As one of the most controversial films of all time, Martin Scorsese’s picture is a provocative study of the struggle between divinity and human nature within all of us.
In the film, Jesus (Willem Dafoe, THE ENGLISH PATIENT) is a carpenter, working on crosses, when he begins to hear the voice of God calling him. At first he is reluctant to believe that he is the messiah. His friend Judas (Harvey Keitel, THE PIANO) is part of a revolutionary movement against the Romans and when Jesus starts preaching peace to all, he is in conflict with his friend.
The film chronicles the journey Jesus takes in preaching and trying to revolutionize the world. The film has the characters debate many theological issues. The portrayal of Jesus here is more human than anywhere else. The film really tackles the concept of him being divine and human at the same time. The picture is also practical about how people can misinterpret religious teachings to fit their own agenda.
Many religious groups attacked the film before even seeing it, which is always a problem. People were inflamed by hearing that Jesus has sex with Mary Magdalene and then has kids with two other women. But they didn’t see the film. Yes, these scenes do exist, but they have a point. They represent one of the greatest temptations for all of us. The film plays these scenes as a “what if” alternative history, which examines the nature of Jesus’s duality and why his sacrifice on the cross was so monumental.
Dafoe is amazing as Christ. He not only looks the part but brings a power and a vulnerability to the role that is amazing. Keitel’s Judas is the most sympathetic rendition of the character you’ll ever see. Barbara Hershey (HOOSIERS) brings a rawness to Mary Magdalene that brings the character alive. The various apostles are brought to life with a natural eye for the way people truly are.
Adding to the beauty of the narrative, Michael Ballhaus’ cinematography creates a poetic and realistic setting at the same time. Mel Gibson’s THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST was the most emotional telling of Christ’s tale I’ve seen. LAST TEMPTATION is the most intellectual. The brilliance of the film is that it plays equally well for the non-believer as well as the believer.
For fundamentalists who read the Bible literally, this isn’t a film for you. It takes liberties with the text, using it as an outline to explore the ideas that lie underneath. The film is not black or white about the issues. It understands that life is made up of shades of gray and that Jesus lived in this world of gray and was both connected to it and above it at the same time. The film explains and debates Jesus' teachings unlike any other film. In so doing it explores the struggle of being human and fallible, but alas striving for the divine. The teachings of Christ have never challenged me or made me think so much before. This is one of the best movies ever made.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
