The Last Temptation of Christ
At last, Martin Scorsese's most personal masterpiece can be viewed outside of the controversy it engendered, and seen for what it is: A 15 year labor of love. Nikos Kazantzakis' landmark novel comes to breathtaking life in this moving and spiritual film. The all-star cast includes Harvey Keitel, Barbara Hershey, Harry Dean Stanton, David Bowie, and Willem Dafoe as Jesus. Criterion is proud to present this cinematic treasure in an exclusive director approved special edition.
Member Reviews
A true classic - Poet
This movie seems like it took a lot of hard work from all involved in its making. It also requires some hard work for the viewer. It requires attention for close to three hours, which is hard in this day and age.
But, the acting and directing are so great that it didn't feel like a chore to me. I found the whole thing quite interesting. I must admit that anything that will offend overly religious people tend to please me.An Extraordinarily Powerful Portrayal Of A Familiar Story - revsdd
If memory serves, this movie stirred great anger among the fundamentalist Christian community when it was released (and, presumably, still does.) As an aside to those who like to caricature Christians, it might be worth noting that fundamentalist Christians represent only a small portion of those who would claim the name "Christian," but they do get a disproportionate amount of attention - as do ultra-liberal Christians for that matter. As a Christian (non-fundamentalist, non ultra-liberal, non-extremist and quite mainstream; as one who accepts both the divinity and sacrifice of Jesus and the truth of the Scriptures) I found this movie to be both quite moving and very challenging. As is pointed out in a disclaimer at the movie's beginning, the story is not based on the Gospels (except very loosely in the sense that many of the scenes in the Gospels are included, up to and including the crucifixion) but rather is a representation of the spiritual journey of Nikos Kazantzakis, the writer of the novel on which this movie is based.
Hats off to Willem Dafoe for his portrayal of Jesus. I've never really been a huge fan of Dafoe, but thought he nailed this part perfectly. Harvey Keitel presented an equally fascinating portrayal of Judas Iscariot. Another performance worth mentioning is that of Juliette Caton - the young actress who portrayed Satan pretending to be Jesus' guardian angel sent to take him off the cross. She was quite good in the role (and presented, to me, a convincing portrayal of Satan as unthreatening, innocent, concerned.) I've never seen her in anything else, but based on this one performance, I'm surprised her acting career doesn't seem to have gone much farther.
What more is to say. This is a superb movie that both challenges and deepens faith if it's understood properly. It's better than "The Passion Of The Christ." It's a superb movie that flies by and that keeps you glued to the screen from start to finish.A Must See - Dario
This story portrays Jesus as a man first and the son of God second. This movie takes that approach head on. Jesus hears voices in his head and doesnt know what they are, is he crazy? are they God? As a human, it is only natural to be confused. The main part that upset many people has to do with Jesus begging to be saved and finding out he is not the son of God and lives a normal life, until he realizes he really is and returns to the cross. Many people disbelieve Jesus would have those thoughts, but as a man, it is natural for him to think that. Take this movie as you will, but keep an open mind.
Member Reviews
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A true classic - Poet
This movie seems like it took a lot of hard work from all involved in its making. It also requires some hard work for the viewer. It requires attention for close to three hours, which is hard in this day and age.
But, the acting and directing are so ...An Extraordinarily Powerful Portrayal Of A Familiar Story - revsdd
If memory serves, this movie stirred great anger among the fundamentalist Christian community when it was released (and, presumably, still does.) As an aside to those who like to caricature Christians, it might be worth noting that fundamentalist Christians ...A Must See - Dario
This story portrays Jesus as a man first and the son of God second. This movie takes that approach head on. Jesus hears voices in his head and doesnt know what they are, is he crazy? are they God? As a human, it is only natural to be confused. The main part ...