the Last Temptation of Christ: C/D?

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The OTHER controversial Jesus film (from 16 years ago). I like it very much, I'm sure the Mel Gibson flick won't even compare. Your thoughts?

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Saturday, 21 February 2004 07:29 (9 years ago) Permalink

I like the fact that Willem Dafoe can flaunt a resume that includes playing both Jesus and the Green Goblin.

I'm afraid I don't have much else to contribute besides that (being a non-Catholic who hasn't seen the actual movie), though reading Scorsese on Scorsese proved illuminating.

― Nate in ST.P (natedetritus), Saturday, 21 February 2004 07:33 (9 years ago) Permalink

The only Scorcese that I have any patience for. Classic. It was one of the films that lapsed my atheism into a nice, tepid agnosticism.

― Leee Majors (Leee), Saturday, 21 February 2004 07:39 (9 years ago) Permalink

That beautiful beautiful beautiful soundtrack by Peter Gabriel. Probably my favorite album that I don't talk about much.

Oh yeah the movie. Hm.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 21 February 2004 07:41 (9 years ago) Permalink

The only Scorcese that I have any patience for.

NGAH?!

― Nate in ST.P (natedetritus), Saturday, 21 February 2004 07:48 (9 years ago) Permalink

I saw it in the theater; it's pretty great. Why is it that the Mel Gibson movie has christian groups urging people to see it but Scorsese's film was picketed and boycotted?? Despite the film - like the source novel - depicting Jesus as imagining before his death what his life might have been like had he married and raised a familiy, I saw it as a profoundly devout and spiritual film.

― Sean (Sean), Saturday, 21 February 2004 09:09 (9 years ago) Permalink

I'm tired of Jesus movies.

Wake me when "G.I.Jesus" comes out.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Saturday, 21 February 2004 09:10 (9 years ago) Permalink

I'm still holding out for "Return of the King of Kings."

― J.D. (Justyn Dillingham), Saturday, 21 February 2004 10:02 (9 years ago) Permalink

Ned OTM. Wow, that album sure is great, though I like to pretend that either I don't own it, or cover the name of the artist and label with my thumb when I take it off the shelf. I think I've had sex to that album more than any other!

The movie... erm. Well, a cut above the usual Christian-baiting stuff, and two cuts above the usual "The Robe" style Christian-sanctifying stuff (though I have to admit I have a weakness for those.) We used to watch it every Easter, just because. ;-)

― The River Kate (kate), Saturday, 21 February 2004 10:43 (9 years ago) Permalink

C for creepy, creepy Willem Dafoe and being good a sample source (can't live on Blade Runner forever, ya know.)

― anode (anode), Saturday, 21 February 2004 11:25 (9 years ago) Permalink

a friend of mine used to say 'Passion' was one of the best albums ever as well. not heard it or seen the film but want to now.

― stevem (blueski), Saturday, 21 February 2004 14:13 (9 years ago) Permalink

love the soundtrack, the movie was over wrought and kind of silly.

― anthony, Saturday, 21 February 2004 14:14 (9 years ago) Permalink

I also like the soundtrack. I've never seen the film, but doesn't David Bowie play Pontius Pilate in it?

― sgs (sgs), Saturday, 21 February 2004 14:43 (9 years ago) Permalink

Found the movie to be a kind of turgid, adolescent eroto-orientalism exercise. Masturbation with castanets and incense. W. Dafoe just too weird for me.

― Skottie, Saturday, 21 February 2004 14:46 (9 years ago) Permalink

Don't knock masturbation with castanets and incense, unless you've tried it, in which case fair enough.

― N. (nickdastoor), Saturday, 21 February 2004 14:57 (9 years ago) Permalink

The Criterion Collection DVD of Last Temptation is really cool. The commentary by Defoe, Scorcese, and Paul Schrader is really fascinating as well.

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Saturday, 21 February 2004 18:04 (9 years ago) Permalink

Steven, I'd play you the album (actually, I've got it on right now) but I ph34r the consequences... ;-)

― The River Kate (kate), Saturday, 21 February 2004 21:10 (9 years ago) Permalink

My favorite moment in the DVD commentary is the scene where Dafoe is in a room with cobras, and he was saying to the crew, "Uh, I'm safe...right? There's no danger, right?" [no response] "Well, say something! Tell me it's okay, and I'm going to be fine!" "Uh......you're going to be fine..."

― Joe (Joe), Tuesday, 24 February 2004 03:38 (9 years ago) Permalink

Classic.

I like Barbara Hershey. She's excellent. I am a huge fan of Mr. Dafoe. Supercool as Jesus.

The ending with the technicolored Stan Brakhage type stuff was awesome.

And I agree about the soundtrack. It's crazy that NIN sampled it!

― Star Hustler, Tuesday, 24 February 2004 05:12 (9 years ago) Permalink

That soundtrack is (secretly) so goth.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 24 February 2004 05:15 (9 years ago) Permalink

It's the best Peter Gabriel album, right? Trent Reznor owes a lot to Eno, Bowie, and the Passion in many ways. He admits it too.

― Star Hustler, Tuesday, 24 February 2004 05:19 (9 years ago) Permalink

harvey keitel's judas was a little rich.

― s1ocki (slutsky), Tuesday, 24 February 2004 05:23 (9 years ago) Permalink

Judas with a Brooklyn accent = SUBLIME.

― Star Hustler, Tuesday, 24 February 2004 05:26 (9 years ago) Permalink

I think it was John Waters who described it as Jesus: Uncut.

― tokyo rosemary (rosemary), Tuesday, 24 February 2004 06:26 (9 years ago) Permalink

4 years pass...

soundtrack to this shit is awwwwesome

― max, Monday, 28 July 2008 03:24 (4 years ago) Permalink

In my day, a premium choice for hot hot dorm room sex. (Did you remember to put the scrunchy on the doorknob?)

― kenan, Monday, 28 July 2008 03:29 (4 years ago) Permalink

the sources disc is good too

― max, Monday, 28 July 2008 04:16 (4 years ago) Permalink

harvey keitel's judas was a little rich.

-- s1ocki (slutsky), Tuesday, February 24, 2004 5:23 AM (4 years ago) Bookmark Link

after getting those 30 pieces of silver, sure!

― latebloomer, Monday, 28 July 2008 14:47 (4 years ago) Permalink

Music, great. Film, dud, spoiled by wildly inappropriate accents as much as anything else. If there's one thing even Gibson/Passion-haters have to agree, it's that the attention to language/detail in the Gibson film was ace. It's kind of spoiled other "historical" films for me where they speak in English (when the characters wouldn't have).

― James Morrison, Tuesday, 29 July 2008 00:39 (4 years ago) Permalink

like "romeo and juliet" for example

― max, Tuesday, 29 July 2008 00:41 (4 years ago) Permalink

if only shakespeare had paid as much attention to the language and detail of italy as gibson did to judea and galilee

― max, Tuesday, 29 July 2008 00:42 (4 years ago) Permalink

shakespeare's "italy" was more or less invented, tho

― goole, Tuesday, 29 July 2008 00:51 (4 years ago) Permalink

ha, like gibson's "jerusalem" wasn't?

― latebloomer, Tuesday, 29 July 2008 00:52 (4 years ago) Permalink

uh yeah but the bible's jerusalem wasn't. we have texts in aramaic, there's no original italian version of romeo and juliet

god i need to get out of the house

― goole, Tuesday, 29 July 2008 00:55 (4 years ago) Permalink

yeah but scorsese differs so greatly from the bible on plot points that you can hardly expect him to make the accents scrupulously faithful

― max, Tuesday, 29 July 2008 00:58 (4 years ago) Permalink

yeah, that's true. i should see this again but i remember bowie as pilate being good. and john lurie! who's he, thomas or something? if john lurie is in your movie, i will go see it.

― goole, Tuesday, 29 July 2008 01:02 (4 years ago) Permalink

My main problem was Keitel as Brooklyn Judas.

― James Morrison, Tuesday, 29 July 2008 07:29 (4 years ago) Permalink

like "romeo and juliet" for example

-- max, Tuesday, 29 July 2008 00:41 (9 hours ago) Bookmark Link

if only shakespeare had paid as much attention to the language and detail of italy as gibson did to judea and galilee

-- max, Tuesday, 29 July 2008 00:42 (9 hours ago) Bookmark Link

Good non-argument, though. Shakespeare, that well-known Hollywood director of historical films.

― James Morrison, Tuesday, 29 July 2008 09:58 (4 years ago) Permalink

1 year passes...

how was Last Temptation a historical film other than that it did recreate events from the Bible sprinkled with a story that was mostly fiction?

HOW CUM THE PPL IN STAR WARS ALL SPEAK ENGLISHSHSH

― Elvin Wayburn Phillips, Sunday, 2 August 2009 18:15 (3 years ago) Permalink

The Sound of Music wd be way better if they all spoke German.

― Calamari Merkin (Noodle Vague), Sunday, 2 August 2009 19:32 (3 years ago) Permalink

I don't get why they had english accents tho

― Cyberdune Butt (Elvin Wayburn Phillips), Sunday, 2 August 2009 19:59 (3 years ago) Permalink

implacable upper-class gravitas in English is the way to go with historical films.

― Akon/Family (Merdeyeux), Sunday, 2 August 2009 20:09 (3 years ago) Permalink

"I say Genghis, would you pass the Yak milk please?"

"Certainly old chap. Wind's getting up on the Steppes tonight, what?"

― Calamari Merkin (Noodle Vague), Sunday, 2 August 2009 20:25 (3 years ago) Permalink

I wish everybody in Boyz in the Hood spoke like Michael Caine

― Cyberdune Butt (Elvin Wayburn Phillips), Sunday, 2 August 2009 20:30 (3 years ago) Permalink

just saw this again for the third time. surprisingly fewer special features than most Criterion dvds, but the movie alone is worth it. beautifully shot too

― Cyberdune Butt (Elvin Wayburn Phillips), Monday, 3 August 2009 05:02 (3 years ago) Permalink

1 year passes...

Love this track:

― raging hetero lifechill (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 9 October 2010 20:22 (2 years ago) Permalink

I love both the movie and the Gabriel soundtrack. both are favorites. but the Gabriel soundtrack is just chilling at times.

― THE SOMEWHAT COMPETENT RANDY (San Te), Saturday, 9 October 2010 21:34 (2 years ago) Permalink

I don't even mind that it's even a bit tacky in places (e.g. the walloping beats on a few tracks).

― raging hetero lifechill (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 9 October 2010 21:44 (2 years ago) Permalink

may even be my favorite Gabriel

― THE SOMEWHAT COMPETENT RANDY (San Te), Saturday, 9 October 2010 21:44 (2 years ago) Permalink

was definitely my favorite when it came out, and for a few years after, but it sounds pretty dated to me now; I think I even prefer Us to it. but, of it's time, it's pretty good.

― akm, Saturday, 9 October 2010 22:42 (2 years ago) Permalink

1 year passes...

Glenn Kenny on the BluRay:

While the first Criterion standard-def disc was released, it was “fine,” as they say, but not as special as one felt maybe it ought to have been. This new Blu-ray IS all that. Utterly beautiful. Seeing it in this presentation, with fresh eyes, it’s like a new film, and there’s so much to see IN it. This time around, for instance, for the first time I really felt its Bressonian touches—the shots of hands, of gestures, of figures walking. The colors in this version , the ever-so-slightly pink sand of the desert; amazing. We can finally revel in this as one of Scorsese’s very greatest films. A real blessing.

― World Congress of Itch (Dr Morbius), Monday, 30 April 2012 19:07 (1 year ago) Permalink

David Bowie's Roman haircut like you've never seen it before!

― Ned Raggett, Monday, 30 April 2012 19:46 (1 year ago) Permalink

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