The Last Temptation of Christ [Criterion Collection] [Blu-ray]

Director: Martin Scorsese

Overview

The story of Jesus Christ's crucifixion and its aftermath are the subject of this sometimes iconoclastic but always passionate religious drama. On its initial release, the film was the center of a notable controversy, thanks to protests from fundamentalists objecting to the film's unconventional depiction of Jesus.

Product Details

Release Date:	03/13/2012
UPC:	0715515092715
Original Release:	1988
Rating:	R
Source:	Criterion
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	2:43:00
Sales rank:	8,236

Special Features

Restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised and approved by cinematographer Michael Ballhaus and editor Thelma Schoonmaker, with a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack by supervising sound editor Skip Lievsay; Audio commentary featuring director Martin Scorsese, actor Willem Dafoe, and writers Paul Schrader and Jay Cocks; Galleries of production stills, research materials, and costume designs; Location production footage shot by Scorsese; Interview with composer Peter Gabriel, with a stills gallery of traditional instrunments used in the score; PLUS: An essay by film critic David Ehrenstein

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Willem Dafoe	Jesus de Nazareth
Barbara Hershey	Mary Magdalene
Harvey Keitel	Judas Iscariot
David Bowie	Pontius Pilate
Harry Dean Stanton	Paul
Verna Bloom	Mar?a
Andre Gregory	John the Baptist
Juliette Caton	Girl Angel
Roberts Blossom	Aged Master
Irvin Kershner	Zebedee
Gary Basaraba	Andrew
Victor Argo	Peter
Michael Been	John
Paul Herman	Phillip
John Lurie	James
Leo Burmester	Nathaniel
Alan Rosenberg	Thomas
Nehemiah Persoff	Rabbi
Barry Miller	Jeroboam
Paul Greco	Zealot
Steven Shill	Centurion,Centurion
Randy Danson	Mary, Sister of Lazarus
Robert Spafford	Man at Wedding
Doris von Thury	Woman with Mary, Mother of Jesus
Del Russell	Money Changer
Donald Hodson	Saducee
Peter Berling	Beggar
Russell Case	Person at Sermon
Mary Seller	Actor
Mohamed Mabsout	Other Apostle
Ahmed Nacir	Other Apostle
Mokhtar Salouf	Other Apostle
Peggy Gormley	Martha, Sister of Lazarus
Donna Magnani	Actor
Penny Brown	Actor
Jonathon Zhivago	Actor
David Sharp	Actor
Tomas Arana	Lazarus/Crowd Member
Del Russel	Money Changer
Gabi Ford	Voices
Dale Wyatt	Voices
Domenico Fiore	Voices
Ted Rusoff	Voices
Leo Damian	Voices
Robert Laconi	Voices
Illeana Douglas	Voices
Harry Dean	Actor
Mahamed Ait Fdil Ahmed	Other Apostle
Donna Marie	Person at Sermon
Leo Marks	Devil
Mary Sellers	Person at Sermon
Peter Gabriel	Composer

Technical Credits

Paul Schrader

Paul Schrader	Screenwriter
Barbara De Fina	Producer
Iginio Fiorentini	Special Effects
Gino Galliano	Special Effects
Franco Salamon	Stunts
Harry Ufland	Executive Producer,Executive Producer,Producer,Producer
Omero Capanna	Stunts
Cis Corman	Casting

Editorial Reviews

Canceled in 1983, finally made in 1987, and embroiled in controversy, Martin Scorsese's adaptation of Nikos Kazantzakis's The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) is the ultimate labor of love and a singularly thought-provoking take on the life of Jesus. Though fundamentalists loudly protested a brief scene featuring Willem Dafoe's Christ procreating with Barbara Hershey's Mary Magdalene, the real "offense" was portraying Jesus as fully human as well as fully divine, and thus subject to doubts, fears, and temptation via a deceptively angelic girl offering a vision of normal life. Scorsese and screenwriter Paul Schrader's aim to think through the meaning of Christ's dual nature and the Passion, however, becomes a sincere affirmation of faith through its very humanism and, yes, humor. Shot on a minimal budget in Morocco, Scorsese's rough, stripped-down style avoids Hollywood biblical gloss and turns Jesus and his Apostles into accessible, rough-accented human beings, paradoxically making Jesus' acceptance of his fate all the more effective (though Harvey Keitel's Brooklynite Judas provoked some derision). Released amid vociferous criticism (from fundamentalist Christians who refused to actually see it), The Last Temptation of Christ earned good notices and Scorsese an Oscar nomination for Best Director. Certain video chains, however, won't stock it.