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Written by: Nikos Kazantzakis (novel), Paul Schrader (screenplay)
Directed by: Martin Scorsese
Starring: Willem Dafoe, Harvey Keitel, Barbara Hershey, Harry Dean Stanton, David Bowie
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
The life of Jesus Christ, depicting his journey through life as he faces typical human struggles and his final temptation on the cross.
Verdict
This explores the dual nature of Jesus Christ, both human and God. It helps to have a knowledge of the Bible as that's the basis for many events. This explores the mindset of someone facing human temptations yet sent to save the world; how do you cope with such a task? Jesus fights selfish tendencies that detract from his calling to create change. His choice to sacrifice himself is made all the more powerful as he has the power to stop it, considering the ramifications of that path. This also rewrites the common story of Judas. He wasn't a greedy traitor. He was a man committed to Jesus, willing to bear the burden of fulfilling Jesus's prophecy by taking the first step on the final path.
Watch It.
Review
Based on the controversial 1955 book, this caused outrage in certain groups due to the depiction of Jesus Christ struggling with doubt, fear, and lust. A disclaimer at the beginning states this is not based on the Gospels but focuses on exploring spiritual conflict.
Jesus Christ (Willem Dafoe) talks about the rituals he employs to keep the voices at bay. It's his struggle with temptation. He's criticized in the community for constructing crosses the Romans use to kill Jews, his own people. Judas (Harvey Keitel) considers killing Jesus for helping the Romans. He relents, moved by Jesus's conclusion that maybe God would rather have Judas help than kill. That's prophetic. Jesus is also tempted by Mary Magdalene (Barbara Hershey). He talks about wanting to save her, but that's not the only reason he goes to see her.
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| Willem Dafoe plays Jesus Christ |
Jesus realizes he's called to change the world, but that doesn't make his plight easier. His mother questions if he's sure it's God. Could it be Satan? That's the conflict. As Jesus admits, he follows God's laws because he's afraid. He desires women but refuses them. That makes him proud, too proud. He states his god is fear. It's a lot of political discourse. Jesus talks about changing what's inside with love while Judas wants to overthrow the Romans. As Jesus states, if you don't make a fundamental change, someone else will replace the Romans and the cycle will continue unabated. Jesus hopes that God will give him the words. From there he worries about saying the right words and the wrong ones. He stops Mary Magdalene from being stoned to death, urging those without sin to cast stones.
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| Barbara Hershey, Willem Dafoe play Mary Magdalene, Jesus Christ |
This isn't a retelling of the Bible, but it does recreate many scenes through the lens of a man caught between two natures. It considers what the text means and represents. What does the scripture mean in the context of the time? How would people approach someone so revered, and how does one person cope with that pressure? How do you handle being both human and God? We watch Jesus's rise to prominence as he embraces his spiritual side. It pains his mother as accepting his own Godliness comes at the expense of his humanness. Jesus realizes his purpose is for the world, not just his community. What does revolution mean? He realizes that he must die for the revolution to succeed. He needs Judas to help him fulfill the prophecy. He asks that of his best friend, Judas. It's not easy. Jesus asks him to betray him, admitting that the crucifixion will be easier than what Judas must endure. Judas's act wasn't betrayal, he fulfilled a commitment to his friend. It was a necessary act to save the world.
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| Harvey Keitel, Willem Dafoe play Judas, Jesus Christ |
It's ironic that Judas initially wanted to kill Jesus when the movie began. It's not unnoticed that Jesus made crosses and eventually resides on one. Calling on his mother at the end, he apologizes for being a bad son. As he stated, he had a higher calling. On the cross an angel asks him why God would save Abraham's son but not his own. With that epiphany, Jesus escapes the cross and marries Mary Magdalene. That relationship isn't without consequence. Jesus gets to live an unencumbered life. For the first time he's happy, without all the burdens that plagued him. Much later in life he meets an older Judas who expresses his disappointment that Jesus didn't fulfill his promise. It was a selfish decision that undermined their mission.
For the entire movie Jesus struggles with his dual nature. He fights selfish tendencies until the end. He doesn't want to die on the cross. If he doesn't want to, he won't be forced. He has to choose his own fate. Jesus gets to see both paths unfold before him. That's what makes his sacrifice so powerful. He truly had a choice, and he saw how both paths would unfold. With that full knowledge he decided on a fate that would affect the world at his own expense.
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| The cross at Golgotha |
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