Directed by Martin Scorsese
Starring: Willem Dafoe, Harvey Keitel, Barbara Hershey, Harry Dean Stanton, Andre Gregory, Roberts Blossom, Juliette Caton, David Bowie
Rated R for unspecified reasons (contains some strong violence, nudity and sexuality).
THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST is one of the most controversial films of all time. Theaters showing the film when it was released in 1988 were quite literally attacked, the most notable case involving the Saint Michel theater in Paris, France, which Christian fundamentalists bombed with Molotov cocktails, injuring 13 people, including four who were severely burned, and heavily damaging the theater, which did not reopen for three years. In Ithaca, New York, a man drove a school bus through the front of a theater into its lobby. In Salt Lake City, a theater planning to show the film was ransacked in the middle of the night, the screen slashed and the copy of the film stolen. Still other theaters were similarly vandalized, subjected to tear gas and stink bombs, and theater patrons were assaulted by protesters. The president of a Roman Catholic "human rights" group declared "We will not hesitate to go to prison if necessary," emphasizing the extreme measures to which Christian fundamentalists were willing to go to prevent the film's distribution. An interdenominational Christian organization, Campus Crusade for Christ (aka "Cru"), attempted to reimburse Universal Pictures for the production costs and buy the film's negative and existing copies in order to have them destroyed. Mass protests outside of MCA headquarters (Universal's parent company at the time) amounted to as many as 600 protestors at a time, including a particularly notable display as one protester dressed as MCA Chair Lew Wasserman acted out a nailing of Jesus to a cross. Many of the protests quickly turned anti-Semitic, emphasizing the actually minimal roles of MCA executives Wasserman, Sidney Sheinberg and Gary Goldstein in producing the film, reigniting old sentiments of the film industry being a leftist, anti-Christian business dominated by Jews, which has mostly evolved since into the "liberal Hollywood" myth.
The protests and terror tactics worked, with many theaters, including large theater chains, refusing to book the film for fear of violent reprisals, and when it was released on VHS and Laserdisc in 1989, many video rental store refused to carry it, including Blockbuster Video, which, as you may remember, was the dominant rental service at the time.
Ever since the mid-1980s, whether in direct relation to THE LAST TEMPTATION's production or completely unrelated, there's been an extremely persistent myth about an "upcoming" film that would depict Jesus and his disciples as homosexuals, prompting swaths of protest letters and and petitions to be sent to various government and/or studio executives to have the film destroyed or banned, despite the absolute and utter non-existence of such a production. And yet, even today, with the assistance of the internet, the rumor has continued to appear in chain e-mails, blogs and various websites encouraging the fury of Christian activists. There was some light speculation that LAST TEMPTATION was mistakenly believed to be that film, but in practically every case, it was simply that one scene was described out of context by and to people who had not and would never see the film. It's doubtless that for many, the context of the scene would have little effect on the people who protested the film so vehemently, but even still, it's unfortunate.
THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST happens to be the best film about Jesus Christ that I have ever seen. It's a far more honest and accessible portrait of the carpenter from Galilee than the typical celluloid sermons lacking in ambition or human interest. THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST is too violent and sadistically medieval while playing like a gory exercise in technical storytelling. KING OF KINGS gives the story a fresh perspective, but is distracted and like most pre-New Hollywood Bible epics, is overwrought and occasionally unintentionally humorous. JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR is surprisingly dull and drags on, and THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO SAINT MATTHEW, while a fascinating case study as a very straightforward, literal adaptation of scripture to film and of an atheist's faithful interpretation of the story, is too distant and practically interesting to the extent of distraction. THE LAST TEMPTATION is actually a character study of Jesus, and an ambitious attempt to grapple with the nature of the Christian figurehead and the Christian understanding of God. It is director Martin Scorsese putting his own intimate spiritual experience onscreen, and it is arguably the most personal story of religious faith ever put to film.
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| Protesters picket the opening of THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST at Ziegfeld Theatre in Manahattan. See more photos at http://wideanglecloseup.com/lasttemptation01.html |
The film opens with this crucial disclaimer: "This film is not based upon the Gospels but on this fictional exploration of the eternal spiritual conflict." A foreword from the book of the same title upon it was based, written by Greek intellectual Nikos Kazantzakis, reads: "The dual substance of Christ - the yearning, so human, so superhuman, of man to attain God... has always been a deep inscrutable mystery to me. My principle anguish and source of all my joys and sorrows from my youth onward has been the incessant, merciless battle between the spirit and the flesh... And my soul is the arena where these two armies have clashed and met." That is exactly what this movie is about.
Jesus of Nazareth, played by Willem Dafoe, is tormented by visions from God, indicating a divine plan for him that he is reluctant to enact, in conflict to his human desires. Filled with self-loathing, as a carpenter in Roman-occupied Judea, Jesus builds crosses with which the Roman soldiers crucify Jewish revolutionaries and would-be Messiahs. His childhood sweetheart, Mary Magdalene (Barbara Hershey) became a prostitute after Jesus abruptly ended their courtship due to his heavenly torments, and eventually he's reached a point where, while uncertain, he decides he must settle with God, once and for all, whether he is the Messiah, and what God's plan is for him. He leaves to live with a monastic community where he hopes to communicate with God directly, and there he accepts his mission. Judas Iscariot (Harvey Keitel), a Jewish revolutionary, arrives to assassinate Jesus for collaborating with the Romans, but is instead intrigued by him, suspecting that he may be the true Messiah. Hoping for Jesus to lead an earthly revolt against the Romans, Judas accompanies him on his preaching as the first of his apostles, but warns him that if ever he should "stray from the path", Judas will not hesitate to kill him. Jesus saves Magdalene from the mob attempting to stone her, preaches the Sermon on the Mount and acquires the eleven other apostles and many disciples, but remains unsure of which path the Messiah is to take, Jesus seeks out the holy man John the Baptist (Andre Gregory), while sending Magdalene to help spread his teachings across Judea. After John baptizes him, he suggests that Jesus fast in the desert, where he is tempted by the Devil, represented by his carnal desires, and receives a vision from God. But the message from God keeps changing, with the path of whether love or war never constant.
There were a lot of things that incurred the anger of Christian fundamentalists in THE LAST TEMPTATION, such as showing Jesus in a personal spiritual conflict, presenting Judas as his closest confidant and suggesting that Judas staged the betrayal at Jesus' request, but there was one scene in particular that really infuriated them beyond the pale. It's an easy scene to point out and announce out of context to the masses, the vast majority of which would never see the film nor give it much further thought beyond their indignation at such blasphemy. It's a scene at the heart of the film's entire point, in which Jesus consummates a marriage to Mary Magdalene. Protestors outside the theaters and MCA offices held picket signs reading "Jesus Never Fornicated Off Camera or On", "The Gospel According to Satan", "Is Nothing Sacred?", "Please Don't Support Blasphemy", "God is Not Mocked", "Jesus is God's Saintified [sic] Son". The short sex scene occurs late in the film, well into the third act, after Jesus is visited by a childlike being (Juliette Caton) who identifies herself as his guardian angel, who takes him off the cross and informs him that he is not the Messiah. God is pleased with Jesus, and the ordeal is explained as an "Abraham and Isaac"-type test of faith; now, God just wants him to be happy. Accompanied by the angel, Jesus is wed to Mary Magdalene, and in a (relatively) discreet sex scene, they consummate the marriage. Not long after though, Magdalene dies, and the angel consoles him, urging him wed both Mary and Martha, Lazarus' sisters, and with them, Jesus lives a long and peaceful life, fathering many children. Old and dying in his bed, Jesus is visited by four of his apostles, who inform him of the city of Jerusalem being destroyed as the result of rebellion in the First Jewish-Roman War. Judas steps up to the foot of Jesus' bed and angrily reprimands him; "What's good for man is not good for God!" he yells, and the angel, who has stood by Jesus ever since she first appeared at the cross, is revealed, in fact, to be Satan, whose true form Jesus remembers meeting in the desert. Jesus begs to God to "let me be your son," and he is returned to where he was, dying on the cross.
He cries out, "It is accomplished!" and collapses on the cross, as the screen flickers to white, the result of faulty film that the filmmakers liked and decided to keep.
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| Martin Scorcese on the set of THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST, alongside Willem Dafoe as Jesus of Nazareth. |
THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST is not a film about the life of Christ or about his teachings even, but it is about our understanding of him, an allegory. It's not an atheistic or even agnostic film; it's very Catholic. Catholic imagery pervades the film, with elements of corporal mortification, stigmata and a scene of the "Sacred Heart" (a popular Catholic notion of Christ's literal physical heart as a representation of divine love; depicted in a scene where Jesus literally draws out his heart, Mola Ram-style). Scorsese was raised in a devoutly Catholic family and community, and in his youth, he initially aspired to become a priest and attended a seminary before he made the ultimate decision to pursue a career in film. Nonetheless, the presence of Catholic themes has pervaded and underwritten his films throughout his entire career. The film's writer and a frequent collaborator with Scorsese was Paul Schrader, who was raised in a strict Calvinist family, and graduated from the Protestant Calvin College with a minor in theology. As is typically the case with such controversial films, most of the people talking about it haven't even seen it. It's unlikely that the film itself actually damaged anyone's faith, considering that just about anyone offended by it was offended via hearsay. If they had seen the film, perhaps they would have realized what a faith-affirming and spiritually edifying it is. I certainly feel like I get more of the Christian spirit from watching it than I do from sitting through a church meeting (no offense meant to those of you who do get edification from church meetings; good on ya). Conservative pundits speculated that the film expressed bitterness towards Catholicism on Scorsese's part, ironically, as the film is an unveiled testimony of Scorsese's faith.
As a work of film, it is very interesting for film aficionados to see how a master filmmaker creates a biblical "epic" on a miniscule $7 million budget. Universal Pictures certainly knew THE LAST TEMPTATION wasn't a commercial picture, but it was approved with the smallest possible budget in order to curry favor with a much desirable talent who had been dabbling in more commercial filmmaking and they wanted to direct their larger budgeted CAPE FEAR remake. So Universal let him make it for the absolute minimum (less, really), and Scorsese shot the film on location in Morocco in 58 days (still a moderate length, but very short compared to similar period films). They rarely had everything they needed, and were constantly required to improvise scenes, but unlike THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST, no one was struck by lightning during the shoot (take that Christian conservatives!). To film crowd scenes, such as the Sermon on the Mount, the scenes are very tight, with few people scene overall, but always clustered together to fill the frame. Every cent is spent to fill the frames, never sparing. Nowadays, the film's detractors consistently agree that the "moral" content of the film is hardly the point, but that the "shoddy" and "inept" production ruins the film on its own. This is patently ridiculous; the film is obviously not of the grand spectacle of BEN-HUR or THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, but that is never obstructive to it and you'd have to be cinematically illiterate through and through to honestly believe such a claim. I suppose it makes them feel better about it though.
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| Judas Iscariot (portrayed by Harvey Keitel) breaks down in tears after Jesus of Nazareth (Willem Dafoe) begs him to enact the betrayal that will bring about Jesus's crucifixion. |
It's not a perfect film, and while Keitel's performance as Judas was unfairly derided at the time of its release (some even accused it of being an anti-Semitic portrayal, largely because hair and makeup is inspired by medieval artistic interpretations of Judas with red curly hair), he is a strange casting choice. At first, seeing Keitel thrown into the mix of a Bible story is even a bit alarming, but it doesn't take long to accept his presence. In fact, one of the most beautiful things about this film is in its relationship between Jesus and Judas. Judas, hardly made notice of in the Bible prior to the Last Supper just before he betrays Jesus, has long been one of the most fascinating characters in the Christ story. He's often depicted as a militant Jewish revolutionary, a man caught between ties to secular Jewish would-be Messiahs aiming to wage physical war with their oppressors, and his ties and apostleship to the peaceful Jesus. Even when I was little, I can't remember having particularly negative feelings about Judas. He's been made the ultimate villain in the Christian faith, save for Satan himself, a grotesque Jewish stereotype who laments the use of valuable oils to wash Jesus's feet when it could be sold, and betraying the Savior in exchange for a handful of silver; the greedy Jew. Even his name won't let you forget what he is: a "Jew-das". Many scriptural translations even include that his "bowels gushed out" as he died, as if weren't enough to say that he died the ignominious death of a suicidal hanging. But what he did is so necessary! It's all part of the necessary plan, isn't it? So perhaps it's a sin that is necessary, but I can't imagine how that sin by itself, if it is so integral to the ultimate plane, can totally damn the man. In trying to make a point of it to religious authorities, the response is usually something along the lines that if it hadn't been Judas, someone else would have filled the role instead, so it was Judas' own sin. But then, why would the eternal plan of a benevolent God necessitate the damnation of even one soul? In this story of great redemption and sacrifice, what's the point if a man who is acting as a pivot point cannot be saved as well? But in THE LAST TEMPTATION, Judas's role becomes much more poignant, where he is also making a tremendous sacrifice in carrying out the betrayal, willfully taking on the role of the most loathed man in history.
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| Cover from the 1st edition of the novel The Last Temptation of Christ as published in 1960. |
Recently, another auteur-driven passion project adapted from religious source material, Darren Aronofsky's NOAH, made its way into theaters, albeit with significantly greater resources at its disposal and in spite of controversy-baiting pundits like Fox News' ilk, has come to greater success than THE LAST TEMPTATION ever had any reason to hope for. While NOAH is certainly not on the level of THE PASSION in terms of financial success, it proves that a challenging and innovative approach to religious material did not die with THE LAST TEMPTATION. It prompts one to wonder how THE LAST TEMPTATION might have managed in today's landscape. While the controversy surrounding NOAH never approached the furor surrounding Scorsese's film, various right-wing and fundamentalist groups condemned the film for issues as trivial as the film's use of the title "The Creator" in lieu of "God" and for environmental preservationist themes, and some took it the extremes of accusing the film of outright "Luciferism". But on a $125 million budget, NOAH has still become a financial success for Paramount, from a director previously best known for a psychological thriller about a ballerina who has lesbian fantasies and performs self-mutilation. Maybe THE LAST TEMPTATION would have done better were it made today. It would undoubtedly be highly controversial, but I could see it being a moderate success. I don't know if we'll ever see the likes of it again, with most religious cinema today devoted to stodgy and cloying dramas that cater exclusively to the "pre-sold audience", but NOAH give me hope for a new wave of better, smarter and more personal spiritual dramas that reach non-religious audiences on as much a spiritual and intimate level as church does for the church-going crowd. This is the kind of film that THE LAST TEMPTATION was initially punished for being, but in the long run, a good film will always outlive the rest. Spirituality ought not to be the mere practice of belief and rituals, and if it ever had remained that way for so long, it wouldn't be so present today. The mark of a great film is how it encourages people to talk, discuss, argue and struggle to understand, and even if it has to withstand those who'll sooner hurl a Molotov cocktail and destroy the film print than consider discussion, no amount of controversy can't forever mar a film that is truly moving. That is why I love THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST.
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