FilmSkool — a free film school
The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)
Directed by Martin Scorsese.
Directed by Martin Scorsese · Shot by Michael Ballhaus · Cut by Thelma Schoonmaker · Music by Peter Gabriel · Ratio 1.85:1 · 163 min
How it was made
- Scorsese offered to shoot the film in just 58 days for $7 million to secure a greenlight from Universal after Paramount had abandoned the long-stalled production.
- On the first day of filming, Scorsese felt the Roman soldier extras looked too clean and had them roll around in the dirt before shooting.
- The three-day crucifixion scene used sixty different camera setups; Willem Dafoe could remain on the cross for only two to three minutes at a time.
- The slow-motion shot of the jeering crowd at the crucifixion was based on a Hieronymus Bosch crucifixion painting.
- Production designer John Beard, hired on Terry Gilliam's suggestion, kept effects minimal; Scorsese relied on lighting and editing rather than visual effects throughout the film.
Behind the scenes
Elsewhere
More by Martin Scorsese
This is the plain index, shown because JavaScript is off. Every lesson here is a free video published by the channel credited on it and plays through that channel's own embed — FilmSkool hosts nothing.