10 MOVIES DESIGNED TO OFFEND YOUR RELIGION (Part 2) by COOP

Movies don’t try to please everyone. Tailor-made for certain demographics, some filmmakers try to entertain or provoke discussion, knowing full well their movie will offend a particular group. The most inflammatory of these movies attempt to question taboos, rituals and customs of many of the world’s most popular religions.

Some films bolster the beliefs of certain religions either intentionally or unintentionally through offending its audience. For instance, the first “Exorcist” film which took advantage of the big “Satanism” movie genre of the 1970’s literally scared churchgoers back into the pews. Those aren’t the movies I’m talking about here.

The movies in this list fully expected and possibly depended upon offending certain religions in order to succeed. Sometimes the film in question preys upon longstanding fears and prejudices in order to make a point. Here are 10 movies designed to offend your (or someone else’s) religious beliefs (Note: The Small Town Critic does not endorse or defend any of the viewpoints these films present)…

(Continued from Part 1)

5. IN THE NAME OF BUDDHA (2002)
• Whom does it offend? – Buddhists

This award-winner was slammed for its content that portrays Buddhists in Sri Lanka as a genocidal society who engaged in ethnic warfare with the (Muslim/Christian) Tamils. While the winning side of such battles usually draws the ire of the international community for committing war crimes, demonizing a largely peaceful religion can be considered a low blow. While there are no clear villains or heroes to Westerners in this very real and tragic chapter in Sri Lanka history, Buddhists consider this film one-sided and unfairly misrepresentative of their ways.

4. THE DAVINCI CODE/ANGELS AND DEMONS (2006 & 2009)
• Whom does it offend? – Catholicism and some aspects of Christianity

This one-two punch from author Dan Brown prompted the Vatican to declare its sovereign grounds off limits to director Ron Howard while shooting these films. “The DaVinci Code” suggests that the Holy Roman Church has suppressed information about Jesus that would undermine their control and would willingly murder to keep it a secret. “Angels and Demons” further suggests the Church is also politically corrupt, needlessly dogmatic and defunct due to internal power struggles. Add a bit of sci-fi and mysticism and there’s no wonder why the Catholic Church is vexed by this franchise.

3. MARTYRS (2008)
• Whom does it offend? – Christians

This shocking French horror film (review here) starts as a bloody revenge flick then suddenly surprises viewers by turning into a philosophical thriller with a controversial religious message. The change happens halfway through and ventures into similar territory as “Frailty.” It presents the idea that the search for divinity can be paved with justifiable atrocities… that others can be sacrificed in order to obtain proof that not only does God exists, but that he rewards abominable behavior as long as it’s in his name. This very dangerous concept results in a haunting ending that’s both infuriating and thought provoking.

2. THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST (2004)
• Whom does it offend? – Judaism

Mel Gibson’s pro-Christian masterpiece of the last days of Jesus Christ did not emerge from the box office unscathed by critics. Allegations that the film portrayed Jews as villainous stereotypes prompted protests from the Jewish community far and wide. Drunken anti-Semitic remarks made by Gibson himself added additional fuel to the media firestorm. The graphic brutality inflicted upon Jesus (Jim Caviezel) at the hand of the Jews and the Roman soldiers, as portrayed in the film, elicited disgust and outrage from Christian audiences. Activists in support of Judaism say the film has ignited a resurgence of anti-Semitism in Christians across the world, a claim that some (but not all) Christians and fans of the film deny.

1. THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST (1988)
• Whom does it offend? – Christians

This Martin Scorsese picture (adapted from the famously-banned book by Kikos Kazantzakis) drew fire from Christian activists long before it appeared in the theaters. The story shows Jesus’ last days from his perspective. The crux of the controversy stemmed from the idea that Jesus was subject to human emotions and felt tempted to sin on numerous occasions, but never did despite a dream sequence which depicts him having sex with Mary Magdaline. While critics lavished the film with awards, enraged devotees still universally condemn it despite its otherwise painting the religion in a positive light. Other films have sense eclipsed it in terms of supposed “blasphemous” content, but none have equaled its unprecedented level of public outrage.

Honorable Mentions:

• “The Message” (1976) which enraged Muslims by implying the prophet Mohammed would appear in the film (fictional representations of the prophet is considered one of the religion’s highest blasphemies). Black Muslims preemptively took hostages and demanded the film never be shown. The hoopla died down when filmmakers revealed Mohammed was never intended to appear in the film and critics panned the movie.
• “The Pope Must Die(t)!” (1991) was blasted by the Catholic Church when the word “Die!” in the title implied that the Pope should be assassinated, despite the film obvious comedic nature of the film. The controversy cooled, yet remained as the studio added the “t” to the word, which simply suggested the Pope should lose weight.
• “The Life of Brian” (1979) was a box office hit banned by several European nations and was even condemned by rabbis. It depicts a guy who gets misidentified as Jesus and endures misadventures including full-frontal nudity.

It’s a distinct possibility that I missed mentioning a film or have included inaccurate (if not non-biased) information. I welcome any constructive responses to this article.

-Coop

Click here to read Part 1!

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