The Last Temptation of Christ

"God doesn't like this movie." The international controversy that surrounded this film upon its release and since has tended to obscure rather than address the issues raised in Scorsese's adaptation of Nikos Kazantrakis' novel.

Assuming a good deal of prior knowledge of the Gospels, the first three-quarters of this film portray Jesus' struggles between His divinity and humanity, between the constant temptation of evil and the acceptance of martyrdom. First seen as a carpenter building crosses for the Romans, Jesus (Willem Dafoe) is set on the road to rebellion by Judas (Harvey Keitel), a political activist. Not only does Judas betray Him to the Romans at His insistence to ensure His martyrdom, he also persuades Him to return to the cross, as in the final quarter of the film Satan (disguised as a guardian angel) entices Him into a life of procreation with Mary Magdalene (Barbara Hershey).

Accusing Martin Scorsese of misogyny is like accusing Margaret Thatcher of being right wing, but it is his treatment of women which most of us should find offensive. Females here signify only motherhood and temptation (the Satanic angel is a little girl in the film but not in the book), with passion occurring among the men-folk in scenes of acute male-bonding.

Scorsese's direction is restrained for the most part; there are limited camera movements, the colour is drained, etc. The cast turn in fine performances especially Dafoe though he looks too neat, and watch for the double machine thread stitching in his clothes. Overall the film certainly courts controversy but is well worth the effort whatever your beliefs.

Review by Stephen Cox
Taken from EUFS Programme 1995-96