Review of The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) by Angjelin H — 23 Feb 2008
Perhaps the second most important film about Christ only after Pasolini's Il Vangelo secondo Matteo, Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ is an exercise of raw filmmaking in the strictest sense of word, with haunting music composed by Peter Gabriel, striking and edgy performances especially that of Dafoe who plays Christ, Barbara Hershey as Magdalene and keitel as Judas (with a New York-an accent).
The movie is an adaptation of Nikos Kazantzakis' novel of the same name and explores from a somewhat philosophical aspect certain crucial elements of the New Testament story especially pertaining to the dual nature of Christ, that of being equally human and divine.
If christ was both wholly human and divine then shouldn't he have been subjected to human temptations? Of course, for those of us who are skeptical to say the least about notions such as divinity, the importance of the film and the book for that matter lies not in its quest for veracity, but its assertion of the human spirit and exploration of those 'weaknesses' which we have condemned much throughout the common era!
This review of The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) was written by Angjelin H on 23 Feb 2008.
The Last Temptation of Christ has generally received very positive reviews.
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