Movieline is pleased to introduce Inessential Essentials, a regular feature about some of the most intriguing — if not necessarily most obvious — new home-viewing options on the market. We begin today with a film practically doomed by controversy a quarter-century ago, resurrected for DVD and finally given the treatment it truly deserves this week on Blu-ray. — Ed.
What's the Film: The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), new on Blu-ray via Criterion Collection
Why it's an Inessential Essential: Adapted from Nikos Kazantzakis?s novel by the same, The Last Temptation of Christ is a moving and heart-felt testament of religious faith. It?s also probably not the first film you?d think of when you think of when you think of Martin Scorsese?s filmography. Temptation follows Jesus of Nazareth (Willem Dafoe) in his long journey from looking at God?s presence as ?the ultimate headache,? to quote Temptation screenwriter Paul Schrader, towards seeing death in the service of God as an act of divine mercy.
The Last Temptation of Christ isn?t the only film of Scorsese?s to focus on a troubled protagonist?s spiritual crisis. Like several of Scorsese?s protagonists, Jesus gradually comes to understand the difference between how he can behave and how he should behave according to his moral principles. He?s a man first, and only by film?s end does he really become the messiah, too.
Still, because of its sexual implications, the film was a source of major controversy when it was released in 1988 and even before then when Scorsese originally tried unsuccessfully to make The Last Temptation of Christ with Paramount Studios in 1983 on a considerably bigger budget. According to David Ehrenstein?s liner notes, Scorsese was told he could make the picture with a budget of $15-20 million. But then a…
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