Jesus of Montreal

After a controversial theatrical run, Canadian filmmaker Denys Arcand's Oscar-nominated Jesus of Montreal may quietly enter the home video market. The third recent film to deal with the subject of Christ (the others are Jean-Luc Godard's Hail Mary and Martin Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ), it is the least likely to rile Christian fundamentalists--especially so, since it's a subtitled foreign film. Arcand, who scored a critical and commercial hit with his last outing, Decline of the American Empire, a hilarious examination of love Canadian style, brings his perceptive eye to bear on the chasm between Christ's teachings and modern conduct. Lothaire Bluteau plays Daniel Coulombe, a gifted actor who, after traveling many years, returns to Montreal, and is hired by the local Catholic Church to "freshen up" the story of Christ's life that is traditionally performed on church grounds each year. Assembling a motley crew of thespians (one does French dubbing for pornographic films, another does the narration for a "big bang" science multi-media show), Daniel opens his play to critical acclaim from the Montreal audiences--but is threatened by the Catholic authorities to revise the play or cease performing it. Daniel's moral dilemma and the way the film eventually resolves it makes for a truly inspirational--if untraditional--story. Highly recommended. (R. Pitman) [DVD Review--October 5, 2004--Koch Lorber, 120 min., in French w/English subtitles, R, $24.95--Making its debut on DVD, Denys Arcand's 1989 Jesus of Montreal bows on an extra-less disc that sports a very good widescreen transfer and Dolby Digital 5.1 sound. Bottom line: Arcand's The Barbarian Invasions won the Oscar this year for Best Foreign Film, so there should be interest in this fine early film from the director. Highly recommended.]