The Last Temptation of Christ [Region 2]
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![The Last Temptation of Christ [Region 2]](/pictures/Temptation-Christ.jpg) |
Features
• Anamorphic
• NTSC
In Theaters : 12 August, 1988 |
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DVD : This item is currently not available. |
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The Last Temptation of Christ [Region 2] description
It isn't difficult to imagine why this 1988 retelling of the Crucifixion story was picketed vociferously upon release--this Jesus bears little resemblance to the classical Christ, who was not, upon careful review of the Gospels, ever reported to have had sex with Barbara Hershey. Heavily informed by Gnostic reinterpretations of the Passion, The Last Temptation of Christ (based rather strictly on Nikos Kazantzakis's novel of the same name) is surely worth seeing for the controversy and blasphemous content alone, but it's difficult to find in skittish chain video stores. But the "last temptation" of the title is nothing overtly naughty--rather, it's the seduction of the commonplace; the desire to forgo following a "calling" in exchange for domestic security. Willem Dafoe interprets Jesus as spacy, indecisive, and none too charismatic (though maybe that's just Dafoe himself), but his Sermon on the Mount is radiant with visionary fire; a bit less successful is method actor Harvey Keitel, who gives the internally conflicted Judas a noticeable Brooklyn accent, and doesn't bring much imagination to a role that demands a revisionist's approach. Despite director Martin Scorsese's penchant for stupid camera tricks, much of the desert footage is simply breathtaking, even on small screen. Ultimately, Last Temptation is not much more historically illuminating than Monty Python's Life of Brian, but hey, if it's authenticity you're after, try Gibbon's. --Miles Bethany |
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The Last Temptation of Christ [Region 2] Customer Reviews
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A very human Jesus, one would actually follow...
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I remember when I went to watch its premiere in New York City, there were some fanatical "believers" who actually tried to stop the audience to actually enter the movie theater in order to view it...
I was one of those viewers, and I remember that one of those knuckleheads, sitting on the stairs grabbed me by the seams of my pants and tried to physically block me from entering. Thinking that this was not enough he yelled something about "a curse that would befall me, together with the loss of my sacred soul and finally the doom of excommunication".
Well, I was raised a catholic, but very soon detached myself from any kind of mumbo-jumbo in any form and fashion. Today I live happily and have never been plagued by demons nor zombies.
Perhaps I am too much of a pragmatic, but fact is that I have lived a full life without any nightmares what-so-ever, due to this fact.
After such a treatment, I was expecting to watch a kind of catholic "The Exorcist" filled with demons splattering peas and creamed spinach, all over Jesus, or worse, that Jesus would do so himself...
What I was dished up with, was nothing new to me. Whoever studies a bit carefully the historic period of these events, will sooner or later cross some documents that tend to corroborate the theories examined in Martin Scorsese's movie. Even Kazantzakis must have discovered them, and just limited himself to make sense out of it all and put it down in novel form.
Nothing shocking in this.
Besides, if one would stop just for a moment to reflect who the people were who lived in Palestine in those years, would know that common people had enough to struggle with, not to be so devoted to the first guy who would call himself a Messiah.
People were more down to Earth and less leaping across golden clouds in a nice blue sky. They were occupied by the Romans, and the Romans at that time and in that place were just behaving as the Waffen-SS did on the Eastern Front in World War II.
Either you obeyed and submitted, or you were dead meat.
No wonder then some scenes, very human ones at that, when Judas, and even Peter accuse Jesus of being a coward. Of course, the Apostles are a far cry from the fairytale version we have in the Gospels or even in other Devotion oriented pictures of yesteryear.
But because of this, they truly come through as true, living, breathing, and yes, bleeding human beings. Not puppets, not just silent followers, or dreamers, but factual friends of Jesus, concerned with his actions and his behavior, if not his image.
And Jesus himself comes through as a man. Not a divine being, but just a man. In this there are many parallels even in Greek, Persian and Sumerian religious mythology. Just look for instance Herakles or Hercules if you prefer, being put on Earth by Zeus in order to be tested as a human being.
Jesus has only become divine after his crucifixion, not before.
Also to be noted, was the many doubts Hebrews had about the mere existence of an actual Messiah figure. They didn't even know if it was one person, or a group of persons, who had to walk the Earth to be recognized as such.
Moreover, many behave as if Jesus had been a sort of a Christian pastor or a monk. Far from all this. He was Hebrew by birth and Jew by religion.
Besides what is the importance of all this?
He came to save all Mankind, not just a group of morons, or at least this was his original intention.
Remains to be seen and to be proven if he truly managed to succeed in this or if he failed.
After all there is no more justice nowadays in this world than there was back then.
And who is really and closely following his teachings?
We don't even respect the basic ten commandments. OK, we may not kill, nor steal, but all the other commandments? C'mon, be honest...
Ever watched "The Godfather"?
Well, this would teach you more about our failings as so-called Christians than any scripture.
And to all those who "think" they are born-again Christians or just Christians I would suggest to look deeply into a mirror and tell themselves what they truly see in it and whether or not they like what they see mirrored in it.
Isn't it written "do not onto others, what you..." etc. and so forth, or even "do no judge others, lest you..." and yadi-da and yadi-di.
Of course I just cite these passages losely, also because I do not really remember their original formula. But you grasp the idea...
This movie to me is probably an appropriate companion to "The Passion of Christ" and completes, together maybe with the more "devoted" "Jesus of Nazareth" TV-Miniseries directed by Franco Zeffirelli the entire lifespan on Earth of a man known as Jesus, who by his deeds, his doubts and his final courage and endurance, managed to enter in some way our own hearts and become to some of us, an example, a guru, a teacher, a master and to others, simply the Messiah.
May it be as it may, there has never been another tale such as this one, and amazing it still is.
I can guarantee you this. If I had been in his place, I would have chosen to live a long life and forgotten all about the scriptures, even if this would have meant to go into exile into a foreign land.
The doubts he had and has in this Motion Picture are those each and everyone would have, if we were confronted with such a choice: to die nailed on a Roman Cross, after being whipped almost to death, and all this in the slowest way possible.
Those who would do so without a doubt or simply going to their death in this way, with a smile on their faces, are either insane or were dropped on the floor when they were babies.
Criterion has done a marvelous job with this DVD, cleaning the image up and even the sound is discreet.
A last word of warning.
If you are a true believer, stay away from this movie, it may offend some of your beliefs, but if you can stay open minded and objective, then this movie will please you.
Only remember, just bits and parts, diverge from the original story told by the gospels, the rest is deja-vu.
The acting is up to par. Willem Dafoe as Jesus is acceptable, but has somewhat the appearance of bum, rather than a Rabbi. Harvey Keitel steals the show in this movie. His forceful interpretation comes through loud and clear.
I can highly recommend it. You may still learn a thing or two... |
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The Last Temptation of Christ [Region 2] dvd movie.