The Last Temptation of Christ - Criterion Collection

Rating:
Summary: Great Commentary
Review: All I have to say is: Buy this for the audio commentary alone. Scorsesse, Defoe, screenwriter Paul Schrader and film critic Jay Cocks give great info on the making of the film and what it means to them.

Rating:
Summary: Only the ignorant and uneducated would hate this movie
Review: To judge this movie without watching it should be a sin. To say that it is historically incorrect is ignorant, unless you happened to be there you don't know and to even take the movie as fact or a statement of fact is just as idiotic. It's a move and a darn good one at that. Plain and simple

Rating:
Summary: Great DVD, Challenging Film
Review: The Criterion edition of "Last Temptation of Christ" is worth every penny that you pay for it. This is simply a gorgeous DVD transfer, the colors and image sharpness are fantastic and the sound quality is marvellous. You also get many extras, such as the "home movie" of Scorsese and the actors as they shoot the film in Morocco. There's also an interview with Peter Gabriel, who composed the soundtrack (an excellent one; I recommend the CD edition of it). As for the story itself, well, the controversy surrounding the plot is well known. It challenges us to step outside our pre-conceptions of who Jesus was and what he might have had to endure, to finally triumph on the cross. The performances in the film are good ones, but I would have chosen another actor to play Jesus. I normally like Willem Defoe, but I believe he is miscast here (actually, any normal human being would be a miscast, in this case). But the film, overall, is worth owning in this edition. One of the better DVD transfers that I've seen in a long time.

Rating:
Summary: LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST
Review: IV'E HEARD MUCH ABOUT THIS MOVIE MANY YRS AGO..HOWEVER, LIVING IN THE "BIBLE BELT" THIS ONE DIDN'T STAY LONG..AND KEPT VERY QUIET ABOUT IT'S SHOWINGS..MY SON CALLED ME FROM CA AND ASKED ME IF I HAD SEEN IT? I SAID "NO"..I HAD FORGOTTEN ABOUT IT..LAST NIGHT I WATCHED IT WITH GREAT INTEREST..WOW! A MOVING MOVIE ABOUT A MAN ON THE MOVE..ABOUT THE HUMAN [SPIRIT] CHRIST, INSTEAD OF THE DIVINE CHRIST. AN EYE OPENER,A HEART BREAKER,DISTURBING, EMOTIONAL.SEXY, BLOODY. ONE MUST OBSERVE THE HISTORICITY. LOOK AT THE NAILS IN THE FEET, {FROM THE SIDES OF HEEL} HIS NAKEDNESS ON THE CROSS AND CARRYING THE 80 TO 90# WOODEN CROSS BEAM...[NOT A CROSS] THE SARIFICING OF ANIMALS IN THE TEMPLE WITH ALL THE BLOOD..THE HATE FOR THIS "RABBI" "MESSIAH" "REBELROUSER" AND "TROUBLE MAKER"

Rating:
Summary: I wish that I could have rated it lower.
Review: The Bible warns against taking from or adding to the scripture. The people who were involved in the movie are treading on dangerous ground.

It make me sick to say the least

Rating:
Summary: It's like spending 2 hours and 45 minutes at the dentist...
Review: Let's get the technical details out of the way first. It's a Criterion release. What more can be said? It's made from the best available print, excellent transfer to DVD with great supplemental material. That is a given here.

Now, the movie itself is another matter. Let's be honest with ourselves here. The praise heaped on this picture is not, I repeat, * not * because it's a genuinely good film. I am sure most intelligent people understand the real reasons, so I won't elaborate on them here.

I originally saw "The Last Temptation of Christ" at the theatre. I wanted to see if it was truly as blasphemous as everyone said, so I attended a "bargain-hour" showing in the early evening. I stood in line with all the eager, excited patrons who could not wait to get inside and "defy the church"-whatever that means. They were "entertained" while waiting in line by a lone man holding a sign protesting the movie. Excitement mounted as we were seated in the theatre and the lights dimmed. However, by the time we were halfway through this 2 hour and 45 minute epic, at least one-third of the audience in this half-empty theatre had, quite literally, nodded off to sleep. The other third were chatting with their neighbors while the rest (including myself) were obviously expending extra effort to pay attention. The movie was a dreadful bore. And it * was * blasphemous, even more so than I had heard, but not nearly as blasphemous as it was absurd.

For the length of the picture we have Dafoe, as Jesus, wandering around with this spaced-out, dazed-and-confused look on his face, performing miracles while trying to find himself. The film's portrayal of Jesus' disciples reminded me of the characters following Peter Sellers from the movie "Being There." "Being There" also made fun of Christians with a 'sight gag' in the last scene that had Peter Sellers walking on the water while not realizing it. At least "Being There" was entertaining. Finally, "The Last Temptation of Christ" contained every negative cliché one could imagine about Jesus and his followers along with many scenes that were obviously included solely for their shock value and nothing else. Oh please, give me an ever-lovin' break!

Despite all the hype from the media at the time of its release, "The Last Temptation of Christ" was a complete flop in the theatres and Universal lost twelve million dollars on the picture. I'm glad I rented this DVD and did not purchase it. Sitting through this movie is like spending 2 hours and 45 minutes at the dentist. At least the dentist gives me something for my money.

Rating:
Summary: good movie
Review: I really found this movie to be enjoyable. I am not a Christian but I am fairly familiar with the story of Jesus and I found this movie, based on the book of the same name, and story to be very moving and inspiring. I am planning on purchsing this DVD and the book as well. This is definately one of martin scorsese' better movies (in my own opinion anyways)

Rating:
Summary: I suffer, therefore I am
Review: I saw this thing back when it first came out. Getting searched by security before the film was one thing, having some woman stand up and scream "Blasphemy!" during the film was something else. I hadn't thought about "Christ" until recently when I was listening to Peter Gabriel's "Passion" - the excellent soundtrack for the film. The many collaborators who worked together to pull The Last Temptation of Christ together are from vastly different backgrounds. Scorsese was raised very Catholic. Screenwriter Paul Schrader is Calvinist. Author Nikos Kazantzakis was Greek Orthodox. So it is highly unlikely that there existed some conspiracy to attack the roots of Christianity. Though that is exactly the viewpoint of those who would criticize this film. While interesting, I found "Christ" to be a little too long. The final passage is what caused trouble (it also happens to be the reason to see the movie). While being crucified, Jesus is tempted one final time by Satan (in the form of a small girl) who convinces him that God never really wanted him to die, that he has played his part and is now free to go. During this hallucination, we see Jesus marry the love of his life, have sex and father several children. He's happy. But in his hallucination he is confronted by Judas who is angry he gave in, and insists that he was meant to die on the cross. Jesus' final act is to choose the cross and flush Satan out of his gambit, for if he was indeed fully human, then he must have been endowed with that most human frailty -- free will -- and must have chosen to fulfill his role as the Lamb of God willingly. This last sequence burned the Fundamentalists (the bain of all religions). And it was they who got Scorsese's film effectively repressed (this rabid and well-organized political suppression is succinctly detailed in David Eherenstein's essay contained in the DVD box). Hell, it was even banned from the Blockbuster video chain. While all the performances were good, David Bowie's Pontius Pilate was my favorite. In a scene of sheer nerve, Bowie doesn't put the heat on the would-be Messiah, but gives him the brush-off, as if to say: "Am I really suppose to worry about this deadbeat"?

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1, the image quality of the DVD is greatly improved over the laserdisc release, with a crystal sharp image and consistent colors. The sound mix for the 5.1 Dolby Digital track is vibrant and alive. The most spectacular aspect of the track is Peter Gabriel's haunting score. The centerpiece of the supplements is an audio commentary track, recorded in 1997, featuring director Martin Scorsese, credited screenwriter Paul Schrader, uncredited screenwriter Jack Cocks, and Jesus Christ, excuse me, I mean Willem Dafoe. Scorsese, in his typical Jimmy Cagney staccato delivery, covers all relevant points concerning the making of the film, his general attitude of the film being "too much Good Friday and not enough Easter Sunday." A collection of various media sources (an article in The Biblical Archaeology Review, National Geographic Magazine, paintings by Bosch and Messina) illustrates the wide array of influences on Scorsese in preparing for the film. Peter Gabriel is on hand for a 12-minute interview (recorded in 1996), in which he relates the incredible modern and ancient music sources he pulled together for his brilliant film score. The capper is provided with "On Location in Morocco," a 15-minute collection of excerpts from Scorsese's video diary during the making of the film. It is a sheer delight to see Scorsese, in a big, fat choker close-up blur, aiming the camcorder at himself and talking about what is going on, just like an old friend from Texas who sends video dispatches to you in lieu of the written word.

Rating:
Summary: Some thoughts on the "weaknesses" of this brilliant film
Review: I will first say that my father, a Lutheran minister, took me to see this film when I was in high school. Brilliant in nearly every aspect. The Biblical Jesus, I've found, is a religious figure that people worship without approaching any closer. Here, we are given a Jesus that talks like us, feels like us, struggles with us. This opened my eyes to many aspects of Christ that I had never considered before.

Many people didn't like Jesus portrayed as "weak" or "indecisive." Maybe that really is just Dafoe, but seeing him in other movies I find that hard to believe. If Jesus seems indecisive, maybe that's because he is struggling so hard to find himself and his purpose that he has no time to worry about his outward appearances, something all the disciples are caught up in throughout the film. Weak, not at all. The scenes of Jesus being carried and supported by his disciples may give this appearance, but I tend to think that Jesus is simply so caught up in his revolutionary vision and hope for the world that he completely forgets that his body is even there... his disciples, being grounded firmly in more earthly things, cart him away because of their petty fears of violence and death.

As for Keitel's Judas, don't even get started on the accent issue. Where is it written that the ancient Hebrews spoke to each other in English with Hebrew accents? I find this a ridiculous aspect of several movies, that actors and directors seem compelled to make foreign characters speak to each other in English with accents, when the English is there simply because they are too lazy to worry about subtitles! Think about it... Judas didn't speak English. Jesus didn't speak English. Pilate didn't speak English. So how realistic would it be to have them speak English with Hebrew accents?

In fact, the accents add something to the characters. Bowie's British accent makes Pilate sound haughty, confident, arrogant... just like a Roman governor. Keitel's New Yawker makes him sound earthy, brash, uncouth, uncultured... just like an illiterate zealot.

Lastly, the complaint that the miracles of Christ are made to feel like parlor tricks. This comes as a result of the scenes where Jesus heals someone, and the disciples parade the healed man like a tent-revivalist might parade someone that he just "healed". Well, take a careful look at those scenes and watch how Jesus reacts. He doesn't stop it, but neither does it interest him... he clearly sees this kind of advertising as one of the many weaknesses of men. The disciples want so badly for people to believe in Jesus that they will take something like the healing of the blind and focus everyone's attention on that one act, not the message the Jesus brings or the life he promises. That's how people would act and react today. What makes us think that people 2000 years ago would be that much different from us?

At any rate, buy this movie. Be prepared, though, to not be entertained so much as challenged to think and feel.

Rating:
Summary: interesting story; wonderful DVD
Review: Despite the uproar the mere mention of the title of this film causes, I enjoyed the look at Jesus as human... a human with doubts, uncertainties and desires. It is a refreshing view of Jesus for those who have struggled with the thought of a being existing as a human and a savior at the same time.

Packed with features and extras, this is one of the best DVD discs I have seen. An interview with Peter Gabrial (who composed the soundtrack) is interesting and VHS footage of the production of TLTC, shot by Scorsese himself, is unique and pretty funny. The commentary by Willem Dafoe, Scorsese, Paul Schrader and Hay Cocks that will play optionally on top of the regular audio of the movie serves to give details about the thought behind various scenes.