Jesus, a humble Judean carpenter beginning to see that he is the son of God, is drawn into revolutionary action against the Roman occupiers by Judas -- despite his protestations that love, not violence, is the path to salvation. The burden of being the savior of mankind torments Jesus throughout his life, leading him to doubt.
Acting
Dafoe's Jesus sweats, screams, and doubts magnificently.
Direction
Scorsese's most personal, spiritually tortured work.
Score
Peter Gabriel's hypnotic, world-music crucifixion soundtrack.
Director
Martin Scorsese
Willem Dafoe
Jesus
Harvey Keitel
Judas
Paul Greco
Zealot
Steve Shill
Centurian
Verna Bloom
Mary, Mother of Jesus
Barbara Hershey
Mary Magdalene
Roberts Blossom
Aged Master
Barry Miller
Jeroboam
Gary Basaraba
Andrew, Apostle
Irvin Kershner
Zebedee
Victor Argo
Peter, Apostle
Paul Herman
Phillip, Apostle
John Lurie
James, Apostle
Leo Burmester
Nathaniel, Apostle
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Protesters literally set fire to a Paris theater during its 1988 release; Scorsese received death threats and the film was banned in several countries.
Barbara Hershey gave Scorsese the Nikos Kazantzakis novel in 1974; it took 14 years of studio rejections and a collapsed Aidan Quinn/Sting version before he could make it.
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