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The Last Temptation of Christ (film)
Encyclopedia
The Last Temptation of Christ is a 1988 drama film
directed by Martin Scorsese
. It is a film adaptation
of the controversial 1953 novel of the same name
by Nikos Kazantzakis
. It stars Willem Dafoe
as Jesus Christ, Harvey Keitel
as Judas Iscariot
, Barbara Hershey
as Mary Magdalene
, David Bowie
as Pontius Pilate
, and Harry Dean Stanton
as Paul
. The film was shot entirely in Morocco
.
Like the novel, the film depicts the life of Jesus Christ and his struggle with various forms of temptation
including fear, doubt, depression, reluctance and lust. This results in the book and film depicting Christ being tempted by imagining himself engaged in sexual activities, a notion that has caused outrage from some Christian
s. The movie includes a disclaimer explaining that it departs from the commonly-accepted Biblical
portrayal of Jesus' life, and that it is not based upon the Gospels.
Scorsese received an Academy Award nomination for Best Director, and Hershey's performance as Mary Magdalene earned her a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress nomination.
." Jesus of Nazareth
(Willem Dafoe
) is a carpenter
in Roman
-occupied Judea
. He is torn between himself as a man and his knowledge that God has a plan for him. This conflict results in self loathing, and he collaborates to construct crosses used to crucify Jewish revolutionaries, an act that brands him a traitor in the eyes of his fellow Israelites.
Judas Iscariot
(Harvey Keitel
) belongs to a nationalistic splinter faction which wishes to revolt against Roman rule. Originally sent with orders to kill Jesus for being a collaborator, Judas instead comes to suspect that Jesus is actually the Messiah
and asks him to lead a revolution against the Romans. Jesus tries to tell Judas that his message is love, that love of mankind is the highest virtue that God wants. Judas joins Jesus in his ministry, but warns Jesus that he will kill him if he strays from his obligations as a revolutionary. Jesus also has an undisclosed prior relationship with Mary Magdalene
(Barbara Hershey
), a Jewish prostitute
. Mary asks Jesus to stay with her, a request that he considers seriously before deciding to leave for a monastic community. Jesus later saves Mary from an angry mob which has gathered to stone
her for the crimes of prostitution and working on the sabbath
. Jesus persuades them to spare her life—instructing "he who is without sin [to] cast the first stone"—and instead preaches to the crowd using many of the parable
s from the Sermon on the Mount
.
Jesus soon acquires a following of disciples
, but during this time he remains uncertain of his role and status as Messiah. He travels with his disciples to visit John the Baptist
who has already heard of Jesus' reputation. John baptizes
Jesus, and that night the two discuss their differing theologies and political views. John believes that one must first gain freedom from the Romans before the world of God is declared, while Jesus maintains that love is more important and people should tend to matters of the spirit. Jesus then resolves to go off into the desert to see if God really speaks to him. While in the desert, Jesus is tempted three times by Satan
(Leo Marks
). He resists each of these temptations and instead envisions himself with an axe chopping down an apple tree. Jesus then appears as a vision to his waiting disciples where he seems to rip out his own heart and invites them to follow him. With newfound courage as the Messiah, he proceeds to perform many signs and wonders such as restoring sight to a blind man, turning water into wine, and raising Lazarus
(Tomas Arana
) from the dead.
Eventually his ministry reaches Jerusalem. Jesus is outraged by the money changers in the temple and throws them out. He even leads a small army to try to retake the temple by force, but instead halts on the steps and begins bleeding
from his hands. This convinces him that violence is not the right path and that he must die in order to bring salvation to mankind. Confiding in Judas, he asks his best friend and strongest disciple to turn him in to the Roman guards, something that Judas does not want to do. Nevertheless, Jesus implores that this is the only way and a weeping Judas acquiesces. Jesus convenes his disciples for Passover seder
, an event which later comes to be known as the Last Supper
. After the meal, Judas leads a contingent of soldiers to arrest Jesus while he is praying in the garden of Gethsemane
, identifying him with a kiss. In the struggle to defend his master, Peter
(Victor Argo
) cuts off the ear of Malchus
; however, Jesus performs the miracle of reattaching it and turns himself over to the soldiers' custody. Pontius Pilate
(David Bowie
) confronts Jesus and tells him that he must be put to death because he represents a threat against the status quo, that being the authority of the Roman Empire
. Jesus is subsequently flogged
and a crown of thorns is placed on his head. He then proceeds to Golgotha where he is crucified
naked.
While on the cross, Jesus sees and talks to a young girl who claims to be his guardian angel
. She tells him that he is neither the Son of God nor the Messiah, but that God loves him, is pleased with him, and wants him to be happy. She brings him down off the cross and leads him away while the jeering onlookers seem not to notice. The angel takes him to be with Mary Magdalene, and the newly married couple make love. They are soon expecting a child and living an idyllic life. One day, however, Mary abruptly dies in their home, and a sobbing Jesus is consoled by his angel who says that God has sent for her and that all women are "Mary", thus he takes both Mary
and Martha
, the sisters of Lazarus, for his wives. He starts a family with them, having many children, and lives his life in peace. Jesus is next seen as an older man who encounters the apostle Paul preaching about the Messiah—that is, about "Jesus"—and he tries to tell Paul that he is the man about whom Paul has been preaching. Paul (who in this film has slain the resurrected Lazarus in his earlier life as Saul) repudiates him, saying that even if Jesus hadn't died in the cross, his message was the truth, and nothing would stop him from proclaiming that. Jesus debates him, claiming that salvation cannot be founded on lies.
Nearing the end of his life, an elderly Jesus calls upon his former disciples to attend him at his deathbed. Peter, Nathaniel, and a scarred John
all visit their master as Jerusalem is in the throes of rebellion. Judas comes last and denounces Jesus as a traitor. He reveals that the youthful angel who released Jesus from the crucifixion is in fact Satan who has been tempting him into this alternate life of comfort as a mortal man. Jesus at last understands and accepts that he must die to bring salvation to mankind. Crawling back through the burning city of Jerusalem, he reaches the site of his crucifixion and begs God to let him fulfill his purpose and to "let him be God's son."
Jesus instantly awakens from his reverie and finds himself once more on the cross, having overcome the "last temptation" of escaping death, being married and raising a family, and the ensuing disaster that would have consequently encompassed mankind. Naked and bloody, Jesus cries out in ecstasy as he dies, "It is accomplished!", and the screen flickers to white.
had wanted to make a film version
of Jesus' life since childhood. Scorsese optioned the novel The Last Temptation in the late 1970s, and he gave it to Paul Schrader
to adapt. The Last Temptation was originally to be Scorsese's follow-up to The King of Comedy
; production was slated to begin in 1983 for Paramount
, with a budget of about $14 million and shot on location in Israel
. The original cast included Aidan Quinn
as Jesus, Sting as Pontius Pilate, Ray Davies
as Judas Iscariot, and Vanity
as Mary Magdalene. Management at Paramount and its parent company, Gulf + Western grew uneasy due to the ballooning budget for the picture and protest letters received from religious groups. The project went into turnaround
and was finally canceled in December 1983. Scorsese went on to make After Hours
instead.
In 1986, Universal Studios
became interested in the project. Scorsese offered to shoot the film in 58 days for $7 million, and Universal greenlight
ed the production. Critic and screenwriter Jay Cocks
worked with Scorsese to revise Schrader's script. Aidan Quinn
passed on the role of Jesus, and Scorsese recast Willem Dafoe in the part. Sting also passed on the role of Pilate, with the role being recast with David Bowie. Principal photography
began in October 1987. The location shoot in Morocco (a first for Scorsese) was difficult, and the difficulties were compounded by the hurried schedule. "We worked in a state of emergency," Scorsese recalled. Scenes had to be improvised and worked out on the set with little deliberation, leading Scorsese to develop a minimalist aesthetic for the film. Shooting wrapped by December 25.
The film opened on August 12, 1988.
s" and is "fictional".
One of the dominant sources of controversy stems from an "alternate reality" near the end of the movie in which Jesus is depicted as marrying Mary Magdalene
instead of dying on the cross
. A brief scene of the married couple making love is shown, which sparked the anger of many protesters. However, the controversies are actually all part of an "alternate reality" dream sequence provoked by this, the last temptation of Christ.
The rationale behind this scene is that embracing his full humanity represents the true last temptation of Christ; that is, the temptation to forego the cross and lead a life of a normal man, free from the burden of being crucified and of being the salvation of mankind. In the image of a beautiful, androgynous child, Satan suggests to Jesus that there is no real reason to die, and that he should come down from the cross and lead a normal human life, telling Jesus he is in fact not the Messiah. In this dreamscape, Jesus leads a real life, marries and raises a family, and lives through many other experiences that would be considered part of a normal human existence.
As Jesus nears the end of life in this dream sequence, his most devoted disciple, Judas Iscariot
, awakens him to the truth of what is happening—that is, this whole dream sequence is really a trick of Satan, and is in fact Jesus Christ's last temptation. Judas calls Jesus a traitor, and Jesus finally realizes he has abandoned his duty to be crucified and to be the salvation of mankind. Seeing that he has been tempted into a dream of living a man’s life and dying a peaceful death, Jesus crawls out into the streets of Jerusalem as it burns with the fires of the Jewish Rebellion, and begs God to return him to his crucifixion, finally rejecting Satan’s offering. At that point, he awakens from his dream and proclaims his dying words, "It is accomplished."
Other controversial factors in the film include Jesus's vocation as a builder of crosses for the Romans
, kissing other men on the lips, being tormented by the voice of God, lamenting the many sins that he believes he has committed, using the divine name in the form Jehovah
, and, not least, concluding the film with crucifixion rather than resurrection.
.
In some countries, including Turkey
, Mexico
, Chile
, and Argentina
, the film was banned or censored for several years. As of July 2010, the movie continues to be banned in the Philippines
and Singapore
.
s inside the Paris
ian Saint Michel movie theater while it was showing the film. This attack injured thirteen people, four of whom were severely burned. The Saint Michel theater was heavily damaged, and reopened 3 years later after restoration. Following the attack, a representative of the film's distributor, United International Pictures
, said, "The opponents of the film have largely won. They have massacred the film's success, and they have scared the public." Jack Lang
, France's Minister of Culture
, went to the St.-Michel theater after the fire, and said, "Freedom of speech is threatened, and we must not be intimidated by such acts." The Archbishop of Paris
, Jean-Marie Cardinal Lustiger
, said "One doesn't have the right to shock the sensibilities of millions of people for whom Jesus is more important than their father or mother." However, after the fire he condemned the attack, saying, "You don't behave as Christians but as enemies of Christ. From the Christian point of view, one doesn't defend Christ with arms. Christ himself forbade it." The leader of Christian Solidarity, a Roman Catholic group that had promised to stop the film from being shown, said, "We will not hesitate to go to prison if it is necessary."
The attack was subsequently blamed on a Christian fundamentalist group linked to Bernard Antony, a representative of the far-right National Front to the European Parliament
in Strasbourg
, and the excommunicated
followers of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre
. Lefebvre had been excommunicated from the Catholic Church on July 2, 1988. Similar attacks against theatres included graffiti, setting off tear-gas canisters and stink bombs, and assaulting filmgoers. At least nine people believed to be members of the Catholic fundamentalist group were arrested. Rene Remond, a historian, said of the Catholic far-right, "It is the toughest component of the National Front and it is motivated more by religion than by politics. It has a coherent political philosophy that has not changed for 200 years: it is the rejection of the revolution, of the republic and of modernism."
, who gave the film four out of four stars, writes that Scorsese and screenwriter Paul Schrader
"paid Christ the compliment of taking him and his message seriously, and they have made a film that does not turn him into a garish, emasculated image from a religious postcard. Here he is flesh and blood, struggling, questioning, asking himself and his father which is the right way, and finally, after great suffering, earning the right to say, on the cross, 'It is accomplished.' Ebert later included the film in his list of "Great Movies".
Writers at NNDB
claim that "Paul Schrader's screenplay and Willem Dafoe's performance made perhaps the most honestly Christ-like portrayal of Jesus ever filmed."
On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes
, the picture has been given a "Fresh" rating of 83%, with an average rating of 7.6 out of 10 as of December 2010.
, composed by Peter Gabriel
, received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Original Score - Motion Picture
in 1988 and was released on CD with the title Passion: Music for The Last Temptation of Christ
, which won a Grammy in 1990 for Best New Age Album. The film's score itself helped to popularize world music
. Gabriel compiled
additional material by various musicians as Passion - Sources
.
Various vocal samples of Willem Dafoe
as Jesus were used in the single "The Prophet" by C. J. Bolland
. The track was released in 1997 and was a worldwide dance club hit.
The sound byte of Jesus crying, "Father, why have you forsaken me?" during the crucifixion is used as the introduction to the album Once Upon the Cross by the band Deicide
.
series it has received deluxe treatment on DVD and Laserdisc. This includes a commentary track in which Scorsese mentions his frustration at Blockbuster Video not putting the movie on its shelves.
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
directed by Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorsese
Martin Charles Scorsese is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film historian. In 1990 he founded The Film Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to film preservation, and in 2007 he founded the World Cinema Foundation...
. It is a film adaptation
Film adaptation
Film adaptation is the transfer of a written work to a feature film. It is a type of derivative work.A common form of film adaptation is the use of a novel as the basis of a feature film, but film adaptation includes the use of non-fiction , autobiography, comic book, scripture, plays, and even...
of the controversial 1953 novel of the same name
The Last Temptation of Christ
The Last Temptation of Christ is a novel written by Nikos Kazantzakis, first published in 1953. It was first published in English in 1960. It follows the life of Jesus Christ from his perspective...
by Nikos Kazantzakis
Nikos Kazantzakis
Nikos Kazantzakis was a Greek writer and philosopher, celebrated for his novel Zorba the Greek, considered his magnum opus...
. It stars Willem Dafoe
Willem Dafoe
Willem Dafoe is an American film, stage, and voice actor, and a founding member of the experimental theatre company The Wooster Group...
as Jesus Christ, Harvey Keitel
Harvey Keitel
Harvey Keitel is an American actor. Some of his most notable starring roles were in Martin Scorsese's Mean Streets and Taxi Driver, Ridley Scott's The Duellists and Thelma and Louise, Ettore Scola's That Night in Varennes, Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, Jane Campion's The...
as Judas Iscariot
Judas Iscariot
Judas Iscariot was, according to the New Testament, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. He is best known for his betrayal of Jesus to the hands of the chief priests for 30 pieces of silver.-Etymology:...
, Barbara Hershey
Barbara Hershey
Barbara Hershey , also known as Barbara Seagull, is an American actress. In a career spanning nearly 50 years, she has played a variety of roles on television and in cinema, in several genres including westerns and comedies...
as Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene was one of Jesus' most celebrated disciples, and the most important woman disciple in the movement of Jesus. Jesus cleansed her of "seven demons", conventionally interpreted as referring to complex illnesses...
, David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
as Pontius Pilate
Pontius Pilate
Pontius Pilatus , known in the English-speaking world as Pontius Pilate , was the fifth Prefect of the Roman province of Judaea, from AD 26–36. He is best known as the judge at Jesus' trial and the man who authorized the crucifixion of Jesus...
, and Harry Dean Stanton
Harry Dean Stanton
Harry Dean Stanton is an American actor, musician, and singer. Stanton's career has spanned over fifty years, which has seen him star in such films as Paris, Texas, Kelly's Heroes, Dillinger, Alien, Repo Man, The Last Temptation of Christ, Wild at Heart, The Green Mile and The Pledge...
as Paul
Paul of Tarsus
Paul the Apostle , also known as Saul of Tarsus, is described in the Christian New Testament as one of the most influential early Christian missionaries, with the writings ascribed to him by the church forming a considerable portion of the New Testament...
. The film was shot entirely in Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
.
Like the novel, the film depicts the life of Jesus Christ and his struggle with various forms of temptation
Temptation
A temptation is an act that looks appealing to an individual. It is usually used to describe acts with negative connotations and as such, tends to lead a person to regret such actions, for various reasons: legal, social, psychological , health, economic, etc...
including fear, doubt, depression, reluctance and lust. This results in the book and film depicting Christ being tempted by imagining himself engaged in sexual activities, a notion that has caused outrage from some Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
s. The movie includes a disclaimer explaining that it departs from the commonly-accepted Biblical
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
portrayal of Jesus' life, and that it is not based upon the Gospels.
Scorsese received an Academy Award nomination for Best Director, and Hershey's performance as Mary Magdalene earned her a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress nomination.
Plot
The film begins with a man whispering in despair, "The feeling begins. Very tender, very loving. Then the pain starts. Claws slip underneath the skin and tear their way up. Just before they reach my eyes, they dig in. And I remember. First I fasted for three months. I even whipped myself before I went to sleep. At first it worked. Then the pain came back. And the voices. They call me by the name: JesusJesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
." Jesus of Nazareth
Nazareth
Nazareth is the largest city in the North District of Israel. Known as "the Arab capital of Israel," the population is made up predominantly of Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel...
(Willem Dafoe
Willem Dafoe
Willem Dafoe is an American film, stage, and voice actor, and a founding member of the experimental theatre company The Wooster Group...
) is a carpenter
Carpentry
A carpenter is a skilled craftsperson who works with timber to construct, install and maintain buildings, furniture, and other objects. The work, known as carpentry, may involve manual labor and work outdoors....
in Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
-occupied Judea
Judea
Judea or Judæa was the name of the mountainous southern part of the historic Land of Israel from the 8th century BCE to the 2nd century CE, when Roman Judea was renamed Syria Palaestina following the Jewish Bar Kokhba revolt.-Etymology:The...
. He is torn between himself as a man and his knowledge that God has a plan for him. This conflict results in self loathing, and he collaborates to construct crosses used to crucify Jewish revolutionaries, an act that brands him a traitor in the eyes of his fellow Israelites.
Judas Iscariot
Judas Iscariot
Judas Iscariot was, according to the New Testament, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. He is best known for his betrayal of Jesus to the hands of the chief priests for 30 pieces of silver.-Etymology:...
(Harvey Keitel
Harvey Keitel
Harvey Keitel is an American actor. Some of his most notable starring roles were in Martin Scorsese's Mean Streets and Taxi Driver, Ridley Scott's The Duellists and Thelma and Louise, Ettore Scola's That Night in Varennes, Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, Jane Campion's The...
) belongs to a nationalistic splinter faction which wishes to revolt against Roman rule. Originally sent with orders to kill Jesus for being a collaborator, Judas instead comes to suspect that Jesus is actually the Messiah
Messiah
A messiah is a redeemer figure expected or foretold in one form or another by a religion. Slightly more widely, a messiah is any redeemer figure. Messianic beliefs or theories generally relate to eschatological improvement of the state of humanity or the world, in other words the World to...
and asks him to lead a revolution against the Romans. Jesus tries to tell Judas that his message is love, that love of mankind is the highest virtue that God wants. Judas joins Jesus in his ministry, but warns Jesus that he will kill him if he strays from his obligations as a revolutionary. Jesus also has an undisclosed prior relationship with Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene was one of Jesus' most celebrated disciples, and the most important woman disciple in the movement of Jesus. Jesus cleansed her of "seven demons", conventionally interpreted as referring to complex illnesses...
(Barbara Hershey
Barbara Hershey
Barbara Hershey , also known as Barbara Seagull, is an American actress. In a career spanning nearly 50 years, she has played a variety of roles on television and in cinema, in several genres including westerns and comedies...
), a Jewish prostitute
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
. Mary asks Jesus to stay with her, a request that he considers seriously before deciding to leave for a monastic community. Jesus later saves Mary from an angry mob which has gathered to stone
Stoning
Stoning, or lapidation, is a form of capital punishment whereby a group throws stones at a person until the person dies. No individual among the group can be identified as the one who kills the subject, yet everyone involved plainly bears some degree of moral culpability. This is in contrast to the...
her for the crimes of prostitution and working on the sabbath
Shabbat
Shabbat is the seventh day of the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. Shabbat is observed from a few minutes before sunset on Friday evening until a few minutes after when one would expect to be able to see three stars in the sky on Saturday night. The exact times, therefore, differ from...
. Jesus persuades them to spare her life—instructing "he who is without sin [to] cast the first stone"—and instead preaches to the crowd using many of the parable
Parable
A parable is a succinct story, in prose or verse, which illustrates one or more instructive principles, or lessons, or a normative principle. It differs from a fable in that fables use animals, plants, inanimate objects, and forces of nature as characters, while parables generally feature human...
s from the Sermon on the Mount
Sermon on the Mount
The Sermon on the Mount is a collection of sayings and teachings of Jesus, which emphasizes his moral teaching found in the Gospel of Matthew...
.
Jesus soon acquires a following of disciples
Disciple (Christianity)
In Christianity, the disciples were the students of Jesus during his ministry. While Jesus attracted a large following, the term disciple is commonly used to refer specifically to "the Twelve", an inner circle of men whose number perhaps represented the twelve tribes of Israel...
, but during this time he remains uncertain of his role and status as Messiah. He travels with his disciples to visit John the Baptist
John the Baptist
John the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
who has already heard of Jesus' reputation. John baptizes
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
Jesus, and that night the two discuss their differing theologies and political views. John believes that one must first gain freedom from the Romans before the world of God is declared, while Jesus maintains that love is more important and people should tend to matters of the spirit. Jesus then resolves to go off into the desert to see if God really speaks to him. While in the desert, Jesus is tempted three times by Satan
Satan
Satan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...
(Leo Marks
Leo Marks
Leopold Samuel Marks was an English cryptographer, screenwriter and playwright.-Early life:Born the son of an antiquarian bookseller in London, he was first introduced to cryptography when his father showed him a copy of Edgar Allan Poe's story, "The Gold-Bug"...
). He resists each of these temptations and instead envisions himself with an axe chopping down an apple tree. Jesus then appears as a vision to his waiting disciples where he seems to rip out his own heart and invites them to follow him. With newfound courage as the Messiah, he proceeds to perform many signs and wonders such as restoring sight to a blind man, turning water into wine, and raising Lazarus
Lazarus of Bethany
Lazarus of Bethany, also known as Saint Lazarus or Lazarus of the Four Days, is the subject of a prominent miracle attributed to Jesus in the Gospel of John, in which Jesus restores him to life four days after his death...
(Tomas Arana
Tomas Arana
-Life and career:Arana was born in Auburn, California. He grew up in San Francisco and studied classical theatre at the prestigious American Conservatory Theater and at the City College of San Francisco. Afterwards he relocated to New York and acted in off-Broadway productions...
) from the dead.
Eventually his ministry reaches Jerusalem. Jesus is outraged by the money changers in the temple and throws them out. He even leads a small army to try to retake the temple by force, but instead halts on the steps and begins bleeding
Stigmata
Stigmata are bodily marks, sores, or sensations of pain in locations corresponding to the crucifixion wounds of Jesus, such as the hands and feet...
from his hands. This convinces him that violence is not the right path and that he must die in order to bring salvation to mankind. Confiding in Judas, he asks his best friend and strongest disciple to turn him in to the Roman guards, something that Judas does not want to do. Nevertheless, Jesus implores that this is the only way and a weeping Judas acquiesces. Jesus convenes his disciples for Passover seder
Passover Seder
The Passover Seder is a Jewish ritual feast that marks the beginning of the Jewish holiday of Passover. It is conducted on the evenings of the 14th day of Nisan in the Hebrew calendar, and on the 15th by traditionally observant Jews living outside Israel. This corresponds to late March or April in...
, an event which later comes to be known as the Last Supper
Last Supper
The Last Supper is the final meal that, according to Christian belief, Jesus shared with his Twelve Apostles in Jerusalem before his crucifixion. The Last Supper provides the scriptural basis for the Eucharist, also known as "communion" or "the Lord's Supper".The First Epistle to the Corinthians is...
. After the meal, Judas leads a contingent of soldiers to arrest Jesus while he is praying in the garden of Gethsemane
Gethsemane
Gethsemane is a garden at the foot of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem most famous as the place where, according to Biblical texts, Jesus and his disciples are said to have prayed the night before Jesus' crucifixion.- Etymology :...
, identifying him with a kiss. In the struggle to defend his master, Peter
Saint Peter
Saint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...
(Victor Argo
Victor Argo
Victor Argo was a Puerto Rican - American actor who usually played the part of a tough bad guy in his movies.-Early years:...
) cuts off the ear of Malchus
Malchus
In the Gospel of John in the New Testament of the Bible, Malchus is the servant of the Jewish High Priest, Caiaphas, who participated in the arrest of Jesus...
; however, Jesus performs the miracle of reattaching it and turns himself over to the soldiers' custody. Pontius Pilate
Pontius Pilate
Pontius Pilatus , known in the English-speaking world as Pontius Pilate , was the fifth Prefect of the Roman province of Judaea, from AD 26–36. He is best known as the judge at Jesus' trial and the man who authorized the crucifixion of Jesus...
(David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
) confronts Jesus and tells him that he must be put to death because he represents a threat against the status quo, that being the authority of the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
. Jesus is subsequently flogged
Flagellation
Flagellation or flogging is the act of methodically beating or whipping the human body. Specialised implements for it include rods, switches, the cat o' nine tails and the sjambok...
and a crown of thorns is placed on his head. He then proceeds to Golgotha where he is crucified
Death and Resurrection of Jesus
The Christian belief in the resurrection of Jesus states that Jesus returned to bodily life on the third day following his death by crucifixion. It is a key element of Christian faith and theology and part of the Nicene Creed: "On the third day he rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures"...
naked.
While on the cross, Jesus sees and talks to a young girl who claims to be his guardian angel
Angel
Angels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...
. She tells him that he is neither the Son of God nor the Messiah, but that God loves him, is pleased with him, and wants him to be happy. She brings him down off the cross and leads him away while the jeering onlookers seem not to notice. The angel takes him to be with Mary Magdalene, and the newly married couple make love. They are soon expecting a child and living an idyllic life. One day, however, Mary abruptly dies in their home, and a sobbing Jesus is consoled by his angel who says that God has sent for her and that all women are "Mary", thus he takes both Mary
Mary, sister of Lazarus
Mary of Bethany is a biblical figure described in the Gospels of John and Luke in the Christian New Testament...
and Martha
Martha
Martha of Bethany is a biblical figure described in the Gospels of Luke and John. Together with her siblings Lazarus and Mary, she is described as living in the village of Bethany near Jerusalem...
, the sisters of Lazarus, for his wives. He starts a family with them, having many children, and lives his life in peace. Jesus is next seen as an older man who encounters the apostle Paul preaching about the Messiah—that is, about "Jesus"—and he tries to tell Paul that he is the man about whom Paul has been preaching. Paul (who in this film has slain the resurrected Lazarus in his earlier life as Saul) repudiates him, saying that even if Jesus hadn't died in the cross, his message was the truth, and nothing would stop him from proclaiming that. Jesus debates him, claiming that salvation cannot be founded on lies.
Nearing the end of his life, an elderly Jesus calls upon his former disciples to attend him at his deathbed. Peter, Nathaniel, and a scarred John
John the Apostle
John the Apostle, John the Apostle, John the Apostle, (Aramaic Yoħanna, (c. 6 - c. 100) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He was the son of Zebedee and Salome, and brother of James, another of the Twelve Apostles...
all visit their master as Jerusalem is in the throes of rebellion. Judas comes last and denounces Jesus as a traitor. He reveals that the youthful angel who released Jesus from the crucifixion is in fact Satan who has been tempting him into this alternate life of comfort as a mortal man. Jesus at last understands and accepts that he must die to bring salvation to mankind. Crawling back through the burning city of Jerusalem, he reaches the site of his crucifixion and begs God to let him fulfill his purpose and to "let him be God's son."
Jesus instantly awakens from his reverie and finds himself once more on the cross, having overcome the "last temptation" of escaping death, being married and raising a family, and the ensuing disaster that would have consequently encompassed mankind. Naked and bloody, Jesus cries out in ecstasy as he dies, "It is accomplished!", and the screen flickers to white.
Cast
- Willem DafoeWillem DafoeWillem Dafoe is an American film, stage, and voice actor, and a founding member of the experimental theatre company The Wooster Group...
as JesusJesusJesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity... - Harvey KeitelHarvey KeitelHarvey Keitel is an American actor. Some of his most notable starring roles were in Martin Scorsese's Mean Streets and Taxi Driver, Ridley Scott's The Duellists and Thelma and Louise, Ettore Scola's That Night in Varennes, Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, Jane Campion's The...
as Judas IscariotJudas IscariotJudas Iscariot was, according to the New Testament, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. He is best known for his betrayal of Jesus to the hands of the chief priests for 30 pieces of silver.-Etymology:...
, "the disciple whom Jesus loves most"; out of all the others, Judas is closest to Jesus yet routinely questions his teachings. A revolutionary hoping to free Israel from the Romans, he is at first under orders to kill Jesus, and though he decides not to, he swears that he will should Jesus betray the revolution. Jesus eventually commands Judas to fulfill his promise and betray him, as it is his destiny. Judas later reveals the nature of the dream sequence to Jesus and accuses him of being a traitor. - Steve ShillSteve ShillSteve Shill is a British television and film director, actor, screenwriter, and television producer.-Career:He attended Keswick Grammar School in Keswick,Cumbria,England in the 70's....
as CenturionCenturion (Roman army)A centurion , also hekatontarch in Greek sources, or, in Byzantine times, kentarch was a professional officer of the Roman army after the Marian reforms of 107 BC... - Verna BloomVerna BloomVerna Bloom is an American actress. She co-starred in the 1973 film High Plains Drifter with Clint Eastwood and the 1974 made for TV movie Where Have All The People Gone? with Peter Graves and Kathleen Quinlan...
as Mary, mother of JesusMary (mother of Jesus)Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee... - Barbara HersheyBarbara HersheyBarbara Hershey , also known as Barbara Seagull, is an American actress. In a career spanning nearly 50 years, she has played a variety of roles on television and in cinema, in several genres including westerns and comedies...
as Mary MagdaleneMary MagdaleneMary Magdalene was one of Jesus' most celebrated disciples, and the most important woman disciple in the movement of Jesus. Jesus cleansed her of "seven demons", conventionally interpreted as referring to complex illnesses...
, a prostitute with connections to Jesus, though they are never fully explained (it is implied that they were once romantically involved). She is saved by Jesus when a mob attempts to stone her to death, and later becomes his wife in his dream temptation by Satan. - Roberts BlossomRoberts BlossomRoberts Scott Blossom was an American theater, film and television actor and poet. He is best known for his roles as Old Man Marley in Home Alone and as Ezra Cobb in the horror film Deranged...
as Aged Master - Barry MillerBarry Miller (actor)Barry L. Miller is an American actor. He won Broadway's 1985 Tony Award as Best Actor for his performance as 'Arnold Epstein' in Biloxi Blues....
as Jerobeam - Gary BasarabaGary BasarabaGary Basaraba is a Canadian actor best known for playing American police officers. He appeared as Sergeant Richard Santoro on Steven Bochco's Brooklyn South and Officer Ray Heckler on Boomtown....
as AndrewSaint AndrewSaint Andrew , called in the Orthodox tradition Prōtoklētos, or the First-called, is a Christian Apostle and the brother of Saint Peter. The name "Andrew" , like other Greek names, appears to have been common among the Jews from the 3rd or 2nd century BC. No Hebrew or Aramaic name is recorded for him... - Irvin KershnerIrvin KershnerIrvin Kershner was an American film director and occasional actor, best known for directing quirky, independent films early in his career, and then Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. -Background:...
as ZebedeeZebedeeZebedee is a name which may refer to:-People:* Zebedee , father of James and John* Zebedee Armstrong , an American outsider artist... - Victor ArgoVictor ArgoVictor Argo was a Puerto Rican - American actor who usually played the part of a tough bad guy in his movies.-Early years:...
as PeterSaint PeterSaint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...
, a loyal disciple who is often compared by Jesus to a rock. - Paul HermanPaul HermanPaul Herman is an American actor. His appearances in movies include Once Upon a Time in America and Analyze That. He also had a recurring role on The Sopranos as "Beansie" Gaeta, as well as another HBO series, Entourage, as Vincent Chase's accountant, Marvin...
as PhilipPhilip the ApostlePhilip the Apostle was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. Later Christian traditions describe Philip as the apostle who preached in Greece, Syria, and Phrygia.... - John LurieJohn LurieJohn Lurie is an American actor, musician, painter and producer. He is co-founder of The Lounge Lizards, a jazz ensemble. Lurie has acted in 19 films including Stranger than Paradise and Down by Law, composed and performed music for 20 television and film works, and he produced and starred in...
as James - Leo BurmesterLeo BurmesterLeo Burmester was an American actor. Burmester worked for director John Sayles several times, including in Passion Fish and Lone Star , and also for directors such as John Schlesinger and Sidney Lumet, and as the Apostle Nathaniel in Martin Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ...
as Nathaniel, one of the more reluctant of the disciples, as he constantly thinks of the flock of sheep he left behind to follow Jesus. On his "deathbed", Jesus remarks that Nathaniel was the best shepherd precisely because he lacked sheep. - Andre GregoryAndre GregoryAndre William Gregory is an American theatre director, writer and actor.Gregory studied at Harvard University.During the 1960s and 1970s, Gregory directed a number of avant-garde productions developed through ensemble collaboration, the most famous of which was Alice In Wonderland , based on Lewis...
as John the BaptistJohn the BaptistJohn the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
, a fiery baptist who recognizes Jesus as the Son of God and accordingly encourages him to take up a symbolic axe to combat the devil. - Alan RosenbergAlan RosenbergAlan Rosenberg is an American actor of both stage and screen. From 2005 to 2009, he was president of the Screen Actors Guild, the principal motion picture industry on-screen performers' union.-Early life:...
as ThomasThomas the ApostleThomas the Apostle, also called Doubting Thomas or Didymus was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He is best known for questioning Jesus' resurrection when first told of it, then proclaiming "My Lord and my God" on seeing Jesus in . He was perhaps the only Apostle who went outside the Roman... - Nehemiah PersoffNehemiah PersoffNehemiah Persoff is an American film and television character actor. He was born in Jerusalem, Palestine Mandate.Born in what is now part of Israel, Persoff emigrated with his family to the United States in 1929...
as RabbiRabbiIn Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah... - Harry Dean StantonHarry Dean StantonHarry Dean Stanton is an American actor, musician, and singer. Stanton's career has spanned over fifty years, which has seen him star in such films as Paris, Texas, Kelly's Heroes, Dillinger, Alien, Repo Man, The Last Temptation of Christ, Wild at Heart, The Green Mile and The Pledge...
as Saul/Paul of TarsusPaul of TarsusPaul the Apostle , also known as Saul of Tarsus, is described in the Christian New Testament as one of the most influential early Christian missionaries, with the writings ascribed to him by the church forming a considerable portion of the New Testament...
, a member of the revolution of which Judas is a part, he is shown killing the resurrected Lazarus to cover up evidence of the miracles Jesus performed. Later in the dream sequence, he is seen preaching the gospel of Jesus. When Jesus disputes the validity of his message, Paul states that the resurrected Jesus will save mankind, and not the Jesus he sees standing before him. - Peter BerlingPeter BerlingPeter Berling is a German actor and writer. He has worked on several occasions with director Werner Herzog, in his collaborations with actor Klaus Kinski....
as Beggar - David BowieDavid BowieDavid Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
as Pontius PilatePontius PilatePontius Pilatus , known in the English-speaking world as Pontius Pilate , was the fifth Prefect of the Roman province of Judaea, from AD 26–36. He is best known as the judge at Jesus' trial and the man who authorized the crucifixion of Jesus...
, an intelligent and pragmatic ruler who in private conversation with Jesus describes him as being a greater threat to Rome than the zealots. Pilate is also dissmissive of Jesus' teachings as they are too demanding upon human nature. This portrayal of Pilate, in contrast to the Gospels, arranges for Jesus to be crucified straightaway. The film does not include a scene of him offering to spare Jesus. - Leo MarksLeo MarksLeopold Samuel Marks was an English cryptographer, screenwriter and playwright.-Early life:Born the son of an antiquarian bookseller in London, he was first introduced to cryptography when his father showed him a copy of Edgar Allan Poe's story, "The Gold-Bug"...
as Voice of SatanSatanSatan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible... - Juliette Caton as Girl Angel
- Martin Scorsese as the Voice of the Lion (uncredited)
Production
Martin ScorseseMartin Scorsese
Martin Charles Scorsese is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film historian. In 1990 he founded The Film Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to film preservation, and in 2007 he founded the World Cinema Foundation...
had wanted to make a film version
Film adaptation
Film adaptation is the transfer of a written work to a feature film. It is a type of derivative work.A common form of film adaptation is the use of a novel as the basis of a feature film, but film adaptation includes the use of non-fiction , autobiography, comic book, scripture, plays, and even...
of Jesus' life since childhood. Scorsese optioned the novel The Last Temptation in the late 1970s, and he gave it to Paul Schrader
Paul Schrader
Paul Joseph Schrader is an American screenwriter, film director, and former film critic. Apart from his credentials as a director, Schrader is most notably known for his screenplays for Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver and Raging Bull....
to adapt. The Last Temptation was originally to be Scorsese's follow-up to The King of Comedy
The King of Comedy (1983 film)
The King of Comedy is a 1983 American dark comedy film starring Robert De Niro and Jerry Lewis, and directed by Martin Scorsese. The subject of the movie is celebrity stalking...
; production was slated to begin in 1983 for Paramount
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
, with a budget of about $14 million and shot on location in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. The original cast included Aidan Quinn
Aidan Quinn
-Early life:Quinn was born in Chicago, Illinois to Irish parents. He was brought up as a Roman Catholic and raised in Chicago and Rockford, Illinois, as well as in Dublin and Birr, County Offaly in Ireland. His mother, Teresa, was a homemaker, and his father, Michael Quinn, was a professor of...
as Jesus, Sting as Pontius Pilate, Ray Davies
Ray Davies
Ray Davies, CBE is an English rock musician. He is best known as lead singer and songwriter for the Kinks, which he led with his younger brother, Dave...
as Judas Iscariot, and Vanity
Vanity (performer)
Denise Katrina Matthews , better known as Vanity, but sometimes credited as Denise Matthews-Smith or D.D. Winters, is a Canadian-born former singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and model from the 1980s until the early mid-90s...
as Mary Magdalene. Management at Paramount and its parent company, Gulf + Western grew uneasy due to the ballooning budget for the picture and protest letters received from religious groups. The project went into turnaround
Turnaround (film)
A turnaround or turnaround deal is an arrangement in the film industry, whereby the rights to a project one studio has developed are sold to another studio in exchange for the cost of development plus interest....
and was finally canceled in December 1983. Scorsese went on to make After Hours
After Hours (film)
After Hours is a 1985 American black comedy film, written by Joseph Minion and directed by Martin Scorsese. Paul Hackett , a New Yorker, experiences a series of adventures and perils in trying to make his way home from SoHo.-Plot:...
instead.
In 1986, Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
became interested in the project. Scorsese offered to shoot the film in 58 days for $7 million, and Universal greenlight
Greenlight
To green-light a project is to give permission or a go ahead to move forward with a project. In the context of the movie and TV businesses, to green-light something is to formally approve its production finance, thereby allowing the project to move forward from the development phase to...
ed the production. Critic and screenwriter Jay Cocks
Jay Cocks
Jay Cocks is a film critic and motion picture screenwriter.He is a graduate of Kenyon College. He was a critic for Time, Newsweek, and Rolling Stone, among other magazines, before moving into film writing....
worked with Scorsese to revise Schrader's script. Aidan Quinn
Aidan Quinn
-Early life:Quinn was born in Chicago, Illinois to Irish parents. He was brought up as a Roman Catholic and raised in Chicago and Rockford, Illinois, as well as in Dublin and Birr, County Offaly in Ireland. His mother, Teresa, was a homemaker, and his father, Michael Quinn, was a professor of...
passed on the role of Jesus, and Scorsese recast Willem Dafoe in the part. Sting also passed on the role of Pilate, with the role being recast with David Bowie. Principal photography
Principal photography
thumb|300px|Film production on location in [[Newark, New Jersey]].Principal photography is the phase of film production in which the movie is filmed, with actors on set and cameras rolling, as distinct from pre-production and post-production....
began in October 1987. The location shoot in Morocco (a first for Scorsese) was difficult, and the difficulties were compounded by the hurried schedule. "We worked in a state of emergency," Scorsese recalled. Scenes had to be improvised and worked out on the set with little deliberation, leading Scorsese to develop a minimalist aesthetic for the film. Shooting wrapped by December 25.
The film opened on August 12, 1988.
Content
The film contains many elements that are not found within the texts of the four Gospel writers in the New Testament, and are not supported by any historic teachings of the major traditions of Christianity. This has been a source of contention and controversy despite the fact that the film opens with a disclaimer stating that it is "not based on the gospelGospel
A gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...
s" and is "fictional".
One of the dominant sources of controversy stems from an "alternate reality" near the end of the movie in which Jesus is depicted as marrying Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene was one of Jesus' most celebrated disciples, and the most important woman disciple in the movement of Jesus. Jesus cleansed her of "seven demons", conventionally interpreted as referring to complex illnesses...
instead of dying on the cross
Crucifixion
Crucifixion is an ancient method of painful execution in which the condemned person is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross and left to hang until dead...
. A brief scene of the married couple making love is shown, which sparked the anger of many protesters. However, the controversies are actually all part of an "alternate reality" dream sequence provoked by this, the last temptation of Christ.
The rationale behind this scene is that embracing his full humanity represents the true last temptation of Christ; that is, the temptation to forego the cross and lead a life of a normal man, free from the burden of being crucified and of being the salvation of mankind. In the image of a beautiful, androgynous child, Satan suggests to Jesus that there is no real reason to die, and that he should come down from the cross and lead a normal human life, telling Jesus he is in fact not the Messiah. In this dreamscape, Jesus leads a real life, marries and raises a family, and lives through many other experiences that would be considered part of a normal human existence.
As Jesus nears the end of life in this dream sequence, his most devoted disciple, Judas Iscariot
Judas Iscariot
Judas Iscariot was, according to the New Testament, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. He is best known for his betrayal of Jesus to the hands of the chief priests for 30 pieces of silver.-Etymology:...
, awakens him to the truth of what is happening—that is, this whole dream sequence is really a trick of Satan, and is in fact Jesus Christ's last temptation. Judas calls Jesus a traitor, and Jesus finally realizes he has abandoned his duty to be crucified and to be the salvation of mankind. Seeing that he has been tempted into a dream of living a man’s life and dying a peaceful death, Jesus crawls out into the streets of Jerusalem as it burns with the fires of the Jewish Rebellion, and begs God to return him to his crucifixion, finally rejecting Satan’s offering. At that point, he awakens from his dream and proclaims his dying words, "It is accomplished."
Other controversial factors in the film include Jesus's vocation as a builder of crosses for the Romans
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
, kissing other men on the lips, being tormented by the voice of God, lamenting the many sins that he believes he has committed, using the divine name in the form Jehovah
Jehovah
Jehovah is an anglicized representation of Hebrew , a vocalization of the Tetragrammaton , the proper name of the God of Israel in the Hebrew Bible....
, and, not least, concluding the film with crucifixion rather than resurrection.
Protests
In 1989, Albuquerque high school teacher Joyce Briscoe showed the film to history students at La Cueva High School, raising a storm of controversy by parents and local Christian broadcaster KLYTKLYT
KLYT is a radio station broadcasting a Christian rock format. Licensed to Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA, the station serves the New Mexico area. The station is currently owned by Calvary Chapel of Albuquerque, Inc. Marketed as "Static Radio," the station's format targets listeners ranging from...
.
In some countries, including Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, and Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, the film was banned or censored for several years. As of July 2010, the movie continues to be banned in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
and Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
.
Attack on Saint Michel theater, Paris
On October 22, 1988, a French Christian fundamentalist group launched Molotov cocktailMolotov cocktail
The Molotov cocktail, also known as the petrol bomb, gasoline bomb, Molotov bomb, fire bottle, fire bomb, or simply Molotov, is a generic name used for a variety of improvised incendiary weapons...
s inside the Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
ian Saint Michel movie theater while it was showing the film. This attack injured thirteen people, four of whom were severely burned. The Saint Michel theater was heavily damaged, and reopened 3 years later after restoration. Following the attack, a representative of the film's distributor, United International Pictures
United International Pictures
United International Pictures is a joint venture of Paramount Pictures and Universal Studios , to distribute some of the two studios' films theatrically outside the United States , Canada, and the Anglophone...
, said, "The opponents of the film have largely won. They have massacred the film's success, and they have scared the public." Jack Lang
Jack Lang (French politician)
Jack Mathieu Émile Lang is a French politician. A member of the Socialist Party, he served as France's Minister of Culture from 1981 to 1986 and 1988 to 1992, and as Minister of Education from 1992 to 1993 and 2000 to 2002. He was also the Mayor of Blois from 1989 to 2000...
, France's Minister of Culture
Minister of Culture (France)
The Minister of Culture is, in the Government of France, the cabinet member in charge of national museums and monuments; promoting and protecting the arts in France and abroad; and managing the national archives and regional "maisons de culture"...
, went to the St.-Michel theater after the fire, and said, "Freedom of speech is threatened, and we must not be intimidated by such acts." The Archbishop of Paris
Archbishop of Paris
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Paris is one of twenty-three archdioceses of the Roman Catholic Church in France. The original diocese is traditionally thought to have been created in the 3rd century by St. Denis and corresponded with the Civitas Parisiorum; it was elevated to an archdiocese on...
, Jean-Marie Cardinal Lustiger
Jean-Marie Cardinal Lustiger
Aaron Jean-Marie Lustiger was a French cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He was Archbishop of Paris from 1981 until his resignation in 2005. He was made a cardinal in 1983...
, said "One doesn't have the right to shock the sensibilities of millions of people for whom Jesus is more important than their father or mother." However, after the fire he condemned the attack, saying, "You don't behave as Christians but as enemies of Christ. From the Christian point of view, one doesn't defend Christ with arms. Christ himself forbade it." The leader of Christian Solidarity, a Roman Catholic group that had promised to stop the film from being shown, said, "We will not hesitate to go to prison if it is necessary."
The attack was subsequently blamed on a Christian fundamentalist group linked to Bernard Antony, a representative of the far-right National Front to the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
in Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
, and the excommunicated
Excommunication
Excommunication is a religious censure used to deprive, suspend or limit membership in a religious community. The word means putting [someone] out of communion. In some religions, excommunication includes spiritual condemnation of the member or group...
followers of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre
Marcel Lefebvre
Marcel François Marie Joseph Lefebvre was a French Roman Catholic archbishop. Following a career as an Apostolic Delegate for West Africa and Superior General of the Holy Ghost Fathers, he took the lead in opposing the changes within the Church associated with the Second Vatican Council.In 1970,...
. Lefebvre had been excommunicated from the Catholic Church on July 2, 1988. Similar attacks against theatres included graffiti, setting off tear-gas canisters and stink bombs, and assaulting filmgoers. At least nine people believed to be members of the Catholic fundamentalist group were arrested. Rene Remond, a historian, said of the Catholic far-right, "It is the toughest component of the National Front and it is motivated more by religion than by politics. It has a coherent political philosophy that has not changed for 200 years: it is the rejection of the revolution, of the republic and of modernism."
Critical reception and interpretation
The film has been supported by scholars, film critics and some religious leaders. In his review of the film, Roger EbertRoger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
, who gave the film four out of four stars, writes that Scorsese and screenwriter Paul Schrader
Paul Schrader
Paul Joseph Schrader is an American screenwriter, film director, and former film critic. Apart from his credentials as a director, Schrader is most notably known for his screenplays for Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver and Raging Bull....
"paid Christ the compliment of taking him and his message seriously, and they have made a film that does not turn him into a garish, emasculated image from a religious postcard. Here he is flesh and blood, struggling, questioning, asking himself and his father which is the right way, and finally, after great suffering, earning the right to say, on the cross, 'It is accomplished.' Ebert later included the film in his list of "Great Movies".
Writers at NNDB
NNDB
The Notable Names Database , produced by Soylent Communications, the same entity that produces Rotten, Daily Rotten, Dr. Sputnik's Society Pages and Penny Postcards, is an online database of biographical details of over 36,000 people of note...
claim that "Paul Schrader's screenplay and Willem Dafoe's performance made perhaps the most honestly Christ-like portrayal of Jesus ever filmed."
On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, the picture has been given a "Fresh" rating of 83%, with an average rating of 7.6 out of 10 as of December 2010.
Soundtrack and music
The film's musical soundtrackSoundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
, composed by Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...
, received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Original Score - Motion Picture
Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score
The Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score is one of several categories presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association , an organization of journalists who cover the United States film industry, but are affiliated with publications outside North America, since its institution in 1947...
in 1988 and was released on CD with the title Passion: Music for The Last Temptation of Christ
Passion: Music for The Last Temptation of Christ
Passion: Music for The Last Temptation of Christ is a musical album released in 1989 by Peter Gabriel. It is his second soundtrack and eighth album overall...
, which won a Grammy in 1990 for Best New Age Album. The film's score itself helped to popularize world music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
. Gabriel compiled
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
additional material by various musicians as Passion - Sources
Passion - Sources
Passion - Sources is the second of two albums of music from Martin Scorsese's film The Last Temptation of Christ. The first album, Passion: Music for The Last Temptation of Christ by Peter Gabriel was released in 1989 in conjunction with the movie....
.
Various vocal samples of Willem Dafoe
Willem Dafoe
Willem Dafoe is an American film, stage, and voice actor, and a founding member of the experimental theatre company The Wooster Group...
as Jesus were used in the single "The Prophet" by C. J. Bolland
C. J. Bolland
C. J. Bolland is a British electronic music producer and remixer.Born in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, Bolland's family moved to Antwerp, Belgium when he was three years old...
. The track was released in 1997 and was a worldwide dance club hit.
The sound byte of Jesus crying, "Father, why have you forsaken me?" during the crucifixion is used as the introduction to the album Once Upon the Cross by the band Deicide
Deicide (band)
Deicide is an American death metal band formed in 1987. Their first two albums, Deicide and Legion, are ranked second and third place in best-selling death metal albums of the SoundScan era.-As Amon/Carnage :...
.
Limited home video release
The film's controversial reception has limited the scope of its video release, although as a part of The Criterion CollectionThe Criterion Collection
The Criterion Collection is a video-distribution company selling "important classic and contemporary films" to film aficionados. The Criterion series is noted for helping to standardize the letterbox format for home video, bonus features, and special editions...
series it has received deluxe treatment on DVD and Laserdisc. This includes a commentary track in which Scorsese mentions his frustration at Blockbuster Video not putting the movie on its shelves.
External links
- Pictures of opening day protests against "Last Temptation of Christ" at Wide Angle/Closeup