The Body (2001)
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | The Body |
| Original title | The Body |
| Country of production | USA , Israel |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 2001 |
| length | 105 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 12 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Jonas McCord |
| script | Jonas McCord |
| production | Rudy Cohen |
| music | Serge Colbert |
| camera | Vilmos Zsigmond |
| cut |
Alain Jakubowicz , Lesley Walker |
| occupation | |
| |
The Body (alternative title: The Mysterious Grave ) is an American - Israeli thriller from 2001 . Directed by Jonas McCord , who also wrote the screenplay based on a novel by Richard Sapir .
action
During construction work on the property of the Palestinian merchant Hamid, the grave of a rich man from the first century is discovered in Jerusalem . When the archaeologist Sharon Golban found traces of a crucifixion on the bones , a surprising suspicion arises: since otherwise only criminals and poor people were killed in this way, the dead person could be Jesus Christ . This news is causing great unrest in the city, which is beset by the quarrel between religions and the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians . The Vatican , informed by the archaeologist and priest Lavelle, fears for the foundation of the Christian religion if it should prove that Christ was not risen .
Cardinal Pesci instructs Father Matt Gutierrez to investigate the case. Gutierrez worked as a soldier and in the intelligence community before joining the Church. Now he and Golban are looking for evidence of the corpse's identity. The more clues appear, the more ambiguous the order for the priest is. He wonders whether to trust the scientific facts or his Christian faith. This puts a strain on his personal relationship with the archaeologist.
The investigations are made more difficult by attacks by Palestinians who want to prevent Israel from blackmailing the Catholic Church for their own benefit. The situation came to a head when a forensic doctor found clear evidence of Jesus Christ during the autopsy of the body. According to his analysis, it is a man around 30 years old who worked as a carpenter and was crucified. The laboratory confirms the appropriate year of death. Gutierrez doubts his belief and feels responsible for lavelle committing suicide. The Palestinians kidnap Golban's children and force them to hand over the bones. In a shootout, the skeleton is destroyed by a hand grenade ; Golban and Gutierrez are injured.
When Gutierrez returns to the Vatican, he complains to Pesci that he was only used to cover up the identity of the corpse. In his opinion, the Vatican wanted to suppress any reference to Jesus Christ. Therefore Gutierrez ended his work as a priest and devoted himself to his personal faith.
Reviews
Kevin Thomas wrote in the Los Angeles Times on April 20, 2001 that the film was a reminder of the number of "lousy" formulaic thrillers made in Jerusalem. He is a "dud". The director trivializes the film and makes it unbelievable; the end is predictable. Olivia Williams appears colorless, especially on Banderas' side.
The lexicon of international films wrote that the film was "an insignificant mystery thriller full of inconsistencies, which at best stands out due to its inability in all respects and its immature story".
Awards
The film received the MovieGuide Award in 2002 .
backgrounds
The film was shot in Jerusalem , Tel Aviv-Jaffa and several other locations in Israel . It grossed around US $ 34,000 in selected US cinemas . In Spain around 3.1 million euros were raised.
Web links
- The Body in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- The Body at Rotten Tomatoes (English)
- The Body at Metacritic (English)
- The Body in the German dubbing file