| Mary | |
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Film poster |
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| Directed by | Abel Ferrara |
| Produced by | Roberto De Nigris David Hausen Fernando Sulichin |
| Written by | Abel Ferrara Mario Isabella Simone Lageoles Scott Pardo |
| Starring | Juliette Binoche Forest Whitaker Marion Cotillard Matthew Modine Heather Graham Victoria Justice |
| Music by | Francis Kuipers |
| Cinematography | Stefano Falivene |
| Editing by | Patrizio Marone Adam Mcclelland Fabio Nunziata Langdon Page Julia Ruell |
| Studio | Central Films |
| Distributed by | Pan Europeene (France) IFC Films (USA) |
| Running time | 94 minutes |
| Country | Italy France United States |
| Language | English Hebrew French |
Mary is a 2005 drama thriller film, written and directed by American director Abel Ferrara. The film stars Juliette Binoche, Forest Whitaker, Marion Cotillard, Matthew Modine and Heather Graham.
The film premiered at the 2005 Venice Film Festival where it won the Special Jury Prize as well as 3 smaller awards. The film also played at the 2005 Toronto Film Festival, Deauville Film Festival and San Sebastián International Film Festival.
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Following the shooting of a film on the life of Jesus called This Is My Blood, Marie Palesi (Juliette Binoche), the actress who plays Mary Magdalene takes refuge in Jerusalem in search of the truth behind the myth.
The director of the film, Tony Childress (Matthew Modine), who also plays Jesus, can think of only one thing: self promotion.
In New York, television journalist Ted Younger (Forest Whitaker) presents a programme about the life of Jesus.
One of the central concerns of Mary is the examination of the feminine within the Catholic tradition. Like The Da Vinci Code the film puts forward the theory that Mary Magdalene is much more significant than the Catholic Gospels would suggest. However while The Da Vinci Code suggests that Mary Magdalene was the lover or wife of Jesus, Ferrara's film presents the theory that she was in fact one of the disciples and a trusted confidante of Christ.
Mary presents three narrative threads which represent the three elements of the Holy Trinity.
Marie Palesi on her spiritual quest and her relationship with Mary Magdalene represents The Holy Spirit.
Ted Younger, whose wife has just given birth, represents The Holy Father.
Tony Childress (literally Childress) represents The Holy Son.
Screens play an important part in Mary. Each of the three main protagonists are involved in the moving image. Marie Palesi is an actress. Tony Childress is a director and actor, while Ted Younger presents a religious TV programme. Ferrera presents constant images of cinema and TV screens. Younger watches constant images of violence from the middle east. He is presented as being somewhat separated from reality, engaging through screens of different sorts. New York is seen only through his car window, he gazes at his baby son through the glass of an incubator and looks at his wife's reflection in a mirror.
Upon its release Mary immediately divided critics and viewers alike.
The original soundtrack was written by Francis Kuipers.
Recorded at Herzog Studios, Rome (Italy)
The French poster for Mary features a woman praying at an altar. The image was taken in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. The film was the first film to be allowed film in the actual church.
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