Denis Arcand alegerea locaiei & tema: istoria cu actorul cruia i s-a refuzat un rol pt.

.c avea barb (pt.c era distribuit n piesa de la ratoriul !t."osep#$ % % % Arcand merge s vad piesa &i o gse&te mediocr. D'()D' !* +A(* ,- +)./. 0aralele cu '1A-23'.)).': Daniel (oloumbe 4.ot#aire 5luteau6 #as returned to /ontreal after spending a long period traveling in 7t#e 'ast7. )n t#e opening scene8 one actor points to Daniel8 calling #im 7a muc# better actor78 9#ic# ec#oes "o#n t#e 5aptist foretelling t#e arrival of "esus t#e /essia#. :#e first actor later 7sells-out7 and lets #is #ead be used in an advertisement8 parallelling "o#n t#e 5aptist;s be#eading. :#e actors t#en gat#er for t#e 0assion pla<8 some of t#em leaving safe =obs to do so8 recalling "esus gat#ering t#e disciples. Daniel 9rec>s an advertising casting session8 9#ere t#e casting director en=o<s #umiliating participants8 and displa<s deep contempt for t#em. :#is is a parallel of 9#en "esus casts t#e mone<-lenders out of t#e :emple. Daniel;s arrest and court appearance before an indecisive =udge8 pla<ed b< t#e film;s director #imself8 parallels "esus; appearance before 0ontius 0ilate. :#e smoot# elite la9<er8 9#o la<s out a grand commercial career for Daniel8 loo>ing do9n from a s><scraper at t#e cit<8 refers to t#e temptation of (#rist b< t#e devil atop a #ig# pinnacle. :#e resurrection of "esus is depicted as t#e donation of Daniel;s organs8 9#ic# live on in t#e lives of ot#ers. :#e founding of t#e (#ristian c#urc# becomes t#e plans for an e?perimental t#eatre compan<. DA@ +)./,. NU AB) 0@ 0,-' !* +)' '(@A-)CA@' A '1A-23'.)). @ A- ( -:'D: ( -:'/0 @A-: )t 9ould be a mista>e to suppose8 as some #ave done8 t#at Arcand is as>ing8 7E#at 9ould it be li>e if "esus #ad come toda<F7 )nstead8 Arcand is doing 9#at #e often does: holding history up as a mirror to our own time, and noting how human behavior has a tendency to repeat itself. (!ee #is documentar< Comfort and Indifference8 in 9#ic# an actor pla<ing /ac#iavelli comments on t#e forces at 9or> in (anadian politicsG or see #is dramatic films The Decline of the American Empire and The Barbarian Invasions8 9#ic# dra9 an e?plicit parallel bet9een t#e decadence of ancient @ome and t#e decadence of toda<.$ Daniel Coloumbe - decides to base t#e pla< not on t#e gospels per se but on #is o9n reconstruction of t#e 7#istorical "esus7Hand because #is pla< c#allenges (#ristian dogma at ever< turn8 #e Iuic>l< runs afoul of t#e priests 9#o #ired #im. Arcand - Arcand is also profoundl< concerned 9it# the question of meaning and #o9 it can be found in a post-modern world teeming 9it# so man< contradictor< stories and messages. ::: JESUS DE MONT EA! " o tragedie #ostmodern$F 0e aceea&i scen: o an adaptation of The Brothers arama!ov in t#e film;s opening scene o later on it stages a beer-commercial audition

%%% ever< stage and ever< screen is a blan> space 9aiting to be filled8 and it doesn;t matter 9#at fills it. o !imilarl<8 at one point8 t#e passion-pla< actors tease t#e priest 9#o first commissioned t#eir pla<Hand no9 9ants to revise itHb< acting out t#e different genres t#roug# 9#ic# t#e< could filter t#e stor< of (#rist: >abu>i8 met#od acting8 com"die fran#aise. What difference can the content of the story make when its form is dictated by conventions such as theseF o And <et8 in a strange 9a<8 t#ere is #ope #ere. One of the most im#ortant scenes in the film doesn%t concern Jesus at all: instead8 it features an actor 4@ene6 in a recording boot#8 as he narrates a documentary about the vastness of space and the insignificance of human life. :#at8 rig#t t#ere8 is t#e /odern stor<. 5ut once #e #as finis#ed #is narration8 t#e actor #ands t#e script to t#e man 9#o 9rote it and sa<s8 7It leaves a lot unanswered.7 $es, the man replies, %and though it&s valid today, in years it may change.7