The Movie: Nikos Kazantzakis' novel about a very human Jesus was a favourite of devout Catholic Martin Scorsese, who spent much of the 1980s attempting to get his dream project off the ground.
The Risk: Originally set for production in 1983 with Aidan Quinn as Christ, Paramount changed its mind after receiving protest letters from religious organisations. Given a plot that includes Satan tempting Christ with visions of having sex with Mary Magdalene, it's not difficult to see why many were angry.
Did It Pay Off?: Scorsese weathered a storm that climaxed in several people being seriously burnt after a Paris cinema was firebombed. Nowadays, the film is seen as one of the finest cinematic studies of the life of Christ.
Try This...
Latest Reviews
Before Midnight
Man Of Steel
The Bling Ring
Comments
Hadouken76
Feb 18th 2013, 15:29
Southland Tales, Waterworld and Superman Returns also
Alert a moderator
rosshorgan
Feb 18th 2013, 19:17
Inception should be in the top 10 at the very least.
Alert a moderator
FBJRider
Feb 18th 2013, 22:36
Inception wasn't a risk at all. It's a weird film but it was Nolan was riding high on the wave of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, no matter what his next film was after those two it was going to be a hit.
Alert a moderator
MRNasher
Feb 21st 2013, 11:47
Well hell.. a well researched and considered piece on Totalfilm again! Bravo :)
Alert a moderator
FBYBrown
Feb 23rd 2013, 5:50
Apocalypse Now is my all-time favorite. I've watched both versions of the film and the documentary "Hearts Darkness", which really broke down all the insanity making this film. My favorite.
Alert a moderator