The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)

Based on the novel by Nikos Kazantzakis, this film tells the story of the life of Christ, but it's a very different story than the one you may be used to. I'd hazard a guess that you haven't seen many films about Jesus in which Jesus appears in a sex scene.

There is a disclaimer at the very beginning of the film, a title card which states "This film is not based on the Gospels", but rather the fictional narrative from the novel, a story which places much more emphasis on the humanity of Jesus.

Jesus (Willem Dafoe) lives in Nazareth, where he works as a carpenter, his primary line of work being making crosses for the occupying Romans. And it isn't long into the film before we see one of them being used to crucify a Jewish criminal, his naked body nailed up for all to see as a warning to all that the Romans must be obeyed.

His close friend, Judas Iscariot (Harvey Keitel) chastises Jesus in the strongest possible terms, calling him a traitor for working for the enemy and abandoning his people. Judas is keen to rebel against the Romans, and convinces Jesus that they should work together.

Jesus, however, is not so keen on the revolution idea. He does agree with Judas that something needs to be done, but doesn't agree that it needs to be a military-style rebellion. He has been plagued for as long as he can remember by visions and dreams, and is beginning to believe that there is something God strongly wants him to do.

Jesus (Willem Dafoe) and Mary Magdalene (Barbara Hershey), with Judas
(Harvey Keitel) and other disciples.

Eventually, Judas convinces him, and the two of them set out together, bound for Jerusalem. Along the way, they accrue many other followers, most of them agreeing with Judas's position that the only way to be free of the Romans is to overthrow them. Jesus, however, preaches a message of love, including love for one's enemies. These followers include people whose names you will have heard before, but of course, their characters are very different from those in the biblical narrative.

You have Mary Magdalene (Barbara Hershey), a prostitute (though the Bible never named her as such) who has had quite a long, chequered history with Jesus, and also lived in Nazareth. Then there is Peter (Victor Argo), whose character more closely resembles that of the real Peter.

On the way to Jerusalem, we meet many other characters who at first seem familiar, but whose involvement with Jesus and his followers is very different. One of these is John the Baptist (Andre Gregory), whom the team go to in order to learn about the Messiah. After all, if Jesus is to become the Messiah, they need to find out what or who the Messiah is supposed to be, right?

I won't go any further into the plot, I'll leave that for you to discover. The only thing I would say is, as the disclaimer implies, go into this with an open mind. It is a very well-structured film and, provided you aren't constantly comparing it to the biblical stories of Jesus, you may very well find a lot about this film to enjoy.

Jesus (Willem Dafoe) on his way to Golgotha.

The screenplay, written by Paul Schrader from Kazantzakis's novel, is incredibly well written. All of the characters are clearly defined, and there is certainly plenty of conflict. The internal struggles that Jesus faces are incredibly strong, pulling him in all sorts of directions, and his continued effort to stay on track provide plenty of opportunities for conflict, not only within himself but with those around him.

The quality of the adaptation is also excellent. Having read the novel, I can say that Schrader couldn't have done much better than he did in translating the book to the screen. Not much has been cut, then again, the film's running time is just short of three hours, so there is plenty of screen time to get everything in.

The score was composed by Peter Gabriel, of Genesis fame, and is well suited to the on-screen action, as well as the underlying emotions and conflicts of the story.

The cinematography - by Michael Ballhaus - is also fabulous, with plenty of contrast between light and dark moments used to again highlight the high and low points of the plot and on-screen action. There are numerous scenes in near-total darkness, and these are brilliantly executed.

I must take a moment to talk about some of the cast's performances. In particular, Willem Dafoe shines in his portrayal of Jesus. Despite the fact that the plot is very different from the biblical narrative, Dafoe's portrayal of Jesus is probably the most realistic and true of any I have seen. Unlike most other actors who have played Jesus in a film before, Dafoe does not play him as a mild-mannered weakling. He brings a strength - with integrity - to the character at a level which I have yet to see in other films.

An angel (Juliette Caton) appears to Jesus in his hour of need.

Keep your eyes open for a cameo by the late, great David Bowie as Pontius Pilate. Again, he brings a difference - but also truth - to the character that has not been seen in other films before.

Director Martin Scorsese has made quite a film, with plenty of talking points for viewers to discuss and debate. There was a lot of controversy surrounding this film's release, with Christians picketing and protesting outside cinemas - none of whom had actually watched the film or had any idea what it was they were really protesting. But given the fact this was never meant to be an accurate portrayal of the life of Christ, I think it is quite a good film.

I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone who has not seen it before, and would welcome any further discussion on the film for those who are interested.

9 out of 10.