“The Last Temptation of Christ” quotes
(1988)
Martin Scorsese
directed this movie
in 1988
Title The Last Temptation of Christ
Year 1988
Director Martin Scorsese
Genre Drama
Year 1988
Director Martin Scorsese
Genre Drama
Plot – Jesus of Nazareth, a young Jewish carpenter, is producing crosses on commission for the Roman invaders and is therefore considered a despicable collaborator by his people. He suffers from nightmares and he is struggling with a mysterious voice that makes him believe and doubt to be the son of God, sent to save mankind, a role he fears rather than embraces, and he therefore suffers from convulsions similar to an epileptic attack. After one of these attacks, he feels the need to confide in Mary Magdalene, a public sinner, as if to atone for the disgraceful service he renders to the Romans. However, he does not give in to the woman's enticements and withdraws in the desert. Fresh from the desert, he begins to preach that love for one's neighbor will save the world. Following his preaching, he saves Mary Magdalene from stoning, frowningly reproaching the stoners for their own personal faults. He then gathers a group of uncouth disciples, is baptized in the Jordan by a screaming and possessed John the Baptist and returns to the desert to better listen to the voice of God. There, a cobra, a lion and a kind of fatuous wriggling flame represent the "first temptations" suffered by the uncertain and vacillating man. Afterwards, he resumes his mission with more enthusiasm: he heals a blind man; he turns water into wine; he resurrects Lazarus; he expels the merchants from the Temple of Jerusalem and he makes a grotesque entrance to the city on a donkey, surrounded by a small group of cheering fanatics. He then manages to convince his disciple Judas to betray him so that he can find the strength to overcome his fear and thus carry out his mission. After performing a bloody ritual of sacrificial meal, he retires to the Garden of Olives, where again he feels doubtful and insecure. He is arrested thanks to the "faithful" Judah and is brought before Pilate, sentenced and tortured. He climbs up Golgotha, carrying the cross, and he is crucified. While agonizing, he suffers a "last temptation", the work of a little girl-angel: a hallucination from being a tortured and dying in which he marries Mary Magdalene and they have children; after her death, he marries the sister of Lazarus and at the same time has a flirtation with her sister; he has a large family, grows old and on his deathbed, where he is harshly rebuked by Judas, he is surprised to realize that the innocent girl-angel is merely the final incarnation of Satan. After the hallucination, Jesus finds himself on the cross to die and be resurrected for the salvation of the world.
All actors – Willem Dafoe, Harvey Keitel, Paul Greco, Steve Shill, Verna Bloom, Barbara Hershey, Roberts Blossom, Barry Miller, Gary Basaraba, Irvin Kershner, Victor Argo, Michael Been
show all“The Last Temptation of Christ” Quotes 21 quotes
“- Saul: How do you feel?
- Lazarus: I like the light.
- Saul: What was it like? Which is better: Death, or life?
- Lazarus: I was a little surprised... wasn't that much difference.”“I'm afraid of everything. I never tell the truth. I don't have the courage. When I see a woman, I blush and look away. But inside I have lust. For God, I smother the lust, and that satisfies my pride. But my pride destroys Magdalene. I never steal or fight, or kill... not because I don't want to but because I'm afraid. I want to rebel against...” (continue)(continue reading)
“- Jesus: I wish there was another way, but there isn't. I have to die on the cross.
- Judas: I won't let you die.
- Jesus: You don't have a choice. Neither do I. Remember, we're bringing God and man together. They'll never be together unless I die. I'm the sacrifice... Forget everything else, understand that.”“There is only one woman in the world. One woman, with many faces.”
“If I was a woodcutter, I'd cut. If I was a fire, I'd burn. But I'm a heart and I love. That's the only thing I can do.”
“- Pontius Pilate: It's one thing to want to change the way people live... but you want to change how they think, how they feel.
- Jesus: All I'm saying is that change will happen with love, not with killing.
- Pontius Pilate: Either way, it's dangerous. It's against Rome. It's against the way the world is. And killing or loving, it's all the...” (continue)(continue reading)“God demands anger!”
“See, this is what happens when a man swears off sex; the semen backs up into his brain!”
“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. And the voices. They call me by name....” (continue)(continue reading)
“- Rabbi: That is blasphemy.
- Jesus: Didn't they tell you? I am the saint of blasphemy. Don't make any mistakes, I didn't come here to bring peace, I came to bring a sword!
- Rabbi: Talking like that will get you killed.
- Jesus: Me, killed? Listen to me. This temple will be torn down in three days, torn down to the ground!”“What's good for man isn't good for God!”
“- Jesus: You're here to trick me.
- The Cobra: Trick you? To love and care for a woman, to have a family? This is a trick? Why are you trying to save the world? Aren't your own sins enough for you? What arrogance to think you can save the world. The world doesn't have to be saved: save yourself. Find love.
- Jesus: I have love.”“The more devils we have inside of us, the more of a chance we have to repent.”
“Today and tomorrow I cast out demons and work cures. On the third day, I will be perfected.”
“You think God belongs only to you? He doesn't. God is an immortal spirit who belongs to everybody, to the whole world. You think you're special? God is not an Israelite.”
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