Last Temptation of Christ Review- By Michael Carlisle

Title: The Last Temptation of Christ
Year: 1988
Director: Martin Scorsese
Country: U.S
Language: English
 

Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ is an interesting view on the life and character of the average Christian man’s messiah,  Jesus Christ.  In this film , Jesus Christ is portrayed as both God and Man as is taught in Christianity. Therefore in this film Jesus contains all the vulnerabilities of a man,  he is full of emotion and self doubt,  any man would be if they had learnt they would have to die on the cross.  He is not only vulnerable to self  doubt but also to temptation and the allure of Satan, who attempts to stray Jesus from his ultimate mission on Earth. This film is not only about how he experienced great fear and temptation, but also how he stayed strong despite Satan’s attempts.

Before the film starts there is a disclaimer, “This film is not based upon the gospels but upon the fictional  exploration of eternal spiritual conflict.” This disclaimer was Scorsese’s attempt to rid any controversy this film could possibly ignite, however as we know from History it is nearly impossible to make a film about Christ and not spark controversy.  The Last Temptation of Christ is in all accounts, a very serious film and takes its subject seriously, yet devout Christian fundamentalists, who feel they know exactly who Jesus was, are offended by the film. In 1988 they were so offended that a few Christian fundamentalists threw Molotov cocktails at Cinemas that were playing the film, this not only burnt down the buildings but killed a few people in the process.

Although Life of Brian is more blasphemous

Though this film is a thoughtful journey through the life of Christ, and directed by a man who has a proven track record of serious films about sin and redemption, one could technically view the film as blasphemous because it does not follow scripture word for word. It does not follow the majority of film and pop culture portrayals of Jesus Christ.  The character of Christ is presented in a completely unique way, he is a worried and self doubting individual who doubts his ability to be the messiah God wants. In the beginning of the film he says “I know that God loves me, but I want him to hate me”.  He builds crosses for the Romans to show his reluctance to accept the quest God has given him.

Willem Dafoe (Antichrist) brilliantly plays the main role of Jesus Christ, a man who eventually is willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good whether or not he fully believes that he is the saviour of the world. Courageous? You bet. I could not imagine myself being able to do anything close to what Christ did. While Last Temptation is much different from most religious films, Scorsese gets brownie points for taking Christ’s message seriously while not intentionally trying to pander to Hollywood or religious crowds. Christ is struggling, questioning his faith like many men do,  and eventually accepting his fate.  He is peaceful yet warrior-like. A personality mix of Gandhi and Che Guevara.  In one scene he tells his disciples to love one another, in another he tells them to get ready for a war.

The role of Judas (Harvey Keitel) is radically changed in this film, he is Jesus’ closest friend and strategist. He is a strong hearted man who is filled with great knowledge. He betrays Jesus but not out of greed, out of necessity. There is some foreshadowing throughout the film when Judas says “if you stray from the path, even just a little bit, I will kill you.” We see that when the time comes Judas is not that strong hearted,  he cannot betray his best friend, but he must.  If not, who would? Judas is a necessary piece in the puzzle.

Satan plays a big role as the antagonist in this film, his goal is to stray Jesus from the path desired by God.  He tempts Christ in the desert by attempting to lay seeds of serious self doubt in Jesus’ conscience.  While Christ is on the cross Satan sends visions of a better life, a life with Mary Magdeline. A life of a man that is free from the great burden God has placed upon his son. Though as the vision or “last temptation” progresses we see that Jesus’ sacrifice is a very necessary thing. I feel these scenes have the power to unite Atheists and Christians alike. In one vision a man is preaching the death and resurrection of Christ, Jesus sees this man and calls him a liar, the man responds by saying “I created the story out of necessity, it gives people hope. If I need to crucify you, I’ll crucify you.” Scorsese presents an important question with this film. Does it matter if Jesus Christ was a real person? The story of Christ brings hope to people, it makes them believe that they can be redeemed and forgiven. Even fundamentalist Atheists have to acknowledge this.

In conclusion, The Last Temptation of Christ is a technically masterful film in every sense of the word. It is also the most emotional, truthful and spiritual film about Jesus Christ that I have ever seen. The character of Jesus  has more than one dimension in character and is not portrayed in a cheesy or demeaning way. One problem I had with Mel Gibson’s Passion of Christ is that Christ was shown to be the inventor of tables and chairs. It also showed Christ in physical pain but it did not effectively show Christ’s emotional struggle. The Last Temptation of Christ displayed more truth about humanity than Gibson’s film could dream of. I am not a religious man but this film certainly has challenged me in ways I did not think it could. Yes it has been the subject of great controversy, but  then again, so was Jesus. Praise it! 5/5