The Last Temptation Of Christ [DVD] [2003]

For those of us (most of us) who have seen Robert Powell as Jesus of Nazareth over and over again this film comes as a refreshing development in portraying Jesus the man, the bloke, coming to terms with who he actually is and all the despair and anguish that came with it, not least from trying to connect with his often ignorant and unenlightened disciples in trying to convey the simplest message. Rather then presenting the Bible stories on a plate, the viewer's mind and heart are stretched to the limit as we join Jesus on his journey via John the Baptist, Lazarus, Mary MagdaleneScorcese has peppered this film with a lot of subliminal images which press buttons in the viewer's subsconscious as Christ himself must have done to those he met. Satan very nearly has the last laugh, appearing in various guises including that of a sweet little girl which for a short time even convinces Christ himself.The Man's darkest hour on the Cross is expertly handled by surreal dream imagery in his final moments as he suffers to the last even at the point of Death, exclaiming after all he's been through, as any man would : "What's the point ?!!" wherein a film within the film begins taking Jesus himself and the viewer to the outskirts of eternity, maybe even alternate/quantum realities. Spoiler signal alert...no more of that, watch the film and see for yourself !There's also something in this film for David Bowie fans too as the 'messiah' of rock'n'roll aptly appears in a cameo role as a very cool, commanding and convincing Pontius Pilate, deciding Christ's fate. Bowie tends to do best in roles like these (e.g. Nikolai Tesla in "The Prestige"). A short but perfectly made-to-measure appearance from Bowie.So, "Jesus of Nazareth" this ain't. But be prepared to be challenged heart , mind and soul of what the humble Nazarene a.k.a God had to endure on a daily basis, trapped in the fallible mind and body of a mere man in one of the roughest (and Fascist controlled) backwoods of the world at the time (and arguably still is).I've seen the Mel Gibson Christ film and thought it was a waste of film. Robert Powell was a wonderful delicate faced Jesus in "Jesus of Nazareth" , but in this film William Dafoe comes across as more like the raw Jesus you would actually have met had you been around back then. Who knows ? Watch it and see. You won't be disappointed.

I have always loved this movie, since the first time I saw it. I am a Catholic. I know it isn't the true account in the Bible, but it has a haunting quality to it and despite its plot, does provide many interesting ideas. I have always been a fan of Peter Gabriel, and the soundtrack is the best music to accompany the Gospel story for me (the soundtrack alone makes it watchable). I have watched this movie with others and they usually hate it, because it doesn't tell the story in the Bible, but I like it because it makes you think. I always point out to people that they have to watch "the end". The end to me makes alot of sense. It "was" a temptation, just like the title says. To me this movie is like this: imagine a movie about only the part where Jesus is in the wilderness and is tempted by satan. I like to think of this movie as a description of an alternate temptation (not the ones we know of). It was like a dream. It never happened. That is my impression of this story. I find it very thought provoking and beautiful and I am glad that I have seen it, but accept that it is not for everyone, possibly only for deep-thinkers...people who like to explore concepts and emotions. I think that if you go in knowing before hand that this is not the Bible story (there is a warning on the opening credits saying as much), you may enjoy it. There are scenes in this movie I will never forget, like the Prophet scene that CJ Bolland made into a song (its a good one).I'm here to tear down everything around you,And you know what I'm going to replace it with?God. The world of God.So take your bread and give it to the poor.What difference does it matter what you own?You have gold and silver it's going to rot,And that rot is going to eat away your heart.All of you. There will be a flood and there will be a fire.Everything will be destroyed.But there will be a new ark riding on that fire and I hold the keys,And I open the door, and I decide who goes in and who doesn't.Its a great scene and lines, and pretty much what I would expect Jesus to say. My favourite lines in the movie. I think that alot of Christians have this idea that Jesus is just a loving Santa type of guy. He is going to judge the living and the dead, and when he comes again - he is going to mean business and we may not like to hear what he says!

There was such a lot of controversy around this film when it was first released that I decided not to see it at the time.Since then I have become a baptised Christian and I was curious to see what all the fuss was about. Plus I feel my faith is strong enough to be able to face any negativity that might be portrayed in the film. The opening statement that the story is not based on the events in the gospel puts the viewer in no doubt that they are watching something contrary to the gospel accounts. Therefore the viewer is prepared to be challenged at the outset.It deals mainly with the humanity of Jesus and how most of us feel about the prospect of the Crucifixion. It is such a barbaric and cruel death that our humanity rails against it.It raises many good discussion points, the humanity/Divinity of Christ and issues regarding Christ's betrayal by Judas. For example, the often asked question, can Judas be forgiven if he was so necessary to the Salvation of mankind? The Divine Jesus must have known all along that Judas would betray Him. The Temptation sequence is just that, it is not real. This film enhanced my faith and made me love Jesus more.The beautiful music score enhances the visual images.