The Last Temptation of Christ

For years ive wanted to watch The Last Temptation of Christ . I remember .well the uproar this film caused at the time , mainly due to the fact that it supposedly suggested that Jesus was not risen from the dead but did a runner with Mary Magdelane  and raised a family that was eventually his " heaven on earth  " . Quite shocking ? Well yes this was suggested , but only as a " dream " sequence as Jesus was on the cross . In his dream Jesus is a mortal man who inspired a legend we now base Christianity on . He trys to debase this legend as its a lie , but his angry disciples rebuke him as the false story is bringing people to God through a belief in Jesus and the miracle of his  " resurrection " . Is a false idea justifiable if it brings people to new outlooks or realms ?  Does the end justify the means if the end is life changing ?
  Finally this dream sequence fades as Jesus regrets his fantasised release from death on the cross and he is returned on to it , and the rest as they say is history . This scene I think is a dream , though I also could not argue against it being a suggestion of the truth even if it is quickly sold out and the ending the Bible tells us , the one we were brought up on is finally suggested as the truth . In that respect it pleases no one . A bit of a fudge ? But I guess thats the point . We make up our own minds  .
  It is a good film and I recommend it . The stages of  Jesus's life are quite well done while sticking to the facts . One thing that did annoy me was the whole film had a look of a traditional Bible type film . You know that certain cartoonish look or stereotyped desert look . A more contemporary look and a  more gritty look would have helped . On this point whoever cast Harvey Keitel as a crimped , red haired Judas wants shooting . His character was spot on with his demanding voice , but that red hair style looked just ridiculous and straight out of a child's Bible story book . Why was this done ? Martin Scorsese must have realised this surely . Its seems deliberate to me . Apart from that , a film I suggest you watch . As with many controversial films , until you watch them you CANNOT  comment on them !  

One final thought :  I was reminded of the fact that Old Testament Jews were very keen on stoning to death unclean  women . Something today we forget and tend to relate only to  Islam . Of course I realise Jews long ago gave up this practice ( unlike some Islamic peoples today ) . Did Jews get the idea from Islam or vice versa ?