Review of The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) by Martin T — 09 Dec 2009
A very, very interesting spin on the Jesus tale. It's almost up there with Pasolini's for me. I'm sure some of the theological implications flew over this atheist's head, but I found the portrayal of his human side, full of doubt and fear, to be fascinating and revealing.
And in many ways, far more inspirational than the "totally calm and peaceful and in control dude" we usually see. I thought it got a little too "Greatest Hits of the New Testament" at times, especially in the middle section.
You might think this would be mitigated by Scorsese's (or Schrader's, or Kazantzakis') "tweaking" of the gospel in these cases, but after a while that started to seem a bit self-conscious.
Besides this, and one spot where Peter Gabriel's score didn't really work, I don't have any complaints. Even the casting which bothered me the first time I tried to watch it wasn't a problem this time.
Maybe Harvey Keitel, but only at certain points.
This review of The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) was written by Martin T on 09 Dec 2009.
The Last Temptation of Christ has generally received very positive reviews.
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