The Passion of the Christ.

Produced, directed and phontographed by Philip Earnshaw, 2005 DVD 827912032352, Colour, 28 mins., $14.95 CDN 

William Kurelek, one of Canada's finest painters, painted over 160 canvases depicting The Passion of Christ According to St. Matthew. Four years after the artist's death at age 50 in 1977, a 28-minute film was produced by Toronto filmmaker Philip Earnshaw. The script was sensitively read by Canadian actor Len Cariou. As Earnshaw explained: Kurelek really painted the canvases with a film in mind.

The paintings were filmed in "camera conscious" sequence, portraying the Last Supper, the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus' betrayal by Judas and appearance before Pilate, his crucifixion, burial and resurrection.

Kurelek undertook the project over a three-year period beginning in 1960 in celebration of his own conversion from "practising atheist" to the Catholic faith. "The Passion of Christ" premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and won a Chris Plaque in 1982 at the Columbia Film Festival. It was also screened at the Vatican, a rare occurrence.

Now, with its release on DVD, Kurelek's masterpiece will be available to an entirely new audience.

To purchase, visit www.christfilm.com; or contact B. Broughton Co., Ltd., 2105 Danforth Ave., Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4C 1K1; 'phone [phone]; fax [phone].