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The Last Temptation of Christ
The Last Temptation of Christ — ahhh, what a romantic movie. Well, not really, but it does hold a particular significance in that it was the movie Vera and I saw on our first "date" back at the University of Chicago's DOC Films in 1989. As such, I didn't really remember the movie all that well!
So, it being the day before Easter, and having heard from some friends that they had never seen the movie before, we decided to watch it again. Overall, I would say it left two very distinct impressions on me.
The first is that it portrays the world at that time in a much "rawer" way than you're used to, as compared to most films about Jesus. I have no idea if it's really a more accurate portrayal of how society was at the time, but it certainly felt more visceral and appropriate, considering that Jesus spent a lot of his time among those in the lower social orders of society.
The second is the way the movie explores the human side of Jesus, making him into a weaker, reluctant figure rather than the more typically strong person he is normally portrayed as. Although several people have told me they thought he was too weak, I thought it was an interesting choice to take the more extreme view. I was particularly fascinated by the role that Judas plays in Jesus' life, which was much more important and ultimately tragic than it was portrayed by the gospels.
Certainly, picking Willem Dafoe to play Jesus and Harvey Keitel to play Judas were interesting choices. (Our friends joked about the very New York feeling they brought to the Holy Land.)
In the end, the movie was quite different from what I remembered, but I felt it was a powerful and provocative film that stuck with me for quite some time afterwards. 3.5/4 stars.