Arts & Culture

PAINTINGS OF THE PASSION

Review by Maureen Bauer-McGahey

The Passion of Christ
A film. Producer, Director, and Photographer Philip Earnshaw
Running time 28 minutes: English.

Over 25 years ago, Canadian painter William Kurelek completed over 160 paintings depicting the Passion of Christ from Matthew's Gospel. Four years after Kurelek's death in 1977at the age of 50, Toronto filmmaker Philip Earnshaw filmed the canvases to produce a 28-minute film. Reviewers considered the depiction to be a sensitive treatment and described it as "fascinating, reverent and remarkable."

     The film has now been re-released on DVD in hopes of reaching an new audience.

     Kurelek's dream was to have Passion of Christ filmed, which is why his paintings are in a 20" X 22" format of a television screen. He painted with a sort of camera-conscious arrangement of images which would be easy to zoom in and out. Kurelek chose St. Matthew's Gospel because he thought it was the most comprehensive account of Christ's life.

     Kurelek undertook this daunting project over a three-year period after his own conversion from "practicing atheist" to a devout Roman Catholic. In 1959, Kurelek boarded the Orient Express train all the way to Damascus. It took him three weeks to research in the Holy Land on a shoestring budget and while suffering with the Asiatic flu. He completed 800 illustrations in two years to perfect the authenticity of location. In the end, Kurelek was forced to refer to French artist James Tissot's work in The Life of Christ to learn from Tissot's ten years of onsite research.

     What resulted was an amazing collection of 160 paintings that have been permanently exhibited at Niagara Falls Art Gallery and Museum since 1975. Kurelek's adventures and three weeks of research in the Holy Land are documented in his autobiography entitled Someone With Me published in 1980.

     Filmmaker Philip Earnshaw explored the paintings to find the story within them. The soundtrack includes sound effects and music that powerfully compliment the colourful and sensitive paintings. Two of Canada's top music educators and musicians, Frank Falco and Jane Fair, composed the music.

     Another element that enhances the film's impact is the sensitive reading of Matthew's Gospel by Canadian actor Len Cariou. Scenes and scripture portraying the Last Supper, the Garden of Gethsemane, the appearance before Pilate, and Jesus' burial and the resurrection are read with expression and reverence.

     The Passion of Christ premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. In 1982 it won a Chris Pacque Award at the Columbia Film Festival.

     It is through Kurelek's attention to detail that this story is told with great power and the conviction of his own faith. Earnshaw's film of Kurelek's paintings is a harmonious collaboration. It portrays the story of the Passion in a realistic way without resorting to the level of violence that caused such controversy around Mel Gibson's film The Passion of The Christ.

     It is an artistic accomplishment to see that William Kurelek's dream of his Passion of Christ series has been realized in film in such a sensitive and inspiring way.

Maureen Bauer-McGahey is a freelance writer who lives on a farm near Perth, Ontario, with her husband David and five sons. Much of her writing is devoted to faith and justice issues. Her article "Meeting The Woman at The Well" appeared in the April 2005 issue of The Social Edge.

The paintings appear courtesy of Niagara Falls Art Gallery- William Kurelek Art Collection.

More information on The Passion of Christ can be found at www.christfilm.com.