1988 film directed by Martin Scorsese
The Last Temptation of Christ is a 1988 epic religious drama film directed by Martin Scorsese. Written by Paul Schrader, with uncredited rewrites from Scorsese and Jay Cocks, it is an adaptation of Nikos Kazantzakis' controversial 1955 novel of the same name. The film, starring Willem Dafoe, Harvey Keitel, Barbara Hershey, Andre Gregory, Harry Dean Stanton and David Bowie, was shot entirely in Morocco.
The film depicts the life of Jesus Christ and his struggle with various forms of temptation including fear, doubt, depression, reluctance and lust. The book and the film depict Christ being tempted by imagining himself engaged in sexual activities, which caused outrage from certain Christian groups, claiming the work as blasphemy. It includes a disclaimer stating: "This film is not based on the Gospels, but upon the fictional exploration of the eternal spiritual conflict."
The Last Temptation of Christ was released by Cineplex Odeon Films in Canada and by Universal Pictures worldwide on August 12, 1988. Like the novel, the film attracted controversy towards several Christian groups and faced censorship despite modest critical and commercial success, grossing $33.8 million against a $7 million budget. The film received numerous accolades including a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Director to Scorsese.
Plot summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.