ERATOSTENIS

I have come to the conclusion that all the talking about the extreme nature of this film, as well as the anti-Semitism that it employs, are commercial tricks to bring even more people to the theaters. I don't pay attention to conspiracy theories, but what else can I think, when everybody around me is trying to make this -only good for video in a cold Saturday evening- product for illiterates, look like a serious attempt to film the character of Jesus. Only in one thing are right the people who attack it. It does have a medieval point of view, long forgotten by the members of the modern society, who consider demons and stuff as fairy tail material and prefer to see the bible as a text, in which you have to read between the lines.

No comments on the artistic skills used for making it. I consider it a very well made movie, with technical superiority. But for the story itself, I am not sure. When watching it, performed with dialogues in a version of the original languages used at the time in Palestine, for more realism and historical accuracy I assume (something that I really liked a lot), I couldn't stop thinking how far from what I've imagined about the Roman army, with its severe discipline, the Romans were presented. The systematic ignoring by the legionnaires, of direct orders given to them by highly superior officers, who see what the soldiers do with their orders but also fail to make sure that the direct orders they took from the highest ranking official around (and anyone familiar with the historical evidence we have about Pontius Pilate knows that he was not a very nice man) will be fallowed to the letter and only give an angry eye to the disobedient soldiers, even if this is happening in a far away country, controlled but not conquered by the Romans at the time, I can only explain as a demonization that Christians, unfamiliar with the science of history, and grown up with stories about the terrible prosecutors of the early followers of Christ, would do to the Romans -who also by the way, use the name Jew as a bad word (where exactly is the anti-Semitism in this film, unless Semites are only some of the Jewish priests off course).

Most people appearing in this film are caricatures of characters, even among the disciples and other protagonists of the topic. Monica Bellucci, I think was chosen for the dynamic of her fame, so that anyone who knows her previous roles will get the point without having to let her perform any acting concerning the character that she is interpreting. And lots of stuff in this film, generally I think was left to the Christian education of the viewer. `If they already know something, why bother talking about it. Let's stay to what arouses more the emotion of the believers!' If the archeologists know by now how the crucifixion really was made, but the people are more familiar with the medieval idea about it, started by the hypocritical mother of the first Christian emperor of the Roman Empire, too bad for science! Besides, there are so many beautiful paintings to be inspired from. Why loose the opportunity? George Stevens in his `Greatest Story Ever Told' didn't! And off course, as we all very well know, the Devil Is a Woman!!!

I did get my money's worth of 2 hours in the cinema. But I am left with the feeling that someone thinks I'm stupid. I don't know. Maybe it's just me. Maybe it's just.them!

A nice little film, a comedy if anything, with a rather original story for the time, about a nice young girl that prefers the hard way of honesty than to go against her principles. Which means that she has to work for a living. But even that is not easy when you are honest so she dresses up like a man and gets a mans job, as a driver. True love will finally win and the happiness that she was dreaming, will meet her in the happy end. Romantic moments, some good jokes and a VERY beautiful Zinet Lakaz, in the best appearance of her small cinema career.