Luke
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Tash Jayasinghe
CibbuanoThe Last Temptation of Christ
May 29th 2006 10:32
Martin Scorcese's much-vilified and deeply personal testament of humanity vs. spirituality is a film that I feared for a long time. I was afraid it would be shit, and dull, and artistic for the sake of being artistic. Thankfully, I was wrong.
'The Last Temptation of Christ' makes itself clear from the outset... this isn't an adaptation of the Bible, it's a fictional alternative account of the later life of Christ. Oddly though, it seems more accessible in spite (or perhaps because) of this. We join the story during Jesus' early 20s (or so I assume, the timeframe is never really made clear)... he is aware of who he is, and what he is, but seeks to rebel against God by making crucifixes for the Romans. From here we follow Jesus' struggle with his own human nature, and his journey to change the world, and his eventual realisation of what he must do and the fear that accompanies this.
It isn't anywhere near as offensive to Christians as one might think - it's actually quite uplifting in it's telling of a new beginning. Unfortunately, most fundamentalists probably overlook this and instead prefer to see red over the film's portrayal of Christ as a fallible human being. For me, such a portrayal makes eternal sense, and goes a long way to making the story more accessible. The film, as a whole, is a surreal and powerful event - and it's obvious that Scorcese has put a lot of thought and effort into making it. The protracted end sequence may seem to wander a bit at first, but it makes colossal sense when the film finishes.
Interestingly, the two main roles are turned on their heads... Judas is no longer the traitor, it is he who helps Jesus realise what he must do, and keeps him on the right track. Jesus even acknowledges at one point that being Jesus is the 'easier job' of the two - a line that speaks volumes when you consider how Judas is often remembered by history. Willem Dafoe does a remarkable job in an extremely difficult role, and it's hard to imagine anyone else being able to so easily portray Jesus as both the son and mouth of God, and a weak and insecure human being, and pull it off so completely. It's also fun to see Harvey Keital play Judas, as he pretty much becomes the character he plays, and plays him in a way that probably won't be repeated in any other film about Jesus Christ. The other main characters, bar perhaps Mary Magdelene, are almost inconsequential, none really ever being given enough screen time or development as Jesus and Judas.
The direction is brilliant, and Scorcese shows unsuspected range out in the desert, a thousand miles from his normal New York settings. His usual techniques are still intact though, and are let loose upon the unconventional story to great effect - witness one scene of Dafoe walking down across the dunes, dissolving and reappearing closer to the camera... a similar scene can be found in 'Taxi Driver', drawing all sorts of favourable and interesting comparisons between the two films. There's also a return of Scorcese's theme of reality vs. fiction ('Taxi Driver', 'New York, New York'), as the film toys with the idea of a fictional Jesus vs. the real Jesus, and the power of myth that accompanies such differences.
This is a very worthy film for several reasons. It humanises the story of Christ and makes it more interesting for the heathen likes of me, and also manages to be an entertaining film, most notably in the powerful sequences where Jesus 'discovers' his 'powers'. It's also a film that is obviously very important to it's director, and the result is that it belies a level of depth and care that is seldom matched more than two of three times in a good director's career. And on top of all this, it isn't disrespectful to the elements of the story of Christ that make it what it is, namely the message of love and repentance.
HIGHLIGHTS: Jesus returns to the Apostles holding an axe, symbolising the decision to fight, and pulls out his own heart. They then go on a soul-saving rampage... banishing evil from the barbaric heathen crawling out of the earth all around them. Also, watch out for a cameo from David Bowie as Pontius Pilate.
TRIVIA: Scorcese spent nearly 10 years trying to get 'The Last Temptation of Christ' filmed, amongst religious and studio opposition, including one false start in 1983 that would've seen Aiden Quinn take on the role of Jesus.
Robert De Niro turned down the role of Jesus, citing the impossibility of using method acting.
The opening shots of 'Donnie Darko' are a stylistic reproduction of the opening scene of 'The Last Temptation of Christ', drawing intriquing comparisons between the characters of Donnie and Jesus.
The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)
'The Last Temptation of Christ' makes itself clear from the outset... this isn't an adaptation of the Bible, it's a fictional alternative account of the later life of Christ. Oddly though, it seems more accessible in spite (or perhaps because) of this. We join the story during Jesus' early 20s (or so I assume, the timeframe is never really made clear)... he is aware of who he is, and what he is, but seeks to rebel against God by making crucifixes for the Romans. From here we follow Jesus' struggle with his own human nature, and his journey to change the world, and his eventual realisation of what he must do and the fear that accompanies this.
Dafoe as Christ
Interestingly, the two main roles are turned on their heads... Judas is no longer the traitor, it is he who helps Jesus realise what he must do, and keeps him on the right track. Jesus even acknowledges at one point that being Jesus is the 'easier job' of the two - a line that speaks volumes when you consider how Judas is often remembered by history. Willem Dafoe does a remarkable job in an extremely difficult role, and it's hard to imagine anyone else being able to so easily portray Jesus as both the son and mouth of God, and a weak and insecure human being, and pull it off so completely. It's also fun to see Harvey Keital play Judas, as he pretty much becomes the character he plays, and plays him in a way that probably won't be repeated in any other film about Jesus Christ. The other main characters, bar perhaps Mary Magdelene, are almost inconsequential, none really ever being given enough screen time or development as Jesus and Judas.
The direction is brilliant, and Scorcese shows unsuspected range out in the desert, a thousand miles from his normal New York settings. His usual techniques are still intact though, and are let loose upon the unconventional story to great effect - witness one scene of Dafoe walking down across the dunes, dissolving and reappearing closer to the camera... a similar scene can be found in 'Taxi Driver', drawing all sorts of favourable and interesting comparisons between the two films. There's also a return of Scorcese's theme of reality vs. fiction ('Taxi Driver', 'New York, New York'), as the film toys with the idea of a fictional Jesus vs. the real Jesus, and the power of myth that accompanies such differences.
Last Temptation of Christ
HIGHLIGHTS: Jesus returns to the Apostles holding an axe, symbolising the decision to fight, and pulls out his own heart. They then go on a soul-saving rampage... banishing evil from the barbaric heathen crawling out of the earth all around them. Also, watch out for a cameo from David Bowie as Pontius Pilate.
TRIVIA: Scorcese spent nearly 10 years trying to get 'The Last Temptation of Christ' filmed, amongst religious and studio opposition, including one false start in 1983 that would've seen Aiden Quinn take on the role of Jesus.
Robert De Niro turned down the role of Jesus, citing the impossibility of using method acting.
The opening shots of 'Donnie Darko' are a stylistic reproduction of the opening scene of 'The Last Temptation of Christ', drawing intriquing comparisons between the characters of Donnie and Jesus.
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