SJBear

"The Last Temptation Of Christ" is one of the finest, most-literate religious films ever made. Those who protested at its opening in 1988, and continue to decry its "supposed" blasphemy of the life of Jesus, have obviously never seen the film and are acting upon only what they've heard. Those who claim that the film was made by athiests (or whatever they say) obviously know nothing about the film or the novel that it was based upon. The novel, upon which the film is based, was written by a devout Greek Orthodox (Nikos Kazantzakis); the screenplay was written by a devout Calvinist (Paul Schrader); and the film was directed by a devout Roman Catholic (Martin Scorsese). To those who judge without facts, my advise is to see the film and judge for yourself. I first saw the film back when it first hit video in 1990 and I recently bought Criterion's superb DVD. While I was touched the first time I saw the film over 10 years ago, I hadn't had a chance to see the film again until the other night. The film this time moved me in ways that few films I have ever seen (and trust me, I've seen a lot of movies in my 35 years on this earth). The film makes Jesus so much more approachable, by concentrating on His human side. We are all taught that Jesus was fully God but also fully man. However, no other film had ever presented Jesus' human side and as a consequence He always seemed so superhuman and so divine that it made Him seem somewhat unapproachable. "Last Temptation" makes Jesus more approachable than He has ever been, and its my bet that no other work like this will ever surpass it. The performances are all first rate from Willem DaFoe's portrayal of Jesus to Harvey Keitel's Judas to Barbara Hershey's Mary Magdelene. This is easily Scorsese's most personal film and could very well be the film that will in generations to come will be considered his masterpiece. The film is also a wonderful example of how a religious film can work without being a huge, spectacular epic such as films like "The Ten Commandments", "King Of Kings", and "The Greatest Story Ever Told". Out of five stars, I would merit this film five stars without any trepidation.

I can still remember first seeing this film when it first aired on ABC back in 1975. It was riveting then and in the intervening 25 years, nothing has changed; its still one of the finest acted and most riveting movies ever made for television. The film of course is based on the famous 19th century axe murders. Although its based largely on speculation (keep in mind, that to this day, the case has never been solved) it really piques ones curiousity about the circumstances leading up to not only the murders, but the trial that ensued. I agree with many of the others who commented on this film: This one needs to be on video (preferably DVD). Paramount are you listening?

In an age when screwball comedies had largely disappeared from the screen, Peter Bogdonovich directed Barbra Streisand and Ryan O'Neal in what is still one of the funniest comedies of the 1970's. The film was a tribute to all the classic screwball comedy elements (including a pie fight and a hilarious car chase). There's nothing here to offend, so its suitable for the entire family, but its by no means juvenile comedy. The story begins with the title card "Once upon a time there was this red suitcase..."; actually there are four of them and that's the gist of the story. Stuffy college professor Howard Bannister (O'Neal) and his uptight fiance Eunice Burns (hilariously played by Madeline Khan, in her film debut) come to San Francisco for a musicologists convention (Howard is carrying one of the suitcases). Once there, Bannister meets Judy Maxwell (Streisand) a college drop-out who meets Howard in the hotel giftshop (and also has a suitcase just like Howard's). Also in the hotel is a wealthy woman (with another of the red suitcases, her's filled with diamonds) and a man running from the government (with documents in another red suitcase). Get the idea; yes the bags get mixed up and produces some hilarious situations along the way. The entire cast blends so well with one another and this is one of those little gem movies that everyone deserves to see at least once. Look for Sorrell Booke (who would later gain fame as Boss Hogg on "The Dukes Of Hazzard") as the hotel security guard.