Crutcher

The short film, Jesus Was A Commie, proposes a thought provoking idea that Jesus was a communist. By making this statement the filmmakers are proposing that Jesus believes that everyone deserves to live a life without having to resort to begging for money etc. However, I personally believe that the word communist has negative connotations attached to it and usually brings up thoughts of dictatorships and totalitarian governments rather than socialistic type of societies which is essentially what Jesus supposedly believed in according to the film.

Disregarding the films message, the actual film making complemented the films message and voice-over extremely well. The film depicts a guy walking through the city passing buildings and homeless people with images interspersed throughout. By showing himself walking the filmmaker shows how small and rather inconsequential each person is in the world and how everyone is interrelated and of equal importance in Jesus' and God's eyes.

The film is not attempting to force people to become communist it is rather asking for people to think about how Jesus' would act and look at the world with a new perspective. I believe that the films message is a bit off and too idealistic, especially with its choice of viewing Jesus as a communist. However, the filming is smart and a great image in addition to the lecture type of voice-over accompanying it.

A09560760

I really enjoyed watching Matthew Modine's, "Jesus Was a Commie". I think he has many valid points when discussing the ideas of Jesus and the aspects of communism. Jesus preached that material belongings do not hold great importance. He spoke of giving up these belongings to others. He also guided his followers to help the less fortunate. He led people to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and give shelter to those without a home. In this way, Jesus provided many ideas that would ideally better society, by assisting the lower class and creating a system of equality.

It could be said that communism shares this idea of lack of individual ownership, since it includes a common ownership of property. The principles and practices of communism ideally strive for a balance in society. This holding of all property in common intends to promote equality. This system, however, has not been proved to be successful. Leaders have misused the system to gain power, showing the corruption that human selfishness causes.

Matthew Modine did an excellent job in discussing these aspects of both communism and the teachings of Jesus. I have to point out, however, that communism is strictly a political theory or system. The messages that Jesus brought had nothing to do with politics, and had everything to do with people's spiritual lives. Jesus had faith in a God who gives people free will, and Jesus led people to give up their physical belongings to become closer to God, and to have a loving attitude. And establishment that requires this common ownership takes away the key element of love that Jesus was working to create.

I feel that this film came from a strictly secular point of view when discussing the ideas of Jesus. I think that it is absolutely necessary to have a spiritual point of view as well when looking at the life of Jesus. If this spiritual aspect is disregarded, the message of Jesus is lost. Therefore, having an establishment where there is no individual ownership has nothing to do with giving away one's personal belongings out of love.

Jesus was a Commie was introduced to me during a Theology lesson. We watched this film in coordination with readings by Gustavo Gutierrez. The title alone of this movie will draw any viewer in, at least for me it did! I was immediately annoyed and outraged by the title of the movie- but shouldn't that be the effect of all great movies? As a deeply religious Catholic my first thoughts were how could anyone accuse Jesus of being a communist. These accusations came at the cost of putting Stalin and Jesus on the same level, BUT the film turned my feelings of outrage into understanding and agreement to a certain extent!

The film began and automatically it was not what I was expecting from a film entitled "Jesus was a Commie"! I expected it to drag on like some of the most boring religious based films often do, but instead the screen flashed wonderful graphics which complemented the narrative very well. The music going along with this also made the entire 13 minutes of the film very enjoyable. I was captured by what Matthew Modine had to say about Jesus and communism. Surprisingly, I found myself in agreement with Matthew.

I don't want to give away too much of what the film covers, but I would like to mention the idea of oppression, which comes up in the movie through the idea of violence and such. I believe this movie gives a great viewpoint on salvation and the Reign of God which can be correlated to Gutierrez's writings' such as "Christ the Liberator" found in Essential Writings. This film does not create the controversy one would expect from its title. Jesus was a Commie has earned all of the 10 stars I am rating it with. I walked away from this film with many questions as it was extremely thought provoking! This is a must watch for people from all religious backgrounds! I hope to see more from Matthew Modine.

(09667893)

"Jesus Was a Commie" was a very good movie that I thoroughly enjoyed. Matthew Modine's argument was not the the economic aspect of the word, but more of a social one. Communism is a ideology in which there is an establishment of a classless, moneyless society. In the word there is the word "common." Modine argues that Jesus was a commie because he was for the common man. I agree with Modine and his style of presentation combined with his argument in a 15 minute clip had me convinced.

Matthew Modine also argued that our humanistic egos are destroying the very planet that we live on. He places the responsibility on us to change our outlooks to a positive one and to work together for a common goal of bettering not only ourselves, but others as well. We need to have a sense of morality that is beneficial to the entire world and it must correlate to Jesus's teachings. We have an opportunity to change human history for the better rather than the worse.

Overall, this film is definitely a must see. It has a compelling, provoking argument, with up to date visuals, so it will not bore you. I would recommend this to a good friend or family member because it is that thought provoking. Only after seeing this film can one decided if "Jesus Was a Commie."

FIDN A09589321