Ok, the movie had decent production values, but it was a horrible film. Loved the whipping scene, however. I know people who would pay big dollars to have someone do that to them.

I was reading through the posts and I noticed one from Tiamo mentioning the shroud of Turin. It has been a bit since I have seen the movie, but I do not remember the shroud being shown in the movie.

Were you mistaking the shroud of Turin for the shawl of St. Veronica? In the movie, when Jesus falls down carrying the cross to the mount, Veronica wipes his face with her shawl and his face is translated to the shawl. Mel put in his research to have added that to the mix.

Still, I am not a fan of the movie.

Oh, and for the record, beards worn by Jewish men have nothing to do with marriage. It is an issue of the interpretation of commandments and to certain Chassidim, a relation to Kabbalistic learning. When I was Chassidic, I grew my beard at the age of 13.