To scary music, a furtive Jewish nationalist of the first century paints on a wall the words Romanes Eunt Domus. A centurion enters: Centurion: What's this, then? Romanes Eunt Domus? 'People called Romanes they go the house?' Nationalist: It-it says, 'Romans, go home.' Centurion: No, it doesn't. 'Go home'? This is motion towards. Isn't it, boy? Nationalist (being savagely beaten): Ah. Ah, dative, sir! Ahh! No, not dative! Not the dative, sir! No! Ah! Oh, the...accusative! Do-mum, sir! Ah! Oooh! Ah! Centurion: Except that domus takes the..? Nationalist: The locative, sir! The scene, from "Monty Python's Life of Brian", marked the apotheosis of Latin in film-until last March. At that point Mel Gibson, star-turned-director, announced that his new film "The Passion", about the last hours of Christ, would be made entirely in Latin and Aramaic. At first, the hero of "Thunderdome" and "Lethal Weapon" did not even want subtitles. When he realised that audiences needed to know, just roughly, what the characters were saying, he reluctantly backed down.
展开▼
