diff --git a/plugin/magit.vim b/plugin/magit.vim
index 14553825d6c802f09a85d42bcf8e895a255b8f5b..8028b601e4fb88d536821f26ce159a82e01d31d6 100644
--- a/plugin/magit.vim
+++ b/plugin/magit.vim
@@ -232,16 +232,15 @@ function! s:mg_get_commit_section()
 		" refresh the COMMIT_EDITMSG file
 		if ( b:magit_current_commit_mode == 'CC' )
 			silent! call magit#sys#system_noraise("GIT_EDITOR=/bin/false " .
-						\ g:magit_git_cmd . " -c commit.verbose=no commit -e 2> /dev/null")
+						\ g:magit_git_cmd . " -c commit.verbose=no commit --cleanup=verbatim --no-status -e 2> /dev/null")
 		elseif ( b:magit_current_commit_mode == 'CA' )
 			silent! call magit#sys#system_noraise("GIT_EDITOR=/bin/false " .
-						\ g:magit_git_cmd . " -c commit.verbose=no commit --amend -e 2> /dev/null")
+						\ g:magit_git_cmd . " -c commit.verbose=no commit --cleanup=verbatim --no-status --amend -e 2> /dev/null")
 		endif
 		if ( !empty(b:magit_current_commit_msg) )
 			silent put =b:magit_current_commit_msg
 		elseif ( filereadable(git_dir . 'COMMIT_EDITMSG') )
-			let comment_char=magit#git#get_config("core.commentChar", '#')
-			let commit_msg=magit#utils#join_list(filter(readfile(git_dir . 'COMMIT_EDITMSG'), 'v:val !~ "^' . comment_char . '"'))
+			let commit_msg=readfile(git_dir . 'COMMIT_EDITMSG')
 			silent put =commit_msg
 		endif
 		silent put =''
diff --git a/syntax/magit.vim b/syntax/magit.vim
index 6225e8765c18dee7612a34798f5bdcd7c2d26e5c..3726ead52f7064d1808e179b696b550797dc6e9c 100644
--- a/syntax/magit.vim
+++ b/syntax/magit.vim
@@ -15,7 +15,9 @@ hi def link titleEntry Comment
 
 execute 'syn region commitMsg start=/' . g:magit_sections.commit . '/ end=/\%(' . g:magit_section_re . '\)\@=/ contains=titleEntry'
 execute 'syn match commitMsgExceed "\%(=\+\n\+\_^.\{' . g:magit_commit_title_limit . '}\)\@<=.*$" contained containedin=commitMsg'
+execute 'syn match commitMsgComment "^\s*#.*$" contained containedin=commitMsg'
 hi def link commitMsgExceed Comment
+hi def link commitMsgComment Comment
 
 execute 'syn match stashEntry "' . g:magit_stash_re . '"'
 hi def link stashEntry String