an astonishingly difficult movie to watch , the last temptation of christ may be scorsese 's most important film , and yet his most impossibly abstract as well .
scorsese presents the life of jesus christ
, through nikos kazantzakis ' novel , which details the life of christ from approximately 20 until the day of crucifixtion .
jesus of nazareth ( dafoe ) is a carpenter , who opens the film making crosses , so that he can escape the fate he is subjected to , his destiny on earth .
yet , he soon learns his evil ways for aiding in the deaths of others , and subjects himself to a desert in exile , in hopes that he can reach god .
before leaving , he asks for forgiveness from mary magdelene ( barbara hershey ) , a prostitute who is also a childhood friend of jesus .
after going to the desert , christ learns his true purpose in life , and what he must do .
aided by judas ( keitel ) , he sets off on teaching the world his message .
along the way , he meets john the baptist , the rest of the prophets , and tries to teach the world his message .
christ is also confronted by internal demons and self - doubt , as he tries to find his true purpose throughout the entire film .
during the story , judas is the closese ally of jesus : his betrayal , argues the film , was not out of hate , but out of love , in order to allow christ to die .
he is eventually captured , and crucified as per the bibile .
however , as he is about to die on the cross , he is saved by a girl , who brings him to his marriage with mary magdelene .
the girl is a guardian angel who is from god , and who has saved him from his death .
jesus goes on to live a life as a man , as a carpenter , and does not die on the cross .
on his deathbed , in the final moments of his life , he is visited by the prophets , and by judas , who denounces his master for " not keeping his end of the bargain .
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judas reveals the angel to truly be the devil , and the life jesus had lived to be the ultimate selfish act .
jesus escapes from his deathbed , and asks his father for forgiveness , for succumbing to his last temptation .
visually and aurally , the film is absolutely breathtaking .
no other director has even come close to realizing jerusalem during the time of christ 's life to the screen .
peter gabriel contributes a score than is simply astonishing , with pulsing rhythms that capture the viewer .
the performances are simply exquisite , with dafoe leading the way with a mesmerizing turn as jesus .
keitel , although his accent is a problem , is passionately brilliant , fighting through language to bring the character to life .
the visuals are also amazing .
scorsese frames his movie in a harsh tone , leaving the impression that jesus truly is a man who is having human frailties .
the film , though , has many trouble spots .
paul schrader 's script is one .
schrader uses modern - day new york english to tell the story , along with new york words , new york mannerisms , and new york slang speech .
the film also does not focus on the godly aspects of christ .
there is no underlying message behind the man 's words .
the film fails to capture the glory and splendor of christ .
had it faithfully explored that aspect , than the dichotomy of jesus ' soul , his frailties and doubt mixed with his unmistakable glory , would have been simply spectacular .
the message of christ is confused between love and violence , and the film merely tells us jesus is great , instead of showing us his greatness .
the film is also overlong .
it just drags in the middle , with nothing truly happening .
christ is a confused figure , in the sense that the audience does n't know who he really is .
schrader forgets to give jesus a message , to show that he truly is the messiah , to give him the divinity .
without that , he is a rambling prophet , who the audience themselves do not believe .
there are several moments of accidental hilarity , and most of them occur when jesus is attempting to preach .
there are moments of brief awe and power , followed by moments of confused hilarity .
that said , the controversial temptation sequence is something to behold .
it is a step in an unexpected direction , one that leaves the audience puzzled , until the arrival of the disciples .
it is a simply breathtaking scene , with jesus about to die as a mortal .
it is truly one of scorsese 's finest moments .
it is unfortunate that scorsese could n't make a film about christ as powerful as that one scene .
Output: P