The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)

Director:

Martin Scorsese

Writers (WGA):

Nikos Kazantzakis (novel)
Paul Schrader (screenplay)

Release Date:

22 September 1988 (Netherlands)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

The life of Jesus Christ, his journey through life as he faces the temptations that all humans face during their lives, and his final temptation upon the cross.

Plot Keywords:

Temptation | God | Cross | Roman | Jesus Christ

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Willem Dafoe	...	Jesus
Harvey Keitel	...	Judas
Paul Greco	...	Zealot
Steve Shill	...	Centurian (as Steven Shill)
Verna Bloom	...	Mary, Mother of Jesus
Barbara Hershey	...	Mary Magdalene
Roberts Blossom	...	Aged Master
Barry Miller	...	Jeroboam
Gary Basaraba	...	Andrew, Apostle
Irvin Kershner	...	Zebedee
Victor Argo	...	Peter, Apostle
Michael Been	...	John, Apostle
Paul Herman	...	Phillip, Apostle
John Lurie	...	James, Apostle
Leo Burmester	...	Nathaniel, Apostle
Andre Gregory	...	John The Baptist
Peggy Gormley	...	Martha, Sister of Lazarus
Randy Danson	...	Mary, Sister of Lazarus
Robert Spafford	...	Man At Wedding
Doris von Thury	...	Woman with Mary, Mother of Jesus (as Doris Von Thury)
Tomas Arana	...	Lazarus / Crowd Member
Alan Rosenberg	...	Thomas, Apostle
Del Russel	...	Money Changer
Nehemiah Persoff	...	Rabbi
Donald Hodson	...	Saducee
Harry Dean Stanton	...	Saul / Paul
Peter Berling	...	Beggar
David Bowie	...	Pontius Pilate
Juliette Caton	...	Girl Angel
Mohammed Mabsout	...	Other Apostles
Ahmed Nacir	...	Other Apostles
Mokhtar Salouf	...	Other Apostles
Mahamed Ait Fdil Ahmed	...	Other Apostles
Russel Case	...	People at Sermon
Mary Seller	...	People at Sermon
Donna Magnani	...	Crowd Member (voice) (as Donna Marie)
Penny Brown	...	Crowd Member (voice)
Gabi Ford	...	Crowd Member (voice)
Dale Wyatt	...	Crowd Member (voice)
Domenico Fiore	...	Crowd Member (voice)
Ted Rusoff	...	Crowd Member (voice)
Leo Damian	...	Crowd Member (voice)
Robert Laconi	...	Crowd Member (voice)
Jonathan Zhivago	...	Crowd Member (voice) (as Jonathon Zhivago)
Illeana Douglas	...	Crowd Member (voice)
David Sharp	...	Crowd Member (voice)
Khalid Benghrib	...	Dancer
Redouane Farhane	...	Dancer
Fabienne Panciatili	...	Dancer
Naima Skikes	...	Dancer
Souad Rahal	...	Dancer
Otmane Chbani Idrissi	...	Dancer
Jamal Belkhayat	...	Dancer
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Giovanni Cianfriglia	...	Roman Soldier (uncredited)
Rod Dana	...	Soldier. (uncredited)
Leo Marks	...	Satan / Archangel (voice) (uncredited)

Directed by
Martin Scorsese

Writing credits (WGA)
Nikos Kazantzakis		(novel)
Paul Schrader		(screenplay)

Produced by
Barbara De Fina	....	producer
Harry J. Ufland	....	executive producer (as Harry Ufland)

Original Music by
Peter Gabriel

Cinematography by
Michael Ballhaus		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Thelma Schoonmaker

Casting by
Cis Corman

Production Design by
John Beard

Art Direction by
Andrew Sanders

Set Decoration by
Giorgio Desideri

Costume Design by
Jean-Pierre Delifer

Makeup Department
Zineb Bendoula	....	hair assistant
Zhor Bennani	....	makeup assistant
Claudia Bianchi	....	hair assistant
Mirella Ginnoto	....	hair stylist
Federico Laurenti	....	makeup artist
Ferdinando Merolla	....	hair assistant
Mario Michisanti	....	makeup artist
Luigi Rocchetti	....	makeup artist
Manlio Rocchetti	....	makeup supervisor
Aldo Signoretti	....	hair stylist supervisor
Maurizio Silvi	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Laura Fattori	....	production manager
Marco Valerio Pugini	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ahmed Hatimi	....	second assistant director
Fabio Jephcott	....	second assistant director
Joseph P. Reidy	....	first assistant director (as Joseph Reidy)

Art Department
Elio Altamura	....	prop master
Steve Clarke	....	painter (as Steven Clark)
Dave Coldham	....	plasterer (as David Coldham Sr.)
Dean Coldham	....	plasterer (as Dean Coldham Sr.)
Bernard Collins	....	carpenter
Bob Devine	....	construction foreman (as Robert Devine)
John Frankish	....	assistant art director
Geoff Kingsley	....	construction coordinator (as Geoffrey Kingsley)
Hadj Lahcen Kahia	....	assistant construction coordinator (as Lahcen Kahia)
Peter Mann	....	carpenter
Goffredo Massetti	....	propman
Alberto Tosto	....	assistant set decorator
Marcello Turco	....	stand-by painter
Mauro Vitturini	....	set dressing propman
Derek Whorlow	....	stagehand
John Alvin	....	poster artist (uncredited)
Miki Zachar	....	assistant art director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Ron Bochar	....	foley artist
Ron Bochar	....	foley supervisor
Najib Chlieh	....	cable person
Aldo De Martino	....	boom operator (as Aldo De Martini)
Michael DiCosimo	....	stereo sound consultant: Dolby (as Mike DiCosimo)
Tom Fleischman	....	sound re-recording mixer
Peter Gabriel	....	additional sound recordist
Thomas A. Gulino	....	sound editor
Don Hunerberg	....	foley recording engineer
Brian Johnson	....	apprentice sound editor
Frank Kern	....	assistant sound editor
Lisa J. Levine	....	adr editor (as Lisa Levine)
Skip Lievsay	....	supervising sound editor
Marissa Littlefield	....	assistant sound editor
Douglas Murray	....	sound recordist (as Douglas L. Murray)
Eliza Paley	....	foley editor
Bruce Pross	....	first assistant sound editor
Nic Ratner	....	assistant sound editor
Marc S. Shaw	....	adr editor (as Marc Shaw)
Gail Showalter	....	foley editor
Jeffrey Stern	....	sound editor
Philip Stockton	....	dialogue supervisor
Amelio Verona	....	sound mixer
Steven Visscher	....	foley editor
Shari Schwartz	....	sound recordist (uncredited)
Mel Zelniker	....	adr recordist (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Luigi Buldrini	....	special effects driver
Iginio Fiorentini	....	special effects technician
Dino Galiano	....	special effects supervisor

Visual Effects by
Janos Pilenyi	....	opticals (as Janos O. Pilenyi)
Craig Barron	....	visual effects supervisor (uncredited)
Michael Pangrazio	....	matte artist supervisor (uncredited)
Thomas Rosseter	....	optical supervisor (uncredited)

Stunts
Omero Capanna	....	stunts
Domenico Cianfriglia	....	stunts
Giovanni Cianfriglia	....	stunts
Enzo Maggio	....	stunts (as Vincenzo Maggio)
Stefano Maria Mioni	....	stunts (as Stefano Mioni)
Orlando Ragusa	....	stunts
Franco Maria Salamon	....	stunt coordinator (as Franco Salamon)
Marco Stefanelli	....	stunts
Massimilano Ubaldi	....	stunts
Massimiliano Ubaldi	....	stunts
Franco Ukmar	....	stunts
Giovanni Ukmar	....	stunts
Claudio Zucchet	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Adil Abdelwahab	....	third assistant camera
Florian Ballhaus	....	first assistant camera
Najib Ben Fares	....	electrician (as Najib Benfares)
Abida Boubker	....	generator operator
Bruno Brenna	....	electrician
David M. Dunlap	....	second camera operator (as David Dunlap)
Ahmed El Hmaini	....	grip
Sergio Fabbriani	....	grip
Antonio Fortunati	....	electrician
Harald Hauschildt	....	generator operator
Pamela Katz	....	second assistant camera
Giacomo Moroni	....	grip
Silvio Natali	....	grip
Maria Schiavone	....	gaffer
Giuseppe Sciusco	....	electrician
Matteo Sciusco	....	electrician
Sergio Serantoni	....	key grip
David Slama	....	second camera operator
Mustapha Stitou	....	electrician
Franco Tocci	....	key rigging grip
Mario Tursi	....	still photographer

Casting Department
Julie Alter	....	additional casting
Francesco Cinieri	....	casting: Rome
Abdessamad Dinia	....	extras casting
Rose Tobias Shaw	....	casting: London

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Abdelkrim Akallach	....	wardrobe: men
Sergio Ballo	....	wardrobe: men
Naïma Bouanani	....	assistant wardrobe supervisor
Orielle Del Re	....	seamstress
Anna Foresi	....	seamstress
Bona Nasalli-Rocca	....	wardrobe supervisor (as Bona Nasalli Rocca)
Angela Silighini	....	seamstress
Zhor Slimani	....	seamstress

Editorial Department
Marcus Chun	....	apprentice editor
David Leonard	....	second assistant editor
Geraldine Peroni	....	first assistant editor
Joe Violante	....	dailies advisor

Music Department
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan	....	musician: Qawwali voice
Antranik Askarian	....	musician: Armenian doudouk
Abdul Aziz	....	musician: Egyptian kanun
David Bottrill	....	music track engineer
Bill Cobham	....	musician: drums
Djalma Correa	....	musician: Brazilian percussion
Lucy Duran	....	folk music researcher
Nathan East	....	musician: bass guitar
Manny Elias	....	musician: drums
Kudsi Ergüner	....	musician: Turkish Ney flute (as Kudsi Erguner)
Richard Evans	....	musician: penny whistle
Fatala	....	musician: African percussion
Peter Gabriel	....	musician: drums, voice and keyboards
Jon Hassell	....	musician: trumpet
Vatche Housepian	....	musician: Armenian doudouk
Todd Kasow	....	music supervisor
Manu Katché	....	musician: additional percussion
Baaba Maal	....	musician: Senegalese voices
Barbara Minor	....	assistant music editor
Youssou N'Dour	....	musician: Senegalese voices
Robert Nichols	....	associate music editor (as Bob Nichols)
Hossam Ramzy	....	musician: Egyptian percusion
David Rhodes	....	musician: guitars
David Sancious	....	musician: hammond organ, keyboards and additional voice
Shenkar	....	musician: violin ) (as Shankar (I)
Mahmoud Tabrizi-Zadeh	....	musician: Persian kamanche
Julian Wilkins	....	English choir boy
Brian Eddolls	....	sound: percussion and orchestration (uncredited)
Todd Kasow	....	music editor (uncredited)
Shenkar	....	composer: additional music (uncredited))

Transportation Department
Vincenzo Corcioni	....	driver: makeup
Enrico Pini	....	unit manager transportation
Walter Santalmasi	....	driver: wardrobe truck

Other crew
Jan Sebastian Ballhaus	....	production assistant (as Sebastian Ballhaus)
Brahim Bayadat	....	cashier
Aicha Benhaddou	....	production assistant
Marion Billings	....	publicist
Sabrina Canale	....	office secretary
Joe Caroff	....	title designer
Ahmed Darif	....	location manager
Valter De Filippis	....	honey wagon attendant (as Walter De Filippis)
Brahim Derhem	....	assistant location manager (as Brahim Derham)
Aicha Dimna	....	production secretary
Antonio Gabrielli	....	location manager
Rachel Griffiths	....	script supervisor
Julia Judge	....	assistant: Mr. Scorsese
Lon Kirschner	....	title designer
Betsy Marino	....	assistant: Ms. De Fina
Doudou N'Diaye Rose	....	percussion loop
Anne Parsons	....	assistant: Peter Gabriel
Roberto Penna	....	accountant
Paolo Piria	....	production accountant
Claudio Sabatilli	....	cashier
Gabriella Toro	....	production coordinator
Lahcen Zinoun	....	choreographer (as Lahcen Zinoune)
Nadine F. Wilson	....	post-production accountant (uncredited)

Thanks
Nass-El Ghiwane	....	special thanks for inspiration (as Nass El Ghiwane)
Boris Leven	....	special thanks
Leo Marks	....	special thanks
Pierre Toureille	....	special thanks: Ocora-Radio-France

Production Companies

• Universal Pictures
• Cineplex Odeon Films

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1988) (USA) (theatrical)
• Alliance Atlantis Home Video (2007) (Canada) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (19??) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Argentina Video Home (2004) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (2004) (Argentina) (VHS) (re-release)
• CIC Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• Cineplex-Odeon Home Video (1989) (Canada) (VHS)
• Columbia TriStar (Brazil) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (1998) (USA) (laserdisc)
• Criterion Collection, The (2000) (2012) (USA) (DVD)
• MCA Home Video (1989) (USA) (VHS)
• MCA (1989) (Canada) (VHS)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2003) (Argentina) (all media)
• Universal Studios Home Entertainment (2012) (USA) (DVD) (Universal's 100th Anniversary)

Special Effects

• Industrial Light & Magic (ILM)

Other Companies

• ARRI Rental  camera equipment provided by
• Adzido Dance Company  African percussion
• Berman's and Nathan's  costumes by
• Biblical Archaeology Review Magazine  special thanks
• C5  post-production sound services
• Dawliz S.A., Casablanca  Moroccan representative
• Dolby Laboratories  sound post-production
• L.C.P.  shoes
• Les Musiciens du Nil  Egyptian percussion
• Ocora-Radio-France  special thanks
• Royal Air Maroc  travel services
• Sound One Corporation  post-production facilities
• T.A.B. Inc.  negative cutting
• The Archive of Contemporary Music  special thanks
• The National Sound Archives, London  special thanks

Also Known As:

Runtime:

164 min

Country:

USA | Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Philippines:(Banned) | South Korea:18 | Brazil:14 | USA:R (certificate #29344) | Argentina:18 (re-rating) | Argentina:X (original rating) | Spain:13 | Peru:18 | Australia:M | Australia:R (original rating) | Chile:(Banned) (1989-2002) | Finland:K-16 | Iceland:16 | Ireland:18 | Mexico:C | Norway:18 | Portugal:M/16 | South Africa:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (video re-rating) (2000) | UK:18 (video rating) (1988) | UK:18 (original rating) | West Germany:16 | Singapore:(Banned)

Filming Locations:

Ait Benhaddou, Ouarzazate, Morocco

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

In the scene where Jesus is in the temple and Roman soldiers are coming after him in what appears to be all directions, it is the same five soldiers that are used in each shot. This was to save money as the film had a small budget.

Goofs:

Boom mic visible: In the market when Saul pulls Judas aside and asks "what are you doing with this magician?", the shadow of the boom mic is visible on the stone above Saul's head.

Quotes:

Jesus:I said Love! I didn't say Death!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Dennis Quaid/The Neville Brothers (#16.9)" (1990)

Offensive - no. Fantastic film-making - yes!

Has there ever been a more misunderstood film than Martin Scorcese's The Last Temptation Of Christ? Released amid great controversy and accused of being an offensive and unholy film, the truth of the matter is that it is a deeply reverent work which has the courage to ask challenging questions about the pressures and doubts Jesus must have experienced as the appointed Messiah. It also shows the violence of the times in graphic detail. If viewers consider it blasphemous to explore on film the immense burden of duty that Jesus bore through his life, then they are narrow-minded and ignorant. If people feel that to show the brutality and harshness of life in Roman times is tasteless and inappropriate, then they are guilty of glorifying difficult but factual truths. There is NOTHING offensive about this film. There is, however, much that is challenging.

Jesus (Willem Dafoe), an honest carpenter, saves Mary Magdalene (Barbara Hershey) from a stoning. Already dimly aware that he is destined to lead an extraordinary life, he soon finds himself being drawn into the role of a religious figurehead. But Jesus finds it hard to accept that he is a Messiah, and as his reputation and following grows he constantly questions if he is a strong enough man to handle the burden of being God's son. After isolating himself in the desert, where he experiences several hallucinations in which he is confronted by visual manifestations of good and evil, Jesus finally concludes that he IS the true son of God and whole-heartedly sets about imparting his love and wisdom to all who'll listen. Later betrayed to the disgruntled Romans by his friend Judas Iscariot (Harvey Keitel), Jesus is crucified. While on the cross, he imagines what his life would have turned out like if he had shied away from his duty as the Messiah and lived life like a mere mortal.

It is this final section of the film that has provoked the most vociferous outrage. The sequence shows Jesus as he slowly dies on the cross, dreaming of an alternative life in which he sins and copulates and hates like all normal people. Many people have criticised the film on the grounds that these scenes are blasphemous. Such claims are nonsense - the film is not saying that Jesus was a sinner, nor that he gave in to temptation of the flesh, nor still that he was a man filled with hate. The film is merely saying that, in such great pain and so close to death while still just a young man, he might - just maybe - have wondered if it was all worth it. At the end of the film, we see Jesus accept his role knowing that his death is the ultimate act of unselfish love, so the film actually is totally in agreement with what all Christians believe. If the film had come to the conclusion that Jesus's whole life was a waste, his death too, then maybe the detractors would've had cause to complain. But how can they possibly be offended by the film as it stands? For goodness sake, it's a film about absolute faith!!! In truth, The Last Temptation Of Christ is an excellent movie. Compellingly acted, beautifully shot on Moroccan locations, and full of telling ideas, it is a work of real depth and power. The accents are sometimes distracting and some of the dialogue occasionally betrays ill-suited modernisms, but apart from these minor drawbacks it is one of the most important and thought-provoking films ever made.