The Last Temptation of Christ
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Is the film essential for a Scorsese fan? Well, I'd have to think it's essential to see it, if nothing else, to see how it measures up to his other films. I guess it depends how "hardcore" a fan you are for his films.
I've enjoyed his work, but I don't think I'd consider myself to be a HUGE fan of his work...I don't wait in anticipation of his next release automatically...I've not seen Gangs of New York (yet). I've enjoyed what I've seen of his stuff though, including Taxi Driver, Mean Streets (but was so long ago I don't remember it at all...if I saw it again it would be a new experience), Goodfellas, Cape Fear, Casino, Kundun and even enjoyed Bringing Out The Dead.
I'd say it's also essential to see the film (and with an open mind of course) to see if all the extreme religious folks had good reason to condemn the film. I'd say of all Scorsese's films that I've seen, this would be closest to Kundun, just in the sense that they're both about well known "religious" (does Dalai Lama count as a religious figure? Is Buddhism a religion? discuss....)figures.
Personally, I enjoyed it enough to buy the DVD. How is it? Well, it's well presented, being that it's a Criterion release. It's a 1.85:1 aspect ratio, stereo sound with the following special features as listed on back:
-New widescreen digital transfer, approved by the filmmakers and enhanced for widescreen televisions
-New Dolby Digital 5.1 channel soundtrack by original supervising sound editor Skip Lievsay
-Audio commentary by Martin Scorsese, Willem Dafoe, Paul Schrader, and Jay Cocks.
-An extensive collection of research materials, production stills, and costume designs.
-Location production footage, shot by Scorsese (apparently exerpts from his VHS masters; running time: appx. 15 min.)
-Video interview with composer Peter Gabriel (appx. 11 min.), plus a stills gallery of the instruments used in the film.
-English subtitles for the deaf and hearing impaired.
-Optimal image quality: RSDL dual-layer edition.
-oh yeah...not to mention the ever handy COLOR BARS!
If for no other reason, see it because it's apparently not legal to do so in a few places. According to IMDB:
"As of February 2001, this movie still can't be seen legally in Chile because of a Supreme Court rule says so. That rule was imposed under Chilean Catholic Church pressure. If you try to import a DVD or a VHS, it is kept in customs."
"As of January 2002 the film cannot be shown on public television in Bulgaria. The National Television had scheduled it for showing but the Bulgarian Orthodox Church managed to get a forbidding order and the Council of Electronic Media banned it."
Hope this answers SOME questions. Enjoy!
I've enjoyed his work, but I don't think I'd consider myself to be a HUGE fan of his work...I don't wait in anticipation of his next release automatically...I've not seen Gangs of New York (yet). I've enjoyed what I've seen of his stuff though, including Taxi Driver, Mean Streets (but was so long ago I don't remember it at all...if I saw it again it would be a new experience), Goodfellas, Cape Fear, Casino, Kundun and even enjoyed Bringing Out The Dead.
I'd say it's also essential to see the film (and with an open mind of course) to see if all the extreme religious folks had good reason to condemn the film. I'd say of all Scorsese's films that I've seen, this would be closest to Kundun, just in the sense that they're both about well known "religious" (does Dalai Lama count as a religious figure? Is Buddhism a religion? discuss....)figures.
Personally, I enjoyed it enough to buy the DVD. How is it? Well, it's well presented, being that it's a Criterion release. It's a 1.85:1 aspect ratio, stereo sound with the following special features as listed on back:
-New widescreen digital transfer, approved by the filmmakers and enhanced for widescreen televisions
-New Dolby Digital 5.1 channel soundtrack by original supervising sound editor Skip Lievsay
-Audio commentary by Martin Scorsese, Willem Dafoe, Paul Schrader, and Jay Cocks.
-An extensive collection of research materials, production stills, and costume designs.
-Location production footage, shot by Scorsese (apparently exerpts from his VHS masters; running time: appx. 15 min.)
-Video interview with composer Peter Gabriel (appx. 11 min.), plus a stills gallery of the instruments used in the film.
-English subtitles for the deaf and hearing impaired.
-Optimal image quality: RSDL dual-layer edition.
-oh yeah...not to mention the ever handy COLOR BARS!
If for no other reason, see it because it's apparently not legal to do so in a few places. According to IMDB:
"As of February 2001, this movie still can't be seen legally in Chile because of a Supreme Court rule says so. That rule was imposed under Chilean Catholic Church pressure. If you try to import a DVD or a VHS, it is kept in customs."
"As of January 2002 the film cannot be shown on public television in Bulgaria. The National Television had scheduled it for showing but the Bulgarian Orthodox Church managed to get a forbidding order and the Council of Electronic Media banned it."
Hope this answers SOME questions. Enjoy!