The Greatest Story Ever Told! A Masterpiece.

Every now and again, a film you never really ever thought of will come up, slap you in the face, and remind you why you love movies so much. Most of these times you never gave these films a second thought before that, picking them up just out of idle curiosity or else the desire for something fresh, something new. However, these rare treats are among the most rewarding videos you can find out there.

I hadn’t really thought about this film until a friend mentioned it to me. We were discussing the Passion of the Christ, when he mentioned how superior this film was. I noted his comments, and didn’t think of it again. Then, one week, I was walking through the video store when I saw a copy of it. Interested, and in the mood for something long and thoughtful, I decided to give it a chance, even though I am cool towards movies on the life of Christ in general. Was I ever in for a shock. The Last Temptation of the Christ is, quite bluntly, a masterpiece, one of the most moving, gripping and wonderful movies I’ve ever seen, easily the best film ever done on the life of Christ, and now one of my top four films of all time.

The story, as it is, is one of the most famous ever told. Jesus, the son of Mary, lives in a small town called Nazareth in Israel. Israel is occupied by the mighty and expansive Roman Empire, and Jewish patriots are crucified nearly every week. The people of Israel still have hope though that a messiah will one day come, and free them from Roman oppression.

Jesus is tormented nightly by visions, and is harangued by his acquaintance Judas, who is an Israeli patriot. Jesus makes crosses for the Romans (he is a carpenter) and the people of Nazareth hate him for that. He decides to leave the town and head towards a monastery, where an elderly priest is waiting for him. Along the way, he stops of and meets Mary Magdalene, an old girlfriend, whose heart he broke when he would not marry her.

At the monastery, he confronts himself and the evil within, and begins to muse about his place in the world. He admits that he may be the son of God, but says that he hates it. The monks tell him to go out and speak to the people. He meets Judas who was going to kill him, but instead decides to follow him instead, at least until he can make up his mind about Jesus.

Jesus begins to preach, and gradually becomes more popular. He is frightened by this though, fearing what it may mean for him. He goes to the desert and is confronted by the Devil, who tempts him with power, love and anything else he wants.

Jesus eventually becomes so popular he could take the throne, but instead he realizes that IF he is indeed the messiah, and the son of God, he will have to die on the cross for the sins of mankind. He weeps, and cries and asks God to take his fate away from him, but God does not reply. He is eventually captured by the Roman soldiers, and is put upon the cross. He now has a final choice to make about whether or not he is going to ascend to the level of the Messiah, or have a family and live his life the way he wants.

This is perhaps the most interesting, most fascinating, most brilliant idea I’ve ever heard of. The film really is about God as a man, God becoming human. It is about the choice between divinity, and humanity. It is about responsibility and desires. I could go on, but I will begin to rant. The script is, frankly, phenomenal. No movie before has ever had the gall to do a human treatment of an important religious figure. Unlike the one dimensional characters in say, the Passion of the Christ, the characters in this film are fascinating ones, and much can be read and learned from them. They all have different motives and morals. Each one has a lesson engrained in them, and each one is there to teach us something. And yet, the characters all feel human, all have weaknesses and desires, and we always care very much about their plight. They feel like real people, and we want them to succeed and be happy. And unlike other biblical epics, which try to force the character’s goodness down our throats, the Last Temptation actually makes sympathetic and moral characters. The plot is very moving, and very beautiful. It also flows excellently from scene to scene, never becoming boring or losing rhythm. It feels very unified, unlike other biblical epics which feel tied together very loosely, or else are just thin.

The dialogue is also stellar. It manages to be deep and philosophical without becoming ridiculously pretentious or just plain old boring. The dialogue all feels very realistic, very human, and very easy to understand. All the characters speak like real people, like someone you would know. This adds to their humanity, and makes us feel for them and pay more attention to their story. When Jesus talks about wanting a home and a family, or Judas talks about wanting freedom for his country, we can empathize with them, and become more involved in what they are doing. The dialogue for the Devil is also impressively chilling and disturbing, without going for the traditional super villain evil, or for the gross out.

The special effects and costumes are all beautifully rendered. The clothes all look very realistic, and fit in well with the times and with the characters. And also, all the costumes have a nice, dusty sheen about them that adds to the realism and the feel of the scene. The settings are also sufficiently detailed, and looked pretty realistic to me. There are only a few special effects, but they are all carefully done, and look wonderful.

The acting is also top notch. Willem Dafoe deserved an Oscar for this very difficult and very demanding role. He gives Christ the necessary divine and powerful feel to him, but it is the humanity and goodness that he brings the role that really pushes it into greatness. He is very sympathetic and powerful in his role, managing to create a very multi-layered character. Top notch.

Harvey Keitel is also spectacular as Judas. Judas is typically ignored in most Biblical epics right up until the very end, but he is given way more screen time here. Keitel also plays a very mulit-layered Judas, and breaths new life into the betrayer and murderer of Christ.

The score is phenomenal. Nominated for a Golden Globe, it truly cannot be praised enough. The music is an odd mix of instruments and voices, everything from a choir to church bells, but the music always seems to match each scene just perfectly, almost as though blessed. The music is beautiful, moving and always powerful. A joy to listen to.

The direction is also great. Unlike most of Scorsese’s films where he seems to linger on shots and has ridiculous tracking shots, he manages to restrain himself in order to deliver his masterpiece. Beautiful cinematography, great shot composition. Smooth editing, simple, yet powerful scenes. Great camera moves. He does it all, and does it with flair and a lot of style.

The Last Temptation of the Christ is quite simply, truly the greatest story ever told. It is amazing, breathtaking, words can’t describe, good. So much better then the Passion of the Christ, it is a sin it made so much less money. A must see.