The Last Temptation of Christ is Martin Scorsese’s interpretation of the story of Jesus Christ, based not on the Gospels but on the 1955 novel by Nikos Kazantzakis.
Classification Issues
- Violence
- Christ is shown being beaten and whipped, with bloody detail, before the Crown of Thorns is placed on his head. During the Crucifixion, there is sight of blood spurts as nails are driven through him. There are also some bloody stabbings.
- Sex
- A woman is seen having sex with multiple men; it is implied the men are paying for sex. Another scene shows a man and a woman having sex; the scene is visually discreet but features some nudity as the couple are entwined.
- Nudity
- A woman's breast is briefly seen after sex. There is also natural and non sexual full frontal male and female nudity, within the context of a baptism.
- Additional issues
- The film's theme may offend some viewers, especially some religious viewers. In particular, its suggestion that, as he died on the Cross, Christ may have considered what his life might have been like had he led a more ordinary life, rather than one of sacrifice. Nonetheless, the film treats this idea seriously, rather than irreverently, and does not suggest that he succumbed to any such temptation. Other issues include the sight of blood in the aftermath of violence.
Cinema classification
Submitted for classification in 1988, the film attracted notoriety some time before it reached the BBFC. Press reports suggested that the film would contain a 'blasphemous' scene in which Christ fantasises on the cross about making love to Mary Magdalene. The BBFC received nearly two thousand letters and petitions from the public and pressure groups, with most expressing concern about content they considered potentially blasphemous, and a smaller number supporting the film’s uncut release in the UK.
The film was based on a famous 1955 novel by the Greek author Nikos Kazantzakis. It had been widely available in the UK in an English translation since 1961, without protest being raised or blasphemy charges brought.
The BBFC took the unusual step of inviting 28 representatives of the major Christian churches to view the film at the BBFC, and also took legal advice from a QC before making a decision. All who saw the film at the BBFC agreed that the film was not blasphemous in the legal sense, although it might have the capacity to offend some Christian viewers.
At the time, in order for a work to be considered blasphemous at law, it must contain material that is 'contemptuous, reviling, scurrilous or ludicrous' in relation to God or Jesus Christ. However, the film seemed to all who saw it to be sincere in intent, reverent in atmosphere and in no way contemptuous of its subject. Indeed, the sequence that had aroused controversy was an exploration of what it means to be both a man and God by envisaging what Christ's life may have been had he not given his life. Ultimately the film affirms the supreme importance of his sacrifice.
The film was passed 18 in 1988 without cuts and subsequently viewed by the Director of Public Prosecutions who supported the BBFC's decision that the film was not likely to be found guilty of blasphemy by a Jury. A handful of local authorities took the decision to ban the film, on the grounds of possible offence (in response to petitions against it) rather than blasphemy.
Reclassification on video
Controversy surrounding the film receded after its initial release and in 2000 the BBFC agreed to reclassify the film, for DVD release, down to 15 (it had originally received an 18 video rating in 1989). This rating was maintained when the film was most recently submitted in 2019.
Abolishing offences of blasphemy and blasphemous libel
In 2008, the common law offences of blasphemy and blasphemous libel were abolished in England and Wales by the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act. The offences were abolished in Scotland by the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021, which came into effect in 2024.
