I think the process of crucifixion, i.e. stripping, nailing, raising, etc. is more dramatic and interesting than what comes later. And yes, I think a raising scenario is more interesting when the executioner’s helpers are in the picture and it’s possible to see the contrast between them and the victim. There is a particular irony about the way the different players experience the action of that scene:
For the executioner’s helpers, the focus is entirely on getting the timber raised and inserting its base into the hole that is prepared for it. It is very heavy and clumsy to manage because so much of its weight is near the top. In addition, the weight shifts around and threatens to make them lose control of the cross. It takes all of them working together to keep the cross steady. For the moment it is of little interest that the weight which keeps shifting around is a naked girl whose wrists are nailed to the crossbeam. The helpers are used to the piercing screams of agony that begin as the cross comes up and grow more strident as it leans further toward the vertical, and these do not distract them from the work at hand.
The victim’s view of her world changes as her cross rises, rotating through ninety degrees from the expanse of sky and the faces above her to the expectant faces of the crowd before her who have come to be entertained by her suffering and humiliation. Her back arches as she instinctively pushes herself upward in a vain attempt to protect her wrists from the jolt that will come when her cross slams into the bottom of the hole. But as the cross leans more toward the vertical, her body slips downward until her weight begins to press her wounded wrists against the nails and she screams in pain and horror at what is about to happen to her. And then there is a feeling of falling as the cross begins sliding downward.
The drop lasts only about a half-second, and seems quick to the onlookers but much longer to the helpless victim. She screams wildly in panic, anticipating the coming agony. When the cross thuds against the bottom of the hole, it drives the air from her lungs. Her body is stretched, twisting as her legs flail the empty air and her mouth gapes in a silent scream. The cross settles into the hole with a forward lean that leaves the victim dangling by her wrists.
The onlookers find their voices and some shout their approval while others gaze in awed silence. The girl’s head slumps forward on her chest as she faints, her limp body swinging slowly backward and forward from her nailed wrists.
For the executioner’s helpers it is a job well done. The rest of the crucifixion is easy work and the next victim is already standing naked before her cross, watching the proceedings while she waits her turn. For the onlookers this is prime entertainment and they will enjoy watching this victim’s agonized struggles for some time before they get bored and leave. For the victim, it is only the beginning of days of agonizing torture and slow death.
the other two are among the best I#ve seen for the respective scenes.
