The Last Temptation of Christ Nikos

A monumental fictional reinterpretation of the Gospels by one of the giants of modern literature. It follows the life of Jesus Christ from his perspective. The central thesis of the book is that Jesus, while free from sin, was still subject to every form of temptation that humans face, including fear, doubt, depression, reluctance, and lust. Kazantzakis argues in the novel's preface that by facing and conquering all of man's weaknesses, Jesus struggled to do God's will, without ever giving in to the temptations of the flesh.

The film begins with a man whispering in despair, "The feeling begins. Very tender, very loving. Then the pain starts. Claws slip underneath the skin and tear their way up. Just before they reach my eyes, they dig in. And I remember. First I fasted for three months. I even whipped myself before I went to sleep. At first it worked. Then the pain came back.

The Last Temptation of Christ is a 1988 American drama film directed by Martin Scorsese. It is a film adaptation of the controversial 1960 novel of the same name by Nikos Kazantzakis. It stars Willem Dafoe as Jesus Christ, Harvey Keitel as Judas Iscariot, Barbara Hershey as Mary Magdalene, David Bowie as Pontius Pilate, and Harry Dean Stanton as Paul. The film was shot entirely in Morocco.
The film received an Academy Award nomination for Martin Scorsese as Best Director. Barbara Hershey's performance as Mary earned her a Golden Globe nod for Best Supporting Actress. However, Harvey Keitel's performance as Judas earned him a Razzie Award nomination for Worst Supporting Actor.

A fascinating journey through history and its texts (poems, plays, paintings, films) to see the many images of Mary Magdalen.