Many of you might be too young to remember just how controversial Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ was when it hit theaters in 1988. Nowadays, controversy is described more as people getting upset on Twitter, but in ’88, the film was met with mass protests, TV evangelists saying Scorsese was going to hell and even a terrorist attack on a French movie theater that was showing the film. My how things have changed, with Scorsese announcing during a post-Cannes tour of Italy that, following a meeting with Pope Francis, he will be making a movie about Jesus. As reported by Variety, Scorsese stated: “I have responded to the Pope’s appeal to artists in the only way I know how: by imagining and writing a screenplay for a film about Jesus.” Scorsese then suggested that he was about to “start making it.”
While Scorsese has often made films that deal with faith,...
While Scorsese has often made films that deal with faith,...
- 5/29/2023
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
Jules Dassin’s powerful picture was a hit in Europe but remained mostly obscure here, despite featuring the great Melina Mercouri and a score of Continental stars. Adapted by two blacklistees in exile it doesn’t try to hide its revolutionary aims — Nikos Kazantzakis’s uncompromised storyline places The Church as a main obstruction to social progress, justice, and life & liberty. It’s no wonder it wasn’t ‘movie of the week’ in 1957. It’s been beautifully remastered at its original CinemaScope width, uncut.
He Who Must Die
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1957 / B&w / 2:35 widescreen / 128 122 min. / Street Date September 6, 2022 / Celui qui doit mourir / Available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Jean Servais, Carl Möhner, Grégoire Aslan, Gert Fröbe, René Lefèvre, Lucien Raimbourg, Melina Mercouri, Roger Hanin, Pierre Vaneck, Nicole Berger, Maurice Ronet, Fernand Ledoux.
Cinematography: Gilbert Chain, Jacques Natteau
Production Designer: Max Douy
Film Editors: Roger Dwyre, Pierre Gillette
Original Music: Georges Auric
Written by Ben Barzman,...
He Who Must Die
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1957 / B&w / 2:35 widescreen / 128 122 min. / Street Date September 6, 2022 / Celui qui doit mourir / Available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Jean Servais, Carl Möhner, Grégoire Aslan, Gert Fröbe, René Lefèvre, Lucien Raimbourg, Melina Mercouri, Roger Hanin, Pierre Vaneck, Nicole Berger, Maurice Ronet, Fernand Ledoux.
Cinematography: Gilbert Chain, Jacques Natteau
Production Designer: Max Douy
Film Editors: Roger Dwyre, Pierre Gillette
Original Music: Georges Auric
Written by Ben Barzman,...
- 8/30/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
At a time when he was both his country’s most celebrated novelist and a journalist struggling to make ends meet, “Zorba the Greek” author Nikos Kazantzakis set sail for Japan on a formative journey that would shape the latter half of his career – and ultimately lead to his untimely death.
Based on the written account of his travels in the Far East, “Last Voyage,” by journalist and documentary filmmaker Aris Chatzistefanou, examines that journey while using it as a framework to explore how the period between the two World Wars shaped what would come to be known as the “Japanese Miracle.” Produced by Kyriakos Chatzistefanou for Moviementa Productions, the film premieres this week at the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival.
Greece’s greatest modern writer occupies a singular place in the country’s literary canon. But on his recent travels to Japan, Chatzistefanou was accompanied by “Japan-China: A Journal of Two Voyages,...
Based on the written account of his travels in the Far East, “Last Voyage,” by journalist and documentary filmmaker Aris Chatzistefanou, examines that journey while using it as a framework to explore how the period between the two World Wars shaped what would come to be known as the “Japanese Miracle.” Produced by Kyriakos Chatzistefanou for Moviementa Productions, the film premieres this week at the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival.
Greece’s greatest modern writer occupies a singular place in the country’s literary canon. But on his recent travels to Japan, Chatzistefanou was accompanied by “Japan-China: A Journal of Two Voyages,...
- 3/19/2022
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
In 1988, Martin Scorsese directed "The Last Temptation of Christ," based on the novel by Nikos Kazantzakis about the life of Jesus Christ as a quotidian man and the temptations he faces on his way to the cross. Both the book and film adaptation were met with outrage from conservative Christian groups. Bill Bright, the founder of the American Family Association and Campus Crusade for Christ (Ccc), wanted to purchase all of the film's prints and destroy them. Theatre chains in Georgia, Louisiana, California, and Oklahoma banned the "The Last Temptation of Christ." Blockbuster refused to carry it on home...
The post The Last Temptation of Christ Controversy Explained: How Martin Scorsese's Passion Project Became a Nightmare appeared first on /Film.
The post The Last Temptation of Christ Controversy Explained: How Martin Scorsese's Passion Project Became a Nightmare appeared first on /Film.
- 2/1/2022
- by Caroline Madden
- Slash Film
Tom Pollock was not your ordinary studio chief. Trained as a lawyer, Pollock chaired Universal Pictures for nine years (1986 to 1996) and went on to partner with Ivan Reitman’s Montecito Picture Company, chair the Board of Trustees at the American Film Institute, and teach at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Pollock steered Universal through a rich and storied period, and took risks that many studio chiefs would not. He died of a heart attack on August 1.
At the studio, Pollock worked with many of the top directors in Hollywood: Steven Spielberg (“Jurassic Park”), Robert Zemeckis (the “Back to the Future” trilogy), Ron Howard, Ivan Reitman, Martin Scorsese, and George Miller (“Lorenzo’s Oil”).
During Pollock’s Universal tenure, the studio garnered seven Academy Award Best Picture nominations, including winner Spielberg’s “Schindler’s List,” Miller’s “Babe,” Howard’s “Apollo 13,” Phil Alden Robinson’s “Field of Dreams,” Oliver Stone’s...
At the studio, Pollock worked with many of the top directors in Hollywood: Steven Spielberg (“Jurassic Park”), Robert Zemeckis (the “Back to the Future” trilogy), Ron Howard, Ivan Reitman, Martin Scorsese, and George Miller (“Lorenzo’s Oil”).
During Pollock’s Universal tenure, the studio garnered seven Academy Award Best Picture nominations, including winner Spielberg’s “Schindler’s List,” Miller’s “Babe,” Howard’s “Apollo 13,” Phil Alden Robinson’s “Field of Dreams,” Oliver Stone’s...
- 8/3/2020
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Tom Pollock was not your ordinary studio chief. Trained as a lawyer, Pollock chaired Universal Pictures for nine years (1986 to 1996) and went on to partner with Ivan Reitman’s Montecito Picture Company, chair the Board of Trustees at the American Film Institute, and teach at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Pollock steered Universal through a rich and storied period, and took risks that many studio chiefs would not. He died of a heart attack on August 1.
At the studio, Pollock worked with many of the top directors in Hollywood: Steven Spielberg (“Jurassic Park”), Robert Zemeckis (the “Back to the Future” trilogy), Ron Howard, Ivan Reitman, Martin Scorsese, and George Miller (“Lorenzo’s Oil”).
During Pollock’s Universal tenure, the studio garnered seven Academy Award Best Picture nominations, including winner Spielberg’s “Schindler’s List,” Miller’s “Babe,” Howard’s “Apollo 13,” Phil Alden Robinson’s “Field of Dreams,” Oliver Stone’s...
At the studio, Pollock worked with many of the top directors in Hollywood: Steven Spielberg (“Jurassic Park”), Robert Zemeckis (the “Back to the Future” trilogy), Ron Howard, Ivan Reitman, Martin Scorsese, and George Miller (“Lorenzo’s Oil”).
During Pollock’s Universal tenure, the studio garnered seven Academy Award Best Picture nominations, including winner Spielberg’s “Schindler’s List,” Miller’s “Babe,” Howard’s “Apollo 13,” Phil Alden Robinson’s “Field of Dreams,” Oliver Stone’s...
- 8/3/2020
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Stars: Willem Dafoe, Harvey Keitel, Barbara Hershey, Michael Been, Verna Bloom, Harry Dean Stanton | Written by Paul Schrader | Directed by Martin Scorsese
After The Color of Money had proven a box office hit, Martin Scorsese shifted his attention a couple of thousand years, to the life and death of Jesus Christ (Willem Dafoe). The ultimate superhero origin story, The Last Temptation of Christ focuses on the Nazarene as he moves from carpentry into public speaking, through a life of celebrity, and ultimately to his death and apotheosis on the cross.
This being Scorsese working from a Paul Schrader script, it is no straight-up Bible story. Based on Nikos Kazantzakis’ 1955 novel, the focus here is on the human aspects of the man: the doubt and desire; the rage and the covetousness. The psychological impact, if you will, of coming to terms with the revelation that you are the son of God.
After The Color of Money had proven a box office hit, Martin Scorsese shifted his attention a couple of thousand years, to the life and death of Jesus Christ (Willem Dafoe). The ultimate superhero origin story, The Last Temptation of Christ focuses on the Nazarene as he moves from carpentry into public speaking, through a life of celebrity, and ultimately to his death and apotheosis on the cross.
This being Scorsese working from a Paul Schrader script, it is no straight-up Bible story. Based on Nikos Kazantzakis’ 1955 novel, the focus here is on the human aspects of the man: the doubt and desire; the rage and the covetousness. The psychological impact, if you will, of coming to terms with the revelation that you are the son of God.
- 4/17/2019
- by Rupert Harvey
- Nerdly
The life of legendary Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh has resulted in a couple of pretty good films, including Vincente Minnelli‘s “Lust for Life” (1956) with Kirk Douglas as well as Robert Altman‘s 1990 biopic with Tim Roth as Van Gogh. Willem Dafoe takes a slightly different tack to van Gogh in painter Julian Schnabel‘s latest film “At Eternity’s Gate,” which is opening this weekend. Dafoe’s take on the artist is complex, as the film is set in the final years of van Gogh’s life in which he creates masterpieces while being hospitalized and finally winding up in an asylum. Oh, and there’s that business about an ear.
Early on in his film career, Dafoe was typed into playing a bad guy, such as his biker gang leaders in Kathryn Bigelow‘s “The Loveless” and Walter Hill‘s “Streets of Fire.” But his performance as kindly Sgt.
Early on in his film career, Dafoe was typed into playing a bad guy, such as his biker gang leaders in Kathryn Bigelow‘s “The Loveless” and Walter Hill‘s “Streets of Fire.” But his performance as kindly Sgt.
- 11/16/2018
- by Tom O'Brien and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
The controversial 1988 film was protested upon release but decades later remains one of the most fascinating films about religion ever made
A few decades before Hollywood started reaping every last bit of arable intellectual property, Martin Scorsese imagined a gritty reboot of Jesus Christ. In the devout Christian’s retelling of the greatest story ever told – adapted, per a title card, from Nikos Kazantzakis’ novel and not the New Testament – star Willem Dafoe dared to play the son of God as a mortal, and a flawed one at that. His feathery-haired Jesus had a temper and an ego, defects of virtue that the holier texts would never allow. He speaks in a combination of scriptures and modern vernacular, an odd combination more pronounced in Harvey Keitel’s curly-headed Bronx Judas. Most scandalizing of all, Jesus has a bit of a libido to him, making graphic onscreen love to his wife...
A few decades before Hollywood started reaping every last bit of arable intellectual property, Martin Scorsese imagined a gritty reboot of Jesus Christ. In the devout Christian’s retelling of the greatest story ever told – adapted, per a title card, from Nikos Kazantzakis’ novel and not the New Testament – star Willem Dafoe dared to play the son of God as a mortal, and a flawed one at that. His feathery-haired Jesus had a temper and an ego, defects of virtue that the holier texts would never allow. He speaks in a combination of scriptures and modern vernacular, an odd combination more pronounced in Harvey Keitel’s curly-headed Bronx Judas. Most scandalizing of all, Jesus has a bit of a libido to him, making graphic onscreen love to his wife...
- 8/10/2018
- by Charles Bramesco
- The Guardian - Film News
She could never be a saint, but she thought she could be a martyr if they killed her quick.—Flannery O’Connor The mist uncovers Japanese soldiers as well as the grim sight of severed heads by the side of the hot springs where Catholic priests are being tortured. A priest kneels down in horror, almost catatonic, unable to bring himself to believe in the evilness of these men, the men of the Inquisitor. Why are these priests, who came to this “swamp of Japan” to spread the Word of the Lord, suffering so immensely on the hands of these soldiers?To the modern, secular audience, the theme of Silence (2016) is of great irony: the all-powerful Catholic Church, the institution that spread terror across Europe for 700 years with her bonfires and witch hunts and enforcing an almost maddening outlook at faith and personal behavior, comes to an unconquerable land where...
- 3/28/2017
- MUBI
Stars: Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver, Liam Neeson, Issey Ogata, Tadanobu Asano, Ciarán Hinds, Shin’ya Tsukamoto, Yoshi Oida, Yôsuke Kubozuka | Written by Martin Scorsese, Jay Cocks (based on the novel Silence by Shūsaku Endō) | Directed by Martin Scorsese
Having been in some kind of development for the past quarter of a century, Martin Scorsese’s Silence finally opens. And after a grim 2016 it emerges as the perfect gift for the new year: a deeply probing and contemplative epic exploring themes of persecution, integrity, truth and faith, which seems not only apt for our times, but necessary.
We open with the chaotic sounds of nature – a cacophony of insect chatter and animal wailing – and then we cut to “Silence”.
The year is 1633 and the place is Japan. Father Ferreira (Liam Neeson) provides the context. He’s a Jesuit priest, captured and tortured by the Japanese for his faith. Jump to 1640. Two of Ferreira’s students,...
Having been in some kind of development for the past quarter of a century, Martin Scorsese’s Silence finally opens. And after a grim 2016 it emerges as the perfect gift for the new year: a deeply probing and contemplative epic exploring themes of persecution, integrity, truth and faith, which seems not only apt for our times, but necessary.
We open with the chaotic sounds of nature – a cacophony of insect chatter and animal wailing – and then we cut to “Silence”.
The year is 1633 and the place is Japan. Father Ferreira (Liam Neeson) provides the context. He’s a Jesuit priest, captured and tortured by the Japanese for his faith. Jump to 1640. Two of Ferreira’s students,...
- 1/3/2017
- by Rupert Harvey
- Nerdly
By Rich Drees
Roger Corman's work both as a director and a producer has often been characterized as exploitation, quickly and cheaply produced product that promised some cheap thrills – be they violence or sex – for the theater-goers' admission. It was certainly not an accusation he would ever shy away from. But that didn't mean that he didn't ensure that there wasn't at least a certain level of craft to be found in his films. And sometimes, even a bit of art sneaks through the process.
Such is the case with “Boxcar Bertha,” the second feature from filmmaker Martin Scorsese. Corman was looking for something that could serve somewhat as a sequel to his recently released “Bloody Mama” when his wife discovered the fictional account of a woman who rode the rails of the South during the Depression. The story and resultant film had more than a few echoes of...
Roger Corman's work both as a director and a producer has often been characterized as exploitation, quickly and cheaply produced product that promised some cheap thrills – be they violence or sex – for the theater-goers' admission. It was certainly not an accusation he would ever shy away from. But that didn't mean that he didn't ensure that there wasn't at least a certain level of craft to be found in his films. And sometimes, even a bit of art sneaks through the process.
Such is the case with “Boxcar Bertha,” the second feature from filmmaker Martin Scorsese. Corman was looking for something that could serve somewhat as a sequel to his recently released “Bloody Mama” when his wife discovered the fictional account of a woman who rode the rails of the South during the Depression. The story and resultant film had more than a few echoes of...
- 12/16/2016
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
We are watching precedent unfold in front of us right now, and I'm afraid we're doing it wrong. Fear is driving a major studio to pull a film from release before it has even opened, and fear had every major theater chain ready to drop the film if the studio hadn't backed down. This cannot be the way we make decisions. My first major job was working for AMC Theaters, starting as an usher, then working my way up through pretty much every position I could hold at a local theater. I worked concessions, I sold tickets, I trained as a projectionist, I built up prints, and by the time I graduated high school, I had become an assistant manager. When I took my first trip up to Florida State University's campus to prepare for my attendance in the fall of '88, it was the early days of the controversy...
- 12/18/2014
- by Drew McWeeny
- Hitfix
And here we are. The day after Easter and we’ve reached the top of the mountain. While compiling this list, it’s become evident that true religious films just aren’t made anymore (and if they are, they are widely panned). That being said, religious themes exist in more mainstream movies than ever, despite there being no deliberate attempts to dub the films “religious.” Faith, God, whatever you want to call it – it’s influenced the history of nations, of politics, of culture, and of film. And these are the most important films in that wheelhouse. There are only two American films in the top 10, and only one of them is in English.
courtesy of hilobrow.com
10. Andrei Rublev (1966)
Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky
A brutally expansive biopic about the Russian iconographer divided into nine chapters. Andrei Rublev (Anatoly Solonitsyn) is portrayed not as a silent monk, but a motivated artist working against social ruin,...
courtesy of hilobrow.com
10. Andrei Rublev (1966)
Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky
A brutally expansive biopic about the Russian iconographer divided into nine chapters. Andrei Rublev (Anatoly Solonitsyn) is portrayed not as a silent monk, but a motivated artist working against social ruin,...
- 4/21/2014
- by Joshua Gaul
- SoundOnSight
Darren Aronofsky takes on the Bible for his next movie Noah, and though the film won't be in cinemas until 2014, there's already controversy swirling around the big budget drama. Paramount's recent test-screenings - to Jewish, Christian and general audiences - reportedly prompted "troubled reactions", leading to much speculation about what Aronofsky's epic has in store.
Noah is not the first film to fall foul of church groups - it seems that anytime a movie portrays religion, headlines and column inches swiftly follow. Digital Spy takes a look at six movies that have sparked religious uproar below...
The Devils (1971)
Ken Russell relished his reputation as a provocateur, and his early '70s drama The Devils was prime bait for the tabloids with its depiction of witchcraft, explicit nudity and Vanessa Redgrave as a masturbating nun. The film naturally fell foul of ratings boards and was heavily censored on its initial release.
Noah is not the first film to fall foul of church groups - it seems that anytime a movie portrays religion, headlines and column inches swiftly follow. Digital Spy takes a look at six movies that have sparked religious uproar below...
The Devils (1971)
Ken Russell relished his reputation as a provocateur, and his early '70s drama The Devils was prime bait for the tabloids with its depiction of witchcraft, explicit nudity and Vanessa Redgrave as a masturbating nun. The film naturally fell foul of ratings boards and was heavily censored on its initial release.
- 10/19/2013
- Digital Spy
Urban legends, curses and controversy surround many films, background tales that often add layers of mystique to a motion picture. Stories about The Exorcist and Poltergeist curses have been around for a long time, stringing together truth, rumor and coincidence.
It comes as no surprise that many of these urban legends are usually based on a grain of truth. Sometimes that grain is very small. In other cases, it’s who you want to believe.
The films we look at here are first and foremost worth seeing. Most are worth seeing again, if it’s been a while. Each of these movies has been the subject of controversy or legend, and we make every effort to report just the facts about the urban legends surrounding them.
10. The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)
When Nikos Kazantzakis published The Last Temptation of Christ in 1953 (English translation 1960), the book quickly received condemnation from both...
It comes as no surprise that many of these urban legends are usually based on a grain of truth. Sometimes that grain is very small. In other cases, it’s who you want to believe.
The films we look at here are first and foremost worth seeing. Most are worth seeing again, if it’s been a while. Each of these movies has been the subject of controversy or legend, and we make every effort to report just the facts about the urban legends surrounding them.
10. The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)
When Nikos Kazantzakis published The Last Temptation of Christ in 1953 (English translation 1960), the book quickly received condemnation from both...
- 7/11/2013
- by James Kirk
- Obsessed with Film
Filmmakers with religious faith needn.t usually pray for miracles when it comes to making their religious epics, as the films usually strike big and have an unending shelf life, from the mega-millions Mel Gibson brought in with his blood-soaked The Passion of the Christ to the record ratings garnered by The History.s Channel.s predictably shallow miniseries The Bible. And even though it wasn.t a box office sensation, Martin Scorsese.s The Last Temptation of Christ features arguably the most critically acclaimed version of Jesus. And back to Last Temptation author Nikos Kazantzakis. well Hollywood goes, as the film rights to his 1954 novel Jesus Recrucified have been acquired by Grindstone Pictures, reports Deadline. The film, written by Gil J. Botello and Vincent Baksanski, will actually carry the less provocative title Christ is Risen. Instead of following the time-honored .adapt the thing we paid to adapt. pattern, the...
- 3/19/2013
- cinemablend.com
Grindstone Pictures has picked up the rights to "Christ Recrucified," a 1948 novel by Nikos Kazantzakis ("The Last Temptation of Christ," "Zorba the Greek"), the company announced on Monday. Grindstone CEO Vincent Miller ("Gabriela") will produce the big-screen adaptation of the novel about a Greek village's attempt to stage a traditional and intense Passion Play -- a task so difficult, it is only done once every seven years. The movie, however, will take place in Mexico and will be retitled, "Christ Is Risen." Also read: 'The Bible' Producers: Obama-Devil Link 'Utter Nonsense' Manolios, the small...
- 3/18/2013
- by Greg Gilman
- The Wrap
Chicago – As audiences still catch up with the five-time Oscar-winning “Hugo” from master Martin Scorsese (released on Blu-ray last month), it might provoke a few young people to explore the filmmaker’s history. They will likely start with the widely-recognized classics like “Raging Bull,” “Taxi Driver,” and “GoodFellas,” but they will eventually get to “The Last Temptation of Christ,” recently released in an upgraded Criterion edition and re-released on DVD. The Massive controversy that greeted this film on its release has somewhat clouded its prominence in movie history. This is a great film, a better one than you remember and one of Scorsese’s best.
Blu-ray Rating: 5.0/5.0
“God was a vicious headache that would not go away.” — Paul Schrader, writer of “The Last Temptation of Christ.”
This fascinating quote comes as a part of one of the most interesting commentary tracks I’ve heard in years. It was actually recorded...
Blu-ray Rating: 5.0/5.0
“God was a vicious headache that would not go away.” — Paul Schrader, writer of “The Last Temptation of Christ.”
This fascinating quote comes as a part of one of the most interesting commentary tracks I’ve heard in years. It was actually recorded...
- 3/21/2012
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
The Last Temptation of Christ Directed by Martin Scorsese Written by Paul Schrader Starring Willem Dafoe, Harvey Keitel, Barbara Hershey, Harry Dean Stanton Martin Scorsese has recently said that Hugo is his most personal film to date. Surely before that, The Last Temptation of Christ must have landed that honor (not counting Italian American, his short documentary on his parents). Upon its release, his big screen adaptation of Nikos Kazantzakis’ controversial novel was met with bans, protests, and even violence. Now, over twenty years later, the film’s controversies have tempered, revealing a sincere attempt at humanizing Jesus as a means of exploring big questions of faith and spirituality. As far as I can tell, The Last Temptation of Christ follows the basic story of Jesus fairly closely, with a few major diversions. He’s a carpenter, he inspires his followers (and his twelve apostles), he performs miracles, and he...
- 3/14/2012
- by Jay C.
- FilmJunk
This week: George Clooney plays a Hawaiian landowner who must reconnect with his two daughters after his wife suffers a terrible accident in "The Descendants," the drama by writer-director Alexander Payne that just won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Also new is Steven Spielberg's motion-capture 3-D animated film "The Adventures of Tintin," the maudlin Lars von Trier drama "Melancholia," Michelle Williams' turn as Marilyn Monroe in "My Week With Marilyn" and the Blu-ray debut of Martin Scorsese's controversial "The Last Temptation of Christ."
'The Descendants'
Box Office: $81 million
Rotten Tomatoes: 89% Fresh
Storyline: Matt King (George Clooney) is a Honolulu lawyer who tries to connect with his two daughters when his wife slips into a coma after a boating accident. As his family comes to terms with his wife's secret life, Matt wrestles with the decision to sell 25,000 acres of pristine Kauai land in this...
Also new is Steven Spielberg's motion-capture 3-D animated film "The Adventures of Tintin," the maudlin Lars von Trier drama "Melancholia," Michelle Williams' turn as Marilyn Monroe in "My Week With Marilyn" and the Blu-ray debut of Martin Scorsese's controversial "The Last Temptation of Christ."
'The Descendants'
Box Office: $81 million
Rotten Tomatoes: 89% Fresh
Storyline: Matt King (George Clooney) is a Honolulu lawyer who tries to connect with his two daughters when his wife slips into a coma after a boating accident. As his family comes to terms with his wife's secret life, Matt wrestles with the decision to sell 25,000 acres of pristine Kauai land in this...
- 3/12/2012
- by Robert DeSalvo
- NextMovie
DVD Playhouse—March 2012
By Allen Gardner
J. Edgar (Warner Bros.) Director Clint Eastwood provides a rock-solid, albeit rather flat portrait of polarizing FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, covering his life from late teens to his death. Leonardo DiCaprio does an impressive turn as Hoover, never crossing the line into caricature, and creating a Hoover that is all too human, making for an all the more unsettling look at absolute power run amuck. Where the film stumbles is the love story at its core: Hoover’s relationship with longtime aide Clyde Tolson (Armie Hammer). In the hands of an openly-gay director like Gus Van Sant, this could have been a heartbreaking, tender story of forbidden (unrequited?) love, but Eastwood seems to tiptoe around their romance, with far too much delicacy and deference. The film works well when recreating the famous crimes and investigations which Hoover made his name on (the Lindbergh kidnapping,...
By Allen Gardner
J. Edgar (Warner Bros.) Director Clint Eastwood provides a rock-solid, albeit rather flat portrait of polarizing FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, covering his life from late teens to his death. Leonardo DiCaprio does an impressive turn as Hoover, never crossing the line into caricature, and creating a Hoover that is all too human, making for an all the more unsettling look at absolute power run amuck. Where the film stumbles is the love story at its core: Hoover’s relationship with longtime aide Clyde Tolson (Armie Hammer). In the hands of an openly-gay director like Gus Van Sant, this could have been a heartbreaking, tender story of forbidden (unrequited?) love, but Eastwood seems to tiptoe around their romance, with far too much delicacy and deference. The film works well when recreating the famous crimes and investigations which Hoover made his name on (the Lindbergh kidnapping,...
- 3/7/2012
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
Blu-ray Release Date: March 13, 2012
Price: Blu-ray $39.95
Studio: Criterion
Willem Dafoe stars in The Last Temptation of Christ.
Though it initially engendered enormous controversy when it was released in 1988, drama film The Last Temptation of Christ, by Martin Scorsese (Shutter Island), is now viewed by many as a remarkable, profoundly personal work of faith.
An adaptation of Nikos Kazantzakis’ novel that imagines an alternate fate for Jesus Christ, the movie stars Willem Dafoe (Platoon), Barbara Hershey (Black Swan), Harvey Keitel (The Last Godfather), Harry Dean Stanton (Alice) and David Bowie (The Hunger).
Featuring striking cinematography by the Michael Ballhaus (Broadcast News) and a memorable score by Peter Gabriel (Live in London), The Last Temptation of Christ was first released on DVD by Criterion back in 2000 (and it’s still available).
Criterion’s Blu-ray edition includes the following special features (all ported over from the DVD):
audio commentary featuring director Martin Scorsese,...
Price: Blu-ray $39.95
Studio: Criterion
Willem Dafoe stars in The Last Temptation of Christ.
Though it initially engendered enormous controversy when it was released in 1988, drama film The Last Temptation of Christ, by Martin Scorsese (Shutter Island), is now viewed by many as a remarkable, profoundly personal work of faith.
An adaptation of Nikos Kazantzakis’ novel that imagines an alternate fate for Jesus Christ, the movie stars Willem Dafoe (Platoon), Barbara Hershey (Black Swan), Harvey Keitel (The Last Godfather), Harry Dean Stanton (Alice) and David Bowie (The Hunger).
Featuring striking cinematography by the Michael Ballhaus (Broadcast News) and a memorable score by Peter Gabriel (Live in London), The Last Temptation of Christ was first released on DVD by Criterion back in 2000 (and it’s still available).
Criterion’s Blu-ray edition includes the following special features (all ported over from the DVD):
audio commentary featuring director Martin Scorsese,...
- 12/19/2011
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
Director best known for the visually splendid and energetic Zorba the Greek
Although the first Greek films appeared in 1912, long periods of war and instability crippled any attempts at forming a national film industry. This meant that few features were produced until the 1950s, when the director Michael Cacoyannis, who has died aged 90, became the embodiment of Greek cinema, giving it an international reputation which reached a peak of popularity with his Zorba the Greek (1964).
Based on Nikos Kazantzakis's novel, the film burst on to the screen with extraordinary energy and visual splendour. It brilliantly combined the rhythmic music of Mikis Theodorakis and the Oscar-winning black-and-white cinematography of Walter Lassally with indelible performances by Anthony Quinn, Alan Bates, Irene Papas and Lila Kedrova (who won the Oscar for best supporting actress).
The film celebrated joie de vivre, yet there was an underlying pessimism and an echo of Greek tragedy...
Although the first Greek films appeared in 1912, long periods of war and instability crippled any attempts at forming a national film industry. This meant that few features were produced until the 1950s, when the director Michael Cacoyannis, who has died aged 90, became the embodiment of Greek cinema, giving it an international reputation which reached a peak of popularity with his Zorba the Greek (1964).
Based on Nikos Kazantzakis's novel, the film burst on to the screen with extraordinary energy and visual splendour. It brilliantly combined the rhythmic music of Mikis Theodorakis and the Oscar-winning black-and-white cinematography of Walter Lassally with indelible performances by Anthony Quinn, Alan Bates, Irene Papas and Lila Kedrova (who won the Oscar for best supporting actress).
The film celebrated joie de vivre, yet there was an underlying pessimism and an echo of Greek tragedy...
- 7/25/2011
- by Ronald Bergan
- The Guardian - Film News
Michael Cacoyannis, best known for the 1964 Oscar-nominated drama Zorba the Greek, died of complications from a heart attack and chronic respiratory problems early Monday at an Athens hospital. He was either 89 or 90, depending on the source. Born in Limassol, Cyprus, on June 11, 1921 or 1922, the young Cacoyannis (Mihalis Kakogiannis in Greek) was sent to London to study Law, but later turned to the theater, studying Drama at the Old Vic and playing various roles on the British stage, including the lead in Albert Camus' Caligula. Unable to find work in the British film industry, he eventually moved to Athens. Cacoyannis' directorial debut took place in the early '50s, with the breezy comedy Windfall in Athens (1955), whose production lasted two years. International acclaim followed the release of Stella (1955), which was screened in competition at the Cannes Film Festival. This drama about a free-spirited young woman (Melina Mercouri) torn by her...
- 7/25/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Acclaimed Zorba The Greek director Michael Cacoyannis has died in Athens, Greece, aged 89.
The Cyprus-born filmmaker passed away in hospital on Monday after suffering complications from a heart attack and respiratory problems.
Cacoyannis made his directorial debut with Windfall in Athens in 1954 and, just two years later, his movie Stella picked up a Golden Globe for best foreign language film.
He went on to work with stars including Katharine Hepburn, Vanessa Redgrave and Candice Bergen, but is best known for his 1964 classic Zorba the Greek, starring Anthony Quinn.
The big screen adaptation of Nikos Kazantzakis' novel received two technical Academy Awards as well as the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Lila Kedrova in 1965.
Paying tribute to Cacoyannis, Greece's Culture Minister Pavlos Geroulanos says, "His movies received awards at the most important film festivals in the world. His work became the vehicle that took Greek culture to every corner of the earth, and served as a source of inspiration for Greek and foreign artists."
Cacoyannis is survived by his sister Giannoula, according to the Associated Press.
The Cyprus-born filmmaker passed away in hospital on Monday after suffering complications from a heart attack and respiratory problems.
Cacoyannis made his directorial debut with Windfall in Athens in 1954 and, just two years later, his movie Stella picked up a Golden Globe for best foreign language film.
He went on to work with stars including Katharine Hepburn, Vanessa Redgrave and Candice Bergen, but is best known for his 1964 classic Zorba the Greek, starring Anthony Quinn.
The big screen adaptation of Nikos Kazantzakis' novel received two technical Academy Awards as well as the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Lila Kedrova in 1965.
Paying tribute to Cacoyannis, Greece's Culture Minister Pavlos Geroulanos says, "His movies received awards at the most important film festivals in the world. His work became the vehicle that took Greek culture to every corner of the earth, and served as a source of inspiration for Greek and foreign artists."
Cacoyannis is survived by his sister Giannoula, according to the Associated Press.
- 7/25/2011
- WENN
Cypriot film-maker – real name Mihalis Kakogiannis – behind 1964 smash Zorba the Greek has passed away, according to reports
Multi-award-winning Cypriot film-maker Mihalis Kakogiannis, best known for the 1964 hit Zorba the Greek starring Anthony Quinn, has died at the age of 90, it has been reported. Kakogiannis, who was billed under the name Michael Cacoyannis for his English-language productions, was nominated in three separate Oscar categories for Zorba (including best director), and became a regular in competition at Cannes.
Born in Limassol in 1922, Kakogiannis learned his craft in the UK at the Old Vic, before travelling to Greece to shoot his first film, Windfall in Athens. His follow-up, Stella, starring a young Melina Mercouri, became an international hit and set Kakogiannis on his way. Zorba the Greek, adapted from a novel by Nikos Kazantzakis, eventually won three Oscars (though none for Kakogiannis himself).
Thereafter Kakogiannis found it hard to match Zorba's success. His follow-up,...
Multi-award-winning Cypriot film-maker Mihalis Kakogiannis, best known for the 1964 hit Zorba the Greek starring Anthony Quinn, has died at the age of 90, it has been reported. Kakogiannis, who was billed under the name Michael Cacoyannis for his English-language productions, was nominated in three separate Oscar categories for Zorba (including best director), and became a regular in competition at Cannes.
Born in Limassol in 1922, Kakogiannis learned his craft in the UK at the Old Vic, before travelling to Greece to shoot his first film, Windfall in Athens. His follow-up, Stella, starring a young Melina Mercouri, became an international hit and set Kakogiannis on his way. Zorba the Greek, adapted from a novel by Nikos Kazantzakis, eventually won three Oscars (though none for Kakogiannis himself).
Thereafter Kakogiannis found it hard to match Zorba's success. His follow-up,...
- 7/25/2011
- by Andrew Pulver
- The Guardian - Film News
Easter Sunday seems an appropriate time to focus on Hollywood's treatment of the subject matter of religion. When it comes to making movies from various Biblical interpretations, conventional wisdom says stick close to scripture and the faithful will flock. Mel Gibson hewed closely to the New Testament with 2004's The Passion of the Christ and the film grossed over $600 million worldwide to become the largest independent film of its day and the top-grossing non-English language film ever. But veering from that strategy can do more than alienate that audience segment as Universal Pictures found out when Martin Scorsese filmed 1988's controversial and in some eyes blasphemous The Last Temptation of Christ from Nikos Kazantzakis' novel and angry protesters were dragging crosses in front of the home of McA Universal head Lew Wasserman. Have things changed since then? Several filmmakers hope so because they are making movies that challenge faith tradions.
- 4/24/2011
- by MIKE FLEMING
- Deadline
Top Ten Martin Scorsese Films
I hate to pull out this cliche, but, yes, Martin Scorsese is a living legend. He's the rare filmmaker of such stature that almost all actors dream of working with him someday. Even if it's just a credit card commercial. He's the most passionate of directors -- an artist as much a film historian. Plus he's just a likable, chatty guy.
He imbues his films with such energy they practically pulsate. And after 40 years of filmmaking, the man is still creating interesting, important works of cinema that find the humanity within insanity, obsession, guilt, redemption, and the dark side of human nature. And with this week's release of Shutter Island I felt it was only just to take a look back at my favorite films from the master director with what I consider to be the ten best from Scorsese's impressive filmography.
You are likely to agree with some choices,...
I hate to pull out this cliche, but, yes, Martin Scorsese is a living legend. He's the rare filmmaker of such stature that almost all actors dream of working with him someday. Even if it's just a credit card commercial. He's the most passionate of directors -- an artist as much a film historian. Plus he's just a likable, chatty guy.
He imbues his films with such energy they practically pulsate. And after 40 years of filmmaking, the man is still creating interesting, important works of cinema that find the humanity within insanity, obsession, guilt, redemption, and the dark side of human nature. And with this week's release of Shutter Island I felt it was only just to take a look back at my favorite films from the master director with what I consider to be the ten best from Scorsese's impressive filmography.
You are likely to agree with some choices,...
- 2/17/2010
- by David Frank
- Rope of Silicon
With the Library of Congress’ recent announcement of the 25 films being added to our National Film Registry for 2009, I was inspired to look back over some of the films that haven’t yet been included. In doing so, I noticed there are many films from my lifetime that deserve eventual recognition. The National Film Preservation Board selects up to 25 films each year to be included in the Registry, so I have selected 23 yet unselected films from my lifetime (one for each year) that I would like to nominate for 2010… in fact, I’ve actually submitted my list of nominations to the National Film Preservation Board, as they encourage the public to do. More info on this can be found at their website.
This list of 23 films spans my lifetime, which means they fall between my year of birth (1978) and the new cut-off year which is 10 years back (2000). This is Not...
This list of 23 films spans my lifetime, which means they fall between my year of birth (1978) and the new cut-off year which is 10 years back (2000). This is Not...
- 1/2/2010
- by Travis
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Actress Stana Katic looking tailored as Detective Kate Beckett in Castle.
Stana Katic:
Storms The Walls Of Castle
By
Alex Simon
Actress Stana Katic is on a roll. After scoring supporting roles in two of last year’s highest-profile films, Quantum of Solace and The Spirit, the statuesque Canadian stunner landed the female lead in ABC’s new police drama/romantic comedy Castle, playing Detective Kate Beckett, a tough-as-nails NYPD officer who finds herself with the regrettable assignment of allowing cocky, best-selling crime novelist Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion) to shadow her for research on his next book. Not only does she find that Castle’s creative instincts for the criminal mind help her solve some of the city’s most challenging murders, she finds her tough exterior melting under Castle’s considerable charms. The show airs Monday nights on ABC.
Stana Katic sat down with us at a local...
Stana Katic:
Storms The Walls Of Castle
By
Alex Simon
Actress Stana Katic is on a roll. After scoring supporting roles in two of last year’s highest-profile films, Quantum of Solace and The Spirit, the statuesque Canadian stunner landed the female lead in ABC’s new police drama/romantic comedy Castle, playing Detective Kate Beckett, a tough-as-nails NYPD officer who finds herself with the regrettable assignment of allowing cocky, best-selling crime novelist Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion) to shadow her for research on his next book. Not only does she find that Castle’s creative instincts for the criminal mind help her solve some of the city’s most challenging murders, she finds her tough exterior melting under Castle’s considerable charms. The show airs Monday nights on ABC.
Stana Katic sat down with us at a local...
- 11/4/2009
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
I had planned to theme my Cinematical Seven around a DVD that was cute and cuddly, like The Tale of Despereaux, but a list of movie mice isn't much fun to write, let alone read. So when in doubt ... go with Doubt. It is Lent, after all, a time that was always a bit fraught with religious drama even in my Lutheran upbringing. My church didn't require us to give up anything -- but I have guilty memories of being asked who I loved more, Jesus or my parents. Heavy stuff for a seven-year-old.
So I thought I might provoke a little conversation by listing seven films that are centered around theological distress. Some of the picks are a bit light-hearted, others a little more controversial, but all are worth talking about. Spoilers abound, so if you really don't know how Dogma or The Last Temptation of Christ ends, skip this post for something safer.
So I thought I might provoke a little conversation by listing seven films that are centered around theological distress. Some of the picks are a bit light-hearted, others a little more controversial, but all are worth talking about. Spoilers abound, so if you really don't know how Dogma or The Last Temptation of Christ ends, skip this post for something safer.
- 4/8/2009
- by Elisabeth Rappe
- Cinematical
1. The Last Temptation Of Christ (1988) Nikos Kazantzakis' novel was a lightning rod of controversy from its 1951 publication, and anyone attempting to adapt it to film could only assume that trouble would follow. That didn't dissuade Martin Scorsese, however. Attracted to its psychologically complex depiction of an oft-tormented Jesus, Scorsese optioned the book in the 1970s and struggled to film it for years, even seeing one attempt shut down shortly before shooting began. When he finally finished the film, protests from conservative Catholics and Christian fundamentalists followed. Most never saw the film; they judged it from reports of a final sequence in which Willem Dafoe's dying Christ entertains the temptation to abandon His divinity and live a normal human life, even making love with Mary Magdalene (Barbara Hershey). (They might also have confused it with a widely circulated urban legend about a "gay Jesus" movie that started...
- 6/16/2008
- by Tasha Robinson, Steven Hyden, Scott Tobias, Noel Murray, Keith Phipps, Jason Heller, Donna Bowman
- avclub.com
Opens
Wednesday, Feb. 25
"The Passion of the Christ" is the work of a Christian traditonalist. In depicting the last dozen hours in the earthly life of Jesus of Nazareth, Mel Gibson, who directs a script he wrote with Benedict Fitzgerald, takes the gospels according to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John as literal truth. There is no allowance for metaphor or myth, no hint of contemporary interpretation. This is not "The Last Temptation of Christ", Martin Scorsese's adaptation of Nikos Kazantzakis' novel that speculates on the torments and self-doubts of Jesus. This movie is an act of faith.
And that is a two-edged sword. People will see what they want to see in a movie shorn of any point of view not in literal accord with the gospels. True believers will bear witness to holy writ. Others -- nonbelievers or even less literal-minded Christians -- will be troubled by the film's staunch adherence to a story line and characters that have been used by bigots to fuel hatred for centuries.
As the film arrives swathed in controversy over its near-pornographic violence and concerns about its potential to incite anti-Semitism, the opening weekend's boxoffice should surpass its reported $25 million cost. That combination of controversy, curiosity and conviction could continue the movie's good fortune for weeks to come.
The problem with focusing narrowly on the "passion" of Christ -- meaning the suffering and ultimate redemption in the final moments of Jesus' life -- instead of his ministry, in which he preached love of God and mankind, is that the context for these events is lost. The Crucifixion was not only the culmination of several years of religious teachings but the fulfillment of Jesus' promise to die for the sins of mankind.
True, many viewers know this "back story." Pity anyone though who comes to this movie without a knowledge of the New Testament. For them, a handful of brief flashbacks to earlier days will fail to do the trick. Yet even a Bible student might wonder why Gibson would choose to downplay the self-sacrifice and love that went into Jesus' submission to torture and death. The spiritual significance of the Crucifixion gets swamped in an orgy of violence visited upon Jesus' body. Indeed, it's doubtful any human being could remain conscious for his own execution were he to endure the level of physical abuse graphically depicted here.
This, then, is a medieval Passion Play with much better effects. Flesh is flayed in grotesque detail. Body fluids spurt in exquisite patterns. Slow motion captures any action or glance Gibson deems significant.
All the characters are portrayed in the extreme. Pontius Pilate (Hristo Naumov Shopov) is a weak and frightened political operative in a lonely outpost of the Roman Empire. His soldiers are half-witted sadists and buffoons. King Herod Luca De Dominicis) is a foppish decadent. The Jews are a bloodthirsty rabble easily manipulated by the high priest Caiphas (Mattia Sbragia) and other Pharisees, jealous of their political power and social control. (Gibson has removed a line, reportedly in an earlier version, in which one Jew shouts, "May his blood be on us".)
The two Marys, the mother of Jesus (Maia Morgenstern) and Mary Magdalene (Monica Bellucci), are reduced to tearful onlookers. And, hard to imagine, the key figure here, Jesus himself (a game, blood-crusted Jim Caviezel), is such a punching bag for most of the movie that the filmmakers lose sight of his message. In early scenes and the flashback, Caviezel has the look and gravity to portray the warm and compassionate rabbi that Jesus was. But we get only these snippets of his humanity. (One bizarre flashback focuses solely on his former occupation, that of a carpenter.) More troubling is Gibson's decision to make Jesus into a victim of political intrigue, thus denying him his martyrdom.
Why do so many disciples follow this man? What does his promise of eternal life mean in the context of these events? Gibson's intense concentration on the scourging and whipping of the physical body virtually denies any metaphysical significance to the most famous half-day in history.
Technically, the film is a beauty. After a false start with music more befitting a horror film, John Debney's score acquires a chorus and builds brilliantly to the climax. Inspired by Caravaggio, cinematographer Caleb Deschanel and costume designer Maurizio Millenotti hew to a strict earthen palette of grays, browns, white, beige and burgundy. The play of shadow and light, especially the use of torches in interior scenes, presents stunning tableaus. Francesco Frigeri's sets on the Cinecitta Studios lot and the use of the 2,000-year-old city of Matera beautifully capture the Middle Eastern world of that epoch without calling attention to the design itself.
Gibson's insistence that his actors learn the language of the period works very well. Using Aramaic for Jewish characters and street Latin for Romans, the movie puts us at a necessary remove to witness the biblical story. If only Gibson had chosen to highlight spiritual truth rather than physical realism.
THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST
Newmarket Films
Icon Prods.
Credits:
Director: Mel Gibson
Screenwriters: Mel Gibson, Benedict Fitzgerald
Producers: Mel Gibson, Bruce Davey, Steve McEveety
Executive producer: Enzo Sisti
Director of photography: Caleb Deschanel
Production designer: Francesco Frigeri
Music: John Debney
Special effects makeup: Keith Vanderlaan
Costume designer: Maurizio Millenotti
Editor: John Wright
Cast:
Jesus: Jim Caviezel
Mary: Maia Morgenstern
Mary Magdalene: Monica Bellucci
Satan: Rosalinda Celantano
Caiphas, the High Priest: Mattia Sbragia
Pontius Pilate: Hristo Naumov Shopov
Claudia Procles: Claudia Gerini
Judas Iscariot: Luca Lionello
Running time -- 126 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
Wednesday, Feb. 25
"The Passion of the Christ" is the work of a Christian traditonalist. In depicting the last dozen hours in the earthly life of Jesus of Nazareth, Mel Gibson, who directs a script he wrote with Benedict Fitzgerald, takes the gospels according to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John as literal truth. There is no allowance for metaphor or myth, no hint of contemporary interpretation. This is not "The Last Temptation of Christ", Martin Scorsese's adaptation of Nikos Kazantzakis' novel that speculates on the torments and self-doubts of Jesus. This movie is an act of faith.
And that is a two-edged sword. People will see what they want to see in a movie shorn of any point of view not in literal accord with the gospels. True believers will bear witness to holy writ. Others -- nonbelievers or even less literal-minded Christians -- will be troubled by the film's staunch adherence to a story line and characters that have been used by bigots to fuel hatred for centuries.
As the film arrives swathed in controversy over its near-pornographic violence and concerns about its potential to incite anti-Semitism, the opening weekend's boxoffice should surpass its reported $25 million cost. That combination of controversy, curiosity and conviction could continue the movie's good fortune for weeks to come.
The problem with focusing narrowly on the "passion" of Christ -- meaning the suffering and ultimate redemption in the final moments of Jesus' life -- instead of his ministry, in which he preached love of God and mankind, is that the context for these events is lost. The Crucifixion was not only the culmination of several years of religious teachings but the fulfillment of Jesus' promise to die for the sins of mankind.
True, many viewers know this "back story." Pity anyone though who comes to this movie without a knowledge of the New Testament. For them, a handful of brief flashbacks to earlier days will fail to do the trick. Yet even a Bible student might wonder why Gibson would choose to downplay the self-sacrifice and love that went into Jesus' submission to torture and death. The spiritual significance of the Crucifixion gets swamped in an orgy of violence visited upon Jesus' body. Indeed, it's doubtful any human being could remain conscious for his own execution were he to endure the level of physical abuse graphically depicted here.
This, then, is a medieval Passion Play with much better effects. Flesh is flayed in grotesque detail. Body fluids spurt in exquisite patterns. Slow motion captures any action or glance Gibson deems significant.
All the characters are portrayed in the extreme. Pontius Pilate (Hristo Naumov Shopov) is a weak and frightened political operative in a lonely outpost of the Roman Empire. His soldiers are half-witted sadists and buffoons. King Herod Luca De Dominicis) is a foppish decadent. The Jews are a bloodthirsty rabble easily manipulated by the high priest Caiphas (Mattia Sbragia) and other Pharisees, jealous of their political power and social control. (Gibson has removed a line, reportedly in an earlier version, in which one Jew shouts, "May his blood be on us".)
The two Marys, the mother of Jesus (Maia Morgenstern) and Mary Magdalene (Monica Bellucci), are reduced to tearful onlookers. And, hard to imagine, the key figure here, Jesus himself (a game, blood-crusted Jim Caviezel), is such a punching bag for most of the movie that the filmmakers lose sight of his message. In early scenes and the flashback, Caviezel has the look and gravity to portray the warm and compassionate rabbi that Jesus was. But we get only these snippets of his humanity. (One bizarre flashback focuses solely on his former occupation, that of a carpenter.) More troubling is Gibson's decision to make Jesus into a victim of political intrigue, thus denying him his martyrdom.
Why do so many disciples follow this man? What does his promise of eternal life mean in the context of these events? Gibson's intense concentration on the scourging and whipping of the physical body virtually denies any metaphysical significance to the most famous half-day in history.
Technically, the film is a beauty. After a false start with music more befitting a horror film, John Debney's score acquires a chorus and builds brilliantly to the climax. Inspired by Caravaggio, cinematographer Caleb Deschanel and costume designer Maurizio Millenotti hew to a strict earthen palette of grays, browns, white, beige and burgundy. The play of shadow and light, especially the use of torches in interior scenes, presents stunning tableaus. Francesco Frigeri's sets on the Cinecitta Studios lot and the use of the 2,000-year-old city of Matera beautifully capture the Middle Eastern world of that epoch without calling attention to the design itself.
Gibson's insistence that his actors learn the language of the period works very well. Using Aramaic for Jewish characters and street Latin for Romans, the movie puts us at a necessary remove to witness the biblical story. If only Gibson had chosen to highlight spiritual truth rather than physical realism.
THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST
Newmarket Films
Icon Prods.
Credits:
Director: Mel Gibson
Screenwriters: Mel Gibson, Benedict Fitzgerald
Producers: Mel Gibson, Bruce Davey, Steve McEveety
Executive producer: Enzo Sisti
Director of photography: Caleb Deschanel
Production designer: Francesco Frigeri
Music: John Debney
Special effects makeup: Keith Vanderlaan
Costume designer: Maurizio Millenotti
Editor: John Wright
Cast:
Jesus: Jim Caviezel
Mary: Maia Morgenstern
Mary Magdalene: Monica Bellucci
Satan: Rosalinda Celantano
Caiphas, the High Priest: Mattia Sbragia
Pontius Pilate: Hristo Naumov Shopov
Claudia Procles: Claudia Gerini
Judas Iscariot: Luca Lionello
Running time -- 126 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
Opens
Wednesday, Feb. 25
"The Passion of the Christ" is the work of a Christian traditonalist. In depicting the last dozen hours in the earthly life of Jesus of Nazareth, Mel Gibson, who directs a script he wrote with Benedict Fitzgerald, takes the gospels according to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John as literal truth. There is no allowance for metaphor or myth, no hint of contemporary interpretation. This is not "The Last Temptation of Christ", Martin Scorsese's adaptation of Nikos Kazantzakis' novel that speculates on the torments and self-doubts of Jesus. This movie is an act of faith.
And that is a two-edged sword. People will see what they want to see in a movie shorn of any point of view not in literal accord with the gospels. True believers will bear witness to holy writ. Others -- nonbelievers or even less literal-minded Christians -- will be troubled by the film's staunch adherence to a story line and characters that have been used by bigots to fuel hatred for centuries.
As the film arrives swathed in controversy over its near-pornographic violence and concerns about its potential to incite anti-Semitism, the opening weekend's boxoffice should surpass its reported $25 million cost. That combination of controversy, curiosity and conviction could continue the movie's good fortune for weeks to come.
The problem with focusing narrowly on the "passion" of Christ -- meaning the suffering and ultimate redemption in the final moments of Jesus' life -- instead of his ministry, in which he preached love of God and mankind, is that the context for these events is lost. The Crucifixion was not only the culmination of several years of religious teachings but the fulfillment of Jesus' promise to die for the sins of mankind.
True, many viewers know this "back story." Pity anyone though who comes to this movie without a knowledge of the New Testament. For them, a handful of brief flashbacks to earlier days will fail to do the trick. Yet even a Bible student might wonder why Gibson would choose to downplay the self-sacrifice and love that went into Jesus' submission to torture and death. The spiritual significance of the Crucifixion gets swamped in an orgy of violence visited upon Jesus' body. Indeed, it's doubtful any human being could remain conscious for his own execution were he to endure the level of physical abuse graphically depicted here.
This, then, is a medieval Passion Play with much better effects. Flesh is flayed in grotesque detail. Body fluids spurt in exquisite patterns. Slow motion captures any action or glance Gibson deems significant.
All the characters are portrayed in the extreme. Pontius Pilate (Hristo Naumov Shopov) is a weak and frightened political operative in a lonely outpost of the Roman Empire. His soldiers are half-witted sadists and buffoons. King Herod Luca De Dominicis) is a foppish decadent. The Jews are a bloodthirsty rabble easily manipulated by the high priest Caiphas (Mattia Sbragia) and other Pharisees, jealous of their political power and social control. (Gibson has removed a line, reportedly in an earlier version, in which one Jew shouts, "May his blood be on us".)
The two Marys, the mother of Jesus (Maia Morgenstern) and Mary Magdalene (Monica Bellucci), are reduced to tearful onlookers. And, hard to imagine, the key figure here, Jesus himself (a game, blood-crusted Jim Caviezel), is such a punching bag for most of the movie that the filmmakers lose sight of his message. In early scenes and the flashback, Caviezel has the look and gravity to portray the warm and compassionate rabbi that Jesus was. But we get only these snippets of his humanity. (One bizarre flashback focuses solely on his former occupation, that of a carpenter.) More troubling is Gibson's decision to make Jesus into a victim of political intrigue, thus denying him his martyrdom.
Why do so many disciples follow this man? What does his promise of eternal life mean in the context of these events? Gibson's intense concentration on the scourging and whipping of the physical body virtually denies any metaphysical significance to the most famous half-day in history.
Technically, the film is a beauty. After a false start with music more befitting a horror film, John Debney's score acquires a chorus and builds brilliantly to the climax. Inspired by Caravaggio, cinematographer Caleb Deschanel and costume designer Maurizio Millenotti hew to a strict earthen palette of grays, browns, white, beige and burgundy. The play of shadow and light, especially the use of torches in interior scenes, presents stunning tableaus. Francesco Frigeri's sets on the Cinecitta Studios lot and the use of the 2,000-year-old city of Matera beautifully capture the Middle Eastern world of that epoch without calling attention to the design itself.
Gibson's insistence that his actors learn the language of the period works very well. Using Aramaic for Jewish characters and street Latin for Romans, the movie puts us at a necessary remove to witness the biblical story. If only Gibson had chosen to highlight spiritual truth rather than physical realism.
THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST
Newmarket Films
Icon Prods.
Credits:
Director: Mel Gibson
Screenwriters: Mel Gibson, Benedict Fitzgerald
Producers: Mel Gibson, Bruce Davey, Steve McEveety
Executive producer: Enzo Sisti
Director of photography: Caleb Deschanel
Production designer: Francesco Frigeri
Music: John Debney
Special effects makeup: Keith Vanderlaan
Costume designer: Maurizio Millenotti
Editor: John Wright
Cast:
Jesus: Jim Caviezel
Mary: Maia Morgenstern
Mary Magdalene: Monica Bellucci
Satan: Rosalinda Celantano
Caiphas, the High Priest: Mattia Sbragia
Pontius Pilate: Hristo Naumov Shopov
Claudia Procles: Claudia Gerini
Judas Iscariot: Luca Lionello
Running time -- 126 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
Wednesday, Feb. 25
"The Passion of the Christ" is the work of a Christian traditonalist. In depicting the last dozen hours in the earthly life of Jesus of Nazareth, Mel Gibson, who directs a script he wrote with Benedict Fitzgerald, takes the gospels according to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John as literal truth. There is no allowance for metaphor or myth, no hint of contemporary interpretation. This is not "The Last Temptation of Christ", Martin Scorsese's adaptation of Nikos Kazantzakis' novel that speculates on the torments and self-doubts of Jesus. This movie is an act of faith.
And that is a two-edged sword. People will see what they want to see in a movie shorn of any point of view not in literal accord with the gospels. True believers will bear witness to holy writ. Others -- nonbelievers or even less literal-minded Christians -- will be troubled by the film's staunch adherence to a story line and characters that have been used by bigots to fuel hatred for centuries.
As the film arrives swathed in controversy over its near-pornographic violence and concerns about its potential to incite anti-Semitism, the opening weekend's boxoffice should surpass its reported $25 million cost. That combination of controversy, curiosity and conviction could continue the movie's good fortune for weeks to come.
The problem with focusing narrowly on the "passion" of Christ -- meaning the suffering and ultimate redemption in the final moments of Jesus' life -- instead of his ministry, in which he preached love of God and mankind, is that the context for these events is lost. The Crucifixion was not only the culmination of several years of religious teachings but the fulfillment of Jesus' promise to die for the sins of mankind.
True, many viewers know this "back story." Pity anyone though who comes to this movie without a knowledge of the New Testament. For them, a handful of brief flashbacks to earlier days will fail to do the trick. Yet even a Bible student might wonder why Gibson would choose to downplay the self-sacrifice and love that went into Jesus' submission to torture and death. The spiritual significance of the Crucifixion gets swamped in an orgy of violence visited upon Jesus' body. Indeed, it's doubtful any human being could remain conscious for his own execution were he to endure the level of physical abuse graphically depicted here.
This, then, is a medieval Passion Play with much better effects. Flesh is flayed in grotesque detail. Body fluids spurt in exquisite patterns. Slow motion captures any action or glance Gibson deems significant.
All the characters are portrayed in the extreme. Pontius Pilate (Hristo Naumov Shopov) is a weak and frightened political operative in a lonely outpost of the Roman Empire. His soldiers are half-witted sadists and buffoons. King Herod Luca De Dominicis) is a foppish decadent. The Jews are a bloodthirsty rabble easily manipulated by the high priest Caiphas (Mattia Sbragia) and other Pharisees, jealous of their political power and social control. (Gibson has removed a line, reportedly in an earlier version, in which one Jew shouts, "May his blood be on us".)
The two Marys, the mother of Jesus (Maia Morgenstern) and Mary Magdalene (Monica Bellucci), are reduced to tearful onlookers. And, hard to imagine, the key figure here, Jesus himself (a game, blood-crusted Jim Caviezel), is such a punching bag for most of the movie that the filmmakers lose sight of his message. In early scenes and the flashback, Caviezel has the look and gravity to portray the warm and compassionate rabbi that Jesus was. But we get only these snippets of his humanity. (One bizarre flashback focuses solely on his former occupation, that of a carpenter.) More troubling is Gibson's decision to make Jesus into a victim of political intrigue, thus denying him his martyrdom.
Why do so many disciples follow this man? What does his promise of eternal life mean in the context of these events? Gibson's intense concentration on the scourging and whipping of the physical body virtually denies any metaphysical significance to the most famous half-day in history.
Technically, the film is a beauty. After a false start with music more befitting a horror film, John Debney's score acquires a chorus and builds brilliantly to the climax. Inspired by Caravaggio, cinematographer Caleb Deschanel and costume designer Maurizio Millenotti hew to a strict earthen palette of grays, browns, white, beige and burgundy. The play of shadow and light, especially the use of torches in interior scenes, presents stunning tableaus. Francesco Frigeri's sets on the Cinecitta Studios lot and the use of the 2,000-year-old city of Matera beautifully capture the Middle Eastern world of that epoch without calling attention to the design itself.
Gibson's insistence that his actors learn the language of the period works very well. Using Aramaic for Jewish characters and street Latin for Romans, the movie puts us at a necessary remove to witness the biblical story. If only Gibson had chosen to highlight spiritual truth rather than physical realism.
THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST
Newmarket Films
Icon Prods.
Credits:
Director: Mel Gibson
Screenwriters: Mel Gibson, Benedict Fitzgerald
Producers: Mel Gibson, Bruce Davey, Steve McEveety
Executive producer: Enzo Sisti
Director of photography: Caleb Deschanel
Production designer: Francesco Frigeri
Music: John Debney
Special effects makeup: Keith Vanderlaan
Costume designer: Maurizio Millenotti
Editor: John Wright
Cast:
Jesus: Jim Caviezel
Mary: Maia Morgenstern
Mary Magdalene: Monica Bellucci
Satan: Rosalinda Celantano
Caiphas, the High Priest: Mattia Sbragia
Pontius Pilate: Hristo Naumov Shopov
Claudia Procles: Claudia Gerini
Judas Iscariot: Luca Lionello
Running time -- 126 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 2/23/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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