Medium Cool

Written, directed, and shot by Haskell Wexler, Medium Cool is the story of a TV news cameraman who goes right into the center of the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago as he deals with what to film making him question about what to tell where news media becomes more scripted. The film is a dramatic interpretation of the events of 1968 in Chicago as it showcases a world that is unraveling as it’s told in an in-your-face cinematic style to comment about what is shown and what isn’t shown. Starring Robert Forster, Verna Bloom, Peter Bonerz, Marianna Hill, and Harold Blankenship. Medium Cool is a gripping and evocative film from Haskell Wexler.

The film follows a cameraman trying to get some good stories to tell in Chicago just months before the Democratic National Convention where he deals with the chaos of the year including assassinations, the Vietnam War, race riots, and all sorts of shit. It’s a film that play into the world of media coverage where a cameraman is trying to find some meaning through what he sees yet he finds himself being told what to shoot and create an angle just as the world is going into disarray. Haskell Wexler’s script is loose in its presentation as it blurs the line between fantasy and reality where the main narrative revolves around the cameraman John Catselas (Robert Forster) as a man just trying to find some idea of what is really going on as he’s joined by his soundman Gus (Peter Bonerz).

During this time to search for compelling stories including one about a cab driver who found an envelope with $10,000, Catselas finds himself at odds with bosses over what to tell as they’re interested in gathering footage and sources for the FBI. It adds to Catselas’ own emotional turmoil as his relationships with some people falter just as he’s befriend a woman named Eileen (Verna Bloom) who had just moved from West Virginia to Chicago with her son Harold (Harold Blankenship) while her husband is away at Vietnam. Eileen represents someone who had lived in a part of the world that is sort of disconnected from the chaos of what is happening right now as she has trouble adjusting to her new environment.

Wexler’s direction is engaging and confrontational in its blur of reality and fiction where it aims for this hand-held documentary style in capturing real events that are unfolding throughout the film but also with the dramatic narrative. Shot on location in Chicago, Wexler who serves as the film’s cinematographer and one of many camera operators aims for this realistic approach to this story of a man trying to find meaning in the news just as the news itself is becoming compromised and scripted. While there’s some wide shots in the film, much of the direction is intimate with its usage of close-ups and medium shots as it play into the action that is going on while Wexler also use audio and video clips of the events that are unfolding in 1968 playing into this air of chaos that is on the rise. The direction also has this loose tone where Wexler showcases the life that Catselas had before meeting Eileen and questioning his role as a cameraman as the film opens with him and Gus on a highway where they find a wounded woman lying out of her car following an accident.

Wexler’s direction and photography maintains an air of realism in the visuals including scenes at a night club where Catselas and Eileen watch a band play as well as dance to the music. It would culminate with the real-life events in and out of the Democratic National Convention where Wexler and his team of camera operators just film what is going on while Eileen is walking around trying to find her son. The sense of chaos, violence, and danger add to this air of realism where reality and fiction would blur as it play into these events where some news outlets refuse to report this riot but others realize there is something important happening as it relates to what Catselas is trying to do as a news cameraman. Overall, Wexler crafts a riveting and haunting film about a news cameraman trying to find a story for the world to know in a media that’s been compromised.

Editor Verna Fields does excellent work with the editing in its usage of jump-cuts and some montages to capture the action and chaos that occur throughout the film. Art director Leon Erickson does nice work with the look of the apartment that Eileen lives that is a total contrast to the more spacious apartment loft that Catselas lives in. Sound editor Kay Rose does fantastic work with the sound in capturing all of the sound clips from news reports as well as the chaos that is happening outside of the Democratic National Convention. The film’s music by Mike Bloomfield is amazing for its mixture of folk and rock that play into some of the dark humor of the film with some instrumental pieces by the Mothers of Invention and Love.

The film’s superb cast feature some notable small roles from Peter Boyle as a gun clinic manager, Christine Bergstrom as a news staff member/lover of Catselas in Dede, and Charles Geary as Harold’s father in flashback scenes. Marianna Hill is wonderful as Catselas’ lover Ruth who spends time at his loft while questioning about his ideals towards the news. Harold Blankenship is fantastic as Harold as Eileen’s son who is dealing with his dreary situation as well as wondering when his dad is going to come back home. Peter Bonerz is terrific as Gus as Catselas’ sound man who accompany him to the assignment as he is also concerned about where the news media is going. Verna Bloom is brilliant as Eileen as a former schoolteacher from West Virginia who has moved to Chicago as she deals with her new surroundings while befriending Catselas as she ponders about her husband who is in Vietnam. Finally, there’s Robert Forster in an amazing performance as John Catselas as a news cameraman who is dealing with the growing turmoil in the news media as he wants to capture real stories that mean something as it starts to affect his personal life as he finds solace in Eileen.

Medium Cool is a sensational film from Haskell Wexler. Featuring a great cast, a commentary about news media in the late 1960s, haunting visuals, and a riveting music soundtrack. It’s a film that explore a moment in time that would prove to be not just a turning point in American history but also its exploration of a man wanting to capture the truth and be part of it despite the compromise he has to endure in his line of work. In the end, Medium Cool is a spectacular film from Haskell Wexler.

© thevoid99 2019

The Hired Hand

Directed and starring Peter Fonda and written by Alan Sharp, The Hired Hand is the story of a man returning home after going away for seven years as he tries to win back his wife by becoming her hired hand. The film is an unusual western as it explores a man dealing with abandoning his wife as well as gaining some redemption. Also starring Verna Bloom and Warren Oates. The Hired Hand is a ravishing and touching film from Peter Fonda.

The film follows a drifter and his friend whose years of trying to find work forces him to return home to the wife he abandoned and win her back by becoming her hired hand. It’s a film with a simple story as it explores a man who had been away for seven years as the years of drifting from one place to another and a violent encounter with a corrupt gang leader forces him to return home. Alan Sharp’s screenplay begins with Harry Collings (Peter Fonda) roaming around place to place with his friend Arch Harris (Warren Oates) and a young man named Dan Griffen (Robert Pratt) as their companion as they go into this remote desert town where trouble occurs. Following this troubling encounter, Collings decides to return home to his estranged wife Hannah (Verna Bloom) whom he hadn’t seen in seven years as she is not happy to see him. Her disdain towards him is something Collings understands as he realizes what she had to do to survive as it bear some elements of feminism in the script. Especially as Collings realize that tending to the farm is not enough to win her back while Harris yearns to see the ocean as he helps out so that Collings could get his redemption.

Peter Fonda’s direction is very unusual in his approach to creating a western as it doesn’t play into some of the conventional tropes in favor of something more meditative as well as reflective. Shot largely on location in New Mexico, the film’s first act is set in a river and later in the desert at this remote town where Fonda would use some wide shots for some of the locations but also some unique close-ups of the characters. Fonda’s approach to style doesn’t just play into some of the close-ups and medium shots he would create for much of the film but also in these evocative montages filled with superimposed images and dissolves that add a very poetic quality to the film.

Notably as it play into not just the sense of guilt that Collings is filled with but also this determination to redeem himself to his wife Hannah as well as the fact that he has a young daughter named Janey (Megan Denver) he just learned about. There is a confrontation in its third act but Fonda would aim for something unconventional as it’s more about a man needing to fight for a reason rather than just be in a shootout as well as a vow he’s made to the woman he loved and abandoned in the hope he wouldn’t do so ever again. Overall, Fonda creates a dream-like yet intoxicating film about a man being a hired hand for his estranged wife.

Cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond does brilliant work with the film’s gorgeous and dream-like cinematography with its natural usage of sunlight for some of the scenes at the forest home of Hannah as well as the usage of low-key lights for the scenes set at night. Editor Frank Mazzola does amazing work with the editing with its stylish usage of montages through its superimposed dissolves and stylish approach to freeze-frames as it’s a major highlight of the film. Production designer Lawrence G. Paull and set decorator Robert De Vestel do fantastic work with the look of the desert town with its ruined stones and bricks as well as the look of Hannah’s home.

Costume designer Richard Bruno does nice work with the costumes from the ragged look of the clothes the men wear early in the film to the simple look of Hannah. Sound editor James Nelson does terrific work with the sound as it is very straightforward to play into some of the quiet sounds of the location as well as some of the gunfire that occurs in some of the action scenes. The film’s music by Bruce Langford is excellent for its rapturous music score that is filled with rich acoustic instruments and woodwind sounds that help give the film a dream-like feel that is just intoxicating to listen to.

The film’s superb cast include some notable small roles from Owen Orr and Ted Markland as a couple of henchmen for a local outlaw, Ann Doran as a neighbor of Hannah, Robert Pratt as Collings and Harris’ traveling companion Dan Griffen, Rita Rogers as a Mexican woman that is mistreated by the brutish local outlaw, Megan Denver as Hannah’s daughter Janey, and Severn Darden as the brutal outlaw McVey as a man who runs a remote desert town and tries to get Collings and Harris into trouble.

Verna Bloom is brilliant as Hannah as a woman who has a lot of pent-up anger towards Collings as she isn’t eager to have his help while she doesn’t trust Harris despite the fact that she knows that he’s a good man. Warren Oates is amazing as Arch Harris as a cowboy who is eager to see the ocean knowing that his days of drifting are gone as he tries to help out at Hannah’s home and farm as well as lament on the life Collings would have if he chooses to stay with Hannah. Finally, there’s Peter Fonda in an excellent performance as Harry Collings as a drifter that is trying to redeem himself to his ex-wife as he would fix things at her home while dealing with the years of drifting that lead to nothing as well as being forced to fight again to protect the things he’s starting to regain as it’s a very understated role from Fonda.

The Hired Hand is a remarkable film from Peter Fonda that features great performances from Fonda, Verna Bloom, and Warren Oates. Along with Vilmos Zsigmond’s beautiful cinematography, Frank Mazzola’s dizzying editing, and Bruce Langford’s haunting score, the film is a very unconventional yet rich western that bear elements expected in the genre but also with ideas on feminism and a woman’s role in the West. In the end, The Hired Hand is a sensational film from Peter Fonda.

© thevoid99 2017

High Plains Drifter

Directed and starring Clint Eastwood and written by Ernest Tidyman, High Plains Drifter is the story about a mysterious gunfighter who is hired by locals from a frontier mining town to fight against criminals and corruption. The film is a look into a man helping locals defend themselves against injustice while dealing with a band of criminals seeking to reap the hard work of the people. Also starring Verna Bloom, Marianna Hill, Geoffrey Lewis, Billy Curtis, and Mitchell Ryan. High Plains Drifter is a thrilling yet mesmerizing film from Clint Eastwood.

The film is a simple story about a mysterious gunfighter who arrives at a small mining town to fight against bandits yet there’s more to this story as it involves corruption and the death of a marshal (Buddy Van Horn) in the hands of the bandits. The mysterious gunfighter (Clint Eastwood) is a man with no name but he is someone who knows how to fight against bandits as he tries to rally this small town to fight against bandits. Yet, there are those in the town like some local officials who feel uneasy about the gunfighter’s presence and his willingness to change things as they would try to attack him. When it comes time to face a trio of bandits, trouble brews forcing the gunfighter to handle things himself.

Ernest Tidyman’s screenplay doesn’t carry much of a plot but it does have a lot of ambiguity into its protagonist as he’s a man that is just drifting into town. He arrives as someone that can wipe out bandits but there are people in this town who find him to be an unwelcoming presence including the local whore (Marianna Hill) and some of the town’s council led by a civic leader (Mitchell Ryan) as he thinks there’s a way to profit from this. The story is interesting as there’s bits of humor that includes the presence of a half-man named Mordecai (Billy Curtis) who befriends the stranger. There are moments in the story where it takes some time for things to get moving in the first act while another flaw in the story is the way women are portrayed as the local whore is just very nagging while the wife of a hotel owner (Verna Bloom) is also ambiguous as she’s a character that is underwritten.

Clint Eastwood’s direction is quite engaging not just for the compositions he creates but also in the way he maintains some air of suspense that is mixed in with humor and drama. Still, it is a western at heart though it doesn’t follow some of its themes other than to bring justice and such as the stranger is a very mysterious individual who has some very odd ideas. Eastwood’s compositions is filled with some gorgeous imagery as well as very stark portrayals of violence as it’s obvious that he’s drawing ideas from two filmmakers who shaped his career in Sergio Leone and Don Siegel. Notably in the wide-shots, some tracking shots, and some hand-held work where Eastwood allows a sense of energy in the action while creating some dream-like moments that involve the death of the marshal. Overall, Eastwood crafts a very chilling yet exciting western about a stranger fighting for what is right.

Cinematographer Bruce Sturees does excellent work with the film‘s very vast and colorful looking including the gorgeous wide shots of the location set in Mono Lake, California. Editor Ferris Webster does brilliant work with the editing from the use of jump-cuts and rhythmic cuts for some of the film‘s violence to the use of dissolves in the flashback scene showing the marshal‘s death. Art director Henry Bumstead and set decorator George Milo do fantastic work with the set pieces from the look of the town including a key look for the film’s climax.

The sound work of James R. Alexander is superb for some of its sound editing in the sound of the whips and gunfire along with some of the intimate moments in the film. The film’s music by Dee Barton is amazing for its eerie and hypnotic score that is a mixture of orchestral music with something that is close to chilling electronic pieces to play up some of its suspense.

The casting by William Batliner and Robert J. LaSanka is terrific for the cast that is assembled as it features some notable small performances from Stefan Gierasch as the town’s mayor, Buddy Van Horn as the marshal who is killed by the bandits, Ted Hartley as the hotel owner Lewis Belding, Walter Barnes as the town sheriff, Robert Donner as the preacher, Jack Ging as a corrupt civic leader, and Mitchell Ryan as the lead civic leader who decides to cheat the stranger. Other noteworthy small roles include Dan Vadis and Anthony James as two of the bandits and Geoffrey Lewis as the lead bandit Stacey Bridges. Billy Curtis is excellent as the half-man Mordecai as the guy who becomes the stranger’s aide and later be the guy to run the town. Marianna Hill is just terrible as the town whore who antagonizes the stranger only to get raped and is just hysterical for most of the film.

Verna Bloom is good in an underwritten role as Belding’s wife Sarah who is wary of the stranger though is aware of what he’s really doing though it’s a role that doesn’t have much depth as she eventually sleeps with the stranger. Finally, there’s Clint Eastwood in a remarkable performance as the mysterious stranger as it’s a role where Eastwood does play this very quiet but charming gunslinger who is also a man that knows right from wrong while being a bit of a brute but also one that can get the job done and not be trifled with.

High Plains Drifter is an excellent film from Clint Eastwood that definitely stands as one of his finest westerns. Though it’s a bit flawed, it is still engaging for its simple story as well as its enchanting direction. Especially as it has enough action that western fans can love as well as the character that Eastwood plays. In the end, High Plains Drifter is a superb film from Clint Eastwood.

(Five Obstructions #2 Interview)

Clint Eastwood Films: (Play Misty for Me) - (Breezy) - (The Eiger Sanction) - (The Outlaw Josey Wales) - (The Gauntlet) - (Bronco Billy) - (Firefox) - (Honkytonk Man) - Sudden Impact - Pale Rider - (Heartbreak Ridge) - (Bird) - (White Hunter Black Heart) - (The Rookie) - Unforgiven - (A Perfect World) - (The Bridges of Madison County) - (Absolute Power) - (Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil) - (True Crime) - (Space Cowboys) - (Blood Work) - (Mystic River) - Million Dollar Baby - Flags of Our Fathers - Letters from Iwo Jima - Changeling - (Gran Torino) - (Invictus) - (Hereafter) - (J. Edgar) - (Jersey Boys) - American Sniper - (Sully) - (The 15:17 to Paris) - (The Mule)

© thevoid99 2013

The Last Temptation of Christ

Based on the novel by Nikos Kazantzakis, The Last Temptation of Christ is a film that depicts Jesus Christ of Nazareth as a human being who deals with temptation of all kinds as he would eventually be crucified for his own sins. Directed by Martin Scorsese and script adaptation by Paul Schrader, with additional contributions from Scorsese and Jay Cocks, the film explores the final days of the life of Jesus Christ told in a different style where he’s portrayed as a human being. Playing the role of Jesus Christ of Nazareth is Willem Dafoe. Also starring Harvey Keitel, Barbara Hershey, Harry Dean Stanton, Verna Bloom, Andre Gregory, and David Bowie as Pontius Pilate. The Last Temptation of Christ is a mesmerizing yet uncompromising portrait of Jesus Christ’s final days from Martin Scorsese.

Jesus Christ is a carpenter who is dealing with his own self and whatever plans God has for him. Already helping Romans crucify Jewish revolutionaries, he is dealing with self-doubt and self-loathing as his friend Judas Iscariot (Harvey Keitel) is frustrated with him. After meeting with the local prostitute Mary Magdalene (Barbara Hershey) and asking for her forgiveness, Jesus decides wanders around where he would encounter various moments that would question his role. After seeing Mary Magdalene being stoned for her prostitution, Jesus comes to her aid and asks those who are stoning her if they’re any better where would preach about his ideas to a crowd at the Sermon on the Mount. After gaining some disciples, he meets John the Baptist (Andre Gregory) who would baptize him and later discuss their differing views.

Jesus later tries to communicate with God as he would fight off various temptations including one from the voice of Satan (Leo Marks). Still, Jesus ponders about his role as he takes shelter in the home of Martha (Peggy Gormley) and Mary of Bethany (Randy Danson) where would resurrect their brother Lazarus (Tomas Arana) from the dead. It would be among the many small miracles that would increase his number of disciples, including Judas, as Jesus would lead them to Jerusalem at a temple to rid of those he believed are destroying it. Yet, he gets the attention of Romans while Jesus becomes aware of what he must do as does Judas. After the Last Supper and Judas’ eventual betrayal, Jesus meets with Pontius Pilate who reveals why Jesus had to be crucified.

During Jesus’ crucifixion where Mary Magdalene and Jesus’ mother Mary (Verna Bloom) watches, a young girl (Juliette Caton) who claims to be his guardian angel tells him that he doesn’t have to die for the sins of humanity. Jesus steps out of his cross to live the life of a human being with Mary Magdalene where he would face loss and other circumstances. Notably when a man named Paul (Harry Dean Stanton) makes claims about meeting Jesus Christ over his sins prompting Jesus to wonder if he made the right choices in his life.

Since this is a film about the final days of the life of Jesus Christ told from a very different perspective in which Jesus is portrayed as a human being with flaws and vices. It is a unique approach to exploring the life of a man who would die for the sins of the world. Yet, he would be a man that will be filled with the same doubts and temptations that would drive anyone into doing things that are considered wrong. The story is told from Jesus’ perspective as he would often narrate his doubts about the role he’s playing while he tries to deal with what humanity wants in life.

Paul Schrader’s screenplay, with some re-writes from Martin Scorsese and Jay Cocks, opens with text from the book’s novelist Nikos Kazantzakis to emphasize that this story about Jesus Christ is just a fictional interpretation. Schrader’s script definitely explores the complex behavior of Jesus as he tries to come to terms with who he is and the role that his father God wants from him. Particularly as Jesus wants to be among the many men who will want Mary Magdalene as well as the idea of having children. Yet, he would eventually tempted by strange forces that would challenge his will as he starts to realize the role he is to play. While that role would be a difficult one as people would find his preaching of love as a lot of wishy-washy idealism. He would eventually gain disciples who are interested in what he has to say thinking he has the answers.

Another character that is given more complexity is Judas who is known as Jesus’ betrayer. Yet, he is presented as a man that has a hard time trying to deal with Jesus’ insecurities as he is willing to follow him thinking he could lead a revolution. Eventually, he also realizes the role he must play as well as the fact that he is aware of the heat he will received from Jesus’ disciples. Still, there’s an element of the regret that Judas is going to face as he will appear in a key moment in the film’s third act. Other characters such as Mary Magdalene, Pontius Pilate, John the Baptist, and Saul/Paul would also emphasize the more human interpretation Schrader and Scorsese wanted. Notably in the way they speak their dialogue where instead of displaying some sort of period voice. They talk in their natural dialects or something just as if they’re talking somewhere around the corner.

Schraeder’s intricate yet loosely-based script would allow Martin Scorsese to create a film that doesn’t play up to previous versions of Jesus Christ’s story. Instead of this romanticized portrayal or the shock-value that would be later displayed in Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ. Scorsese chooses to create a film that is entrancing in its images while making Jesus Christ into someone that the viewer can relate to in his struggles with faith and humanity. Shooting on location in Morocco, Scorsese decides to create a film where Jesus is surrounded by a world where things seem to go into chaos as he tries to make sense of everything. Notably as Scorsese would utilize lots of stylistic crane and tracking shots to play up the anguish he’s dealing with early in the film as of God is trying to tell him something.

The sense of style that Scorsese presents is very evident as it includes a key scene of Jesus facing his temptations through various creatures including Satan in the form of a rising flame from the ground. The film would progress into these wonderful moments such as the small miracles Jesus would display but not do it in a grand way as Scorsese wants to maintain a simplicity of these miracles without really showing anything. The sense of style is evident in various key moments of the film such as the Last Supper and the Cleansing of the Temple scene. Notably in the way Scorsese frames the actors and the situation that is happening without explaining very much. The film’s crucifixion scene is very brutal but there is a restraint in the violence though the way the nail sounds piercing onto Jesus’ hands and foot do maintain its visceral tone that is quite unsettling.

The film’s third act following the crucifixion scene is very dream-like for the way Jesus sees the world as if he is about to live the life of a man with a family. Yet, it’s also quite surreal because it feels like it’s a dream-world where he would age like everyone else around him. It would lead to this very climatic ending that would reveal the world that Jesus has put himself upon while the film’s ending is truly powerful in what Jesus would do. Overall, Martin Scorsese creates a film that is more than just a marvel to watch but also provocative for the way he tells the life story of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

Cinematographer Michael Ballhaus does a brilliant job with the film‘s evocative cinematography with its lush shots of the Moroccan skylines as well as the colorful scenery for many of the film‘s nighttime settings including some of its dark interiors. Ballhaus’ use of lights to play up the presence of God or Satan is very inspiring to create something that seems out of this world as Ballhaus’ work is truly amazing. Editor Thelma Schoonmaker does a superb job with the editing to emphasize a lot of stylish cuts to present the film as it includes rhythmic dissolves, jump-cuts, and quick-reaction cuts to play up the drama that occurs in the film. Notably as Schoonmaker maintains a very methodical pace to explore Jesus Christ’s journey in the course of its 164-minute running time.

Production designer John Beard, with set decorator Giorgio Desideri and art director Andrew Sanders, does great work with the set pieces from the palace that Jesus and his disciples embark on to the design of the crucifixes that Jesus would make early in the film. Costume designer Jean-Pierre Delifer does a fantastic job with the costumes from the robes that Jesus and his disciples wear to the more stylish robes of Mary Magdalene. Special effects supervisor Dino Galiano does amazing work with some of the film‘s key special effects such as the rising fire to the brief moment of water turning into red with its dust coloring. Sound editor Skip Lievsay does tremendous work with the sound from the way the voice-over narration is edited to the distortion of sounds to play up Jesus’ sense of fear towards God as well as the anguish he would feel in the world around him.

The film’s music by Peter Gabriel is a major highlight of the film for the way it plays out the drama in a very hypnotic yet eerie tone. Featuring vocal contributions from Youssou N’Dour and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, the soundtrack is a mixture of ambient and world music that channels the world that Jesus Christ is surrounded. At times, it’s soothing but a lot of it is unsettling as a lot of the arrangements features blistering polyrhythms, brooding drone sounds, bits of guitar crashes, and all sorts of ethereal keyboards arrangements that add to the exotic nature of the film. Gabriel’s score is truly one of the most definitive film scores that really serves as a great introduction to world music.

The casting by Cis Corman is phenomenal for the ensemble that is created as it would feature voice work from Martin Scorsese as the lion, Illeana Douglas as a voice in the crowd, and Leo Marks as the voice of Satan. Other notable small performances include Irvin Kershner as a man who tries to stone Mary Magdalene to death, Peggy Gormley and Randy Danson in their respective roles of Martha and Mary of Bethany, Tomas Arana as the resurrected Lazarus, Roberts Blossom as an old man Jesus meets at a funeral, Verna Bloom as Jesus’ mother Mary, and Juliette Caton as a young girl claiming to be Jesus’ guardian angel. In the roles of Jesus’ disciples, there’s John Lurie, Leo Bermester, Paul Herman, Michael Been, Victor Argo, and Gary Basaraba as the men who follow Jesus while discussing their thoughts on faith to each other. Andre Gregory is excellent as John the Baptist who helps Jesus with his test on temptation while David Bowie is superb in a small but memorable performance as a calm Pontius Pilate.

Harry Dean Stanton is great in the role of Paul/Saul as a man who was once a killer and then later transforms into a man who claims to have been saved by Jesus. Barbara Hershey is wonderful as Mary Magdalene as a woman who becomes the object of lust for Jesus as she also tries to help him deal with his role. Harvey Keitel is astonishing as the troubled Judas Iscariot who tries to be Jesus’ one true friend though he is aware of what he will do as it’s a very complex performance from Keitel. Finally, there’s Willem Dafoe in an outstanding performance as Jesus Christ. Displaying the sense of anguish, confusion, and fear of a man dealing with his destiny. Dafoe brings a performance that is very engaging and chilling as it is definitely one-of-a-kind for the way he makes Jesus Christ into a very human figure.

The Last Temptation of Christ is an astonishing yet chilling film from Martin Scorsese and screenwriter Paul Schrader that features a tour-de-force performance from Willem Dafoe. While it’s not an easy film to watch as well as a film that doesn’t portray him as a romanticized figure. It’s a film that cannot be ignored as it raise questions on faith and doubt. Particularly as it refuses to peg Jesus Christ of Nazareth as anything than just some idea or a man as he’s a whole lot more than that. In the end, The Last Temptation of Christ is a marvelous yet haunting portrait of Jesus Christ told from one of cinema’s great masters in Martin Scorsese.

Martin Scorsese Films: (Who’s That Knocking at My Door?) - (Street Scenes) - Boxcar Bertha - (Mean Streets) - Italianamerican - Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore - Taxi Driver - New York, New York - American Boy: A Profile of Steven Prince - (The Last Waltz) - Raging Bull - The King of Comedy - After Hours - The Color of Money - New York Stories-Life Lessons - Goodfellas - Cape Fear (1991 film) - (The Age of Innocence) - (A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies) - (Casino) - (Kundun) - (My Voyage to Italy) - Bringing Out the Dead - (The Blues-Feel Like Going Home) - Gangs of New York - (The Aviator (2004 film)) - No Direction Home - The Departed - Shine a Light - Shutter Island - (A Letter to Elia) - (Public Speaking) - George Harrison: Living in the Material World - Hugo - The Wolf of Wall Street - Silence (2016 film) - (The Irishman) - Killers of the Flower Moon - (An Afternoon with SCTV)

© thevoid99 2012