THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST A film by Martin Scorsese Starring: Willem Dafoe, Harvey Keitel, and Barbara Hershey Rated R for violence and nudity
An astonishingly difficult movie to watch, THE LAST TEMPTATION OF = CHRIST may be Scorsese's most important film, and yet his most = impossibly abstract as well. Scorsese presents the life of Jesus = Christ, through Nikos Kazantzakis' novel, which details the life of = Christ from approximately 20 until the day of crucifixtion. Jesus of = Nazareth (Dafoe) is a carpenter, who opens the film making crosses, so = that he can escape the fate he is subjected to, his destiny on Earth. = Yet, he soon learns his evil ways for aiding in the deaths of others, = and subjects himself to a desert in exile, in hopes that he can reach = God. Before leaving, he asks for forgiveness from Mary Magdelene = (Barbara Hershey), a prostitute who is also a childhood friend of Jesus. = =20
After going to the desert, Christ learns his true purpose in life, = and what he must do. Aided by Judas (Keitel), he sets off on teaching = the world his message. Along the way, he meets John the Baptist, the = rest of the prophets, and tries to teach the world his message. Christ = is also confronted by internal demons and self-doubt, as he tries to = find his true purpose throughout the entire film. During the story, = Judas is the closese ally of Jesus: his betrayal, argues the film, was = not out of hate, but out of love, in order to allow Christ to die. =20
He is eventually captured, and crucified as per the Bibile. = However, as he is about to die on the cross, he is saved by a girl, who = brings him to his marriage with Mary Magdelene. The girl is a guardian = angel who is from God, and who has saved him from his death. Jesus goes = on to live a life as a man, as a carpenter, and does not die on the = cross. On his deathbed, in the final moments of his life, he is visited = by the prophets, and by Judas, who denounces his master for "not keeping = his end of the bargain." Judas reveals the angel to truly be the devil, = and the life Jesus had lived to be the ultimate selfish act. Jesus = escapes from his deathbed, and asks his father for forgiveness, for = succumbing to his last temptation.
Visually and aurally, the film is absolutely breathtaking. No other = director has even come close to realizing Jerusalem during the time of = Christ's life to the screen. Peter Gabriel contributes a score than is = simply astonishing, with pulsing rhythms that capture the viewer. The = performances are simply exquisite, with Dafoe leading the way with a = mesmerizing turn as Jesus. Keitel, although his accent is a problem, is = passionately brilliant, fighting through language to bring the character = to life. The visuals are also amazing. Scorsese frames his movie in a = harsh tone, leaving the impression that Jesus truly is a man who is = having human frailties.
The film, though, has many trouble spots. Paul Schrader's script is = one. Schrader uses modern-day New York English to tell the story, along = with New York words, New York mannerisms, and New York slang speech. = The film also does not focus on the godly aspects of Christ. There is = no underlying message behind the man's words. The film fails to capture = the glory and splendor of Christ. Had it faithfully explored that = aspect, than the dichotomy of Jesus' soul, his frailties and doubt mixed = with his unmistakable glory, would have been simply spectacular. The = message of Christ is confused between love and violence, and the film = merely tells us Jesus is great, instead of showing us his greatness.
The film is also overlong. It just drags in the middle, with = nothing truly happening. Christ is a confused figure, in the sense that = the audience doesn't know who he really is. Schrader forgets to give = Jesus a message, to show that he truly is the Messiah, to give him the = divinity. Without that, he is a rambling prophet, who the audience = themselves do not believe. There are several moments of accidental = hilarity, and most of them occur when Jesus is attempting to preach. = There are moments of brief awe and power, followed by moments of = confused hilarity.
That said, the controversial Temptation sequence is something to = behold. It is a step in an unexpected direction, one that leaves the = audience puzzled, until the arrival of the disciples. It is a simply = breathtaking scene, with Jesus about to die as a mortal. It is truly = one of Scorsese's finest moments. It is unfortunate that Scorsese = couldn't make a film about Christ as powerful as that one scene. =20
RATING: *** out of ****
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